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Buyers want to see what they are going to see before they see it...

By Yael Warman

Real Estate Broker/Owner with Right About Real Estate

December 13, 2006 08:12 AM

Buyers want to see what they are going to see before they see it... it is not riddle, but the reality of our profession.
I recently published a post with some statistics and one of them was that 78% of buyers don't even click on listings without pictures. I bet this statistic transaltes also to agents looking for homes on the MLS for their buyers (I mean, why would I show a home and be surprised when I get there, when I can show one that I know how it looks like and know what my buyers can expect?)

Now, why would a listing agent, who at the listing presentation promises the seller to market their house by doing this and the other, and to present it to sooo many buyers, skimp on something so basic as pictures of the home?

We all know that everything comes in best through our eyes, so how can we expect a potential buyer (or buyer's agent) to choose to visit a home that has no pictures over one that upfront is showing you its features?

With more than half of the properties on the MLS featuring pictures, those homes without any pictures are just being left behind. Not only do homes without pictures are not appealing because of the "surprise factor", but they actually make a buyer think "something must be wrong with that house since they don't even want to show us pictures"...

I feature pictures on ALL my lisitngs, no matter how high or low priced they are or whether they are rentals or sales and I also feature virtual tours on them. That is the least I can do for my sellers during these fast paced times, in which buyers have no time to waste looking at homes that may not match their criteria.

Lisitng agents: do yourselves a favor and your sellers a favor and buy a digital camera and bring it with you to listing presentations. Oh and of course, post the pictures on the MLS!

Yael Warman
www.rightabouthomes.com

Comments(13)

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Alexander Harb

Knights Investing - Mesquite, TX

Dallas, Texas Real Estate Investing

Yael,

I have a 2.0 MP camara just for real estate.......

BUT, my wife likes to take with her when she visits her relatives...it takes 96 pics with the memory card I have put into it.

Marketing...what a concept..... ;-D

Dec 13, 2006 09:03 AM

Jay Thompson

Jay.Life, LLC - Aransas Pass, TX

Century 21 recently announced that no homes will be put on the C21 web site unless they contain 3 pictures.

And you wouldn't BELIEVE the whining from some of the agents in our office! THREE pictures! Our MLS only allows six photos, and I bet well over half the 40,000+ listings don't have the full allotment of six measly pictures.

It's nuts.

A world record for blog commenting!

http://www.ThompsonsRealty.com
http://www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com

Dec 13, 2006 09:32 PM

Yael Warman

Right About Real Estate - Dania Beach, FL

I know Jay, it's crazy... they should be thankful that someone is "forcing" them to do better work.

Dec 14, 2006 02:19 AM

S. Leanne Paynter ☼ Broward County, FL

United Realty Group, Inc. - Davie, FL

Davie, Plantation, Cooper City & Weston Specialist

You wrote: "...why would I show a home and be surprised when I get there, when I can show one that I know how it looks like and know what my buyers can expect?"

That is exactly what most agents think as they search the currently bloated MLS for their buyers. That's also why I always include the maximum number of photos the MLS will allow. Anything less is doing a disservice to the seller.

Good post, Yael, and I hope you will consider joining the MLS Issues group on AR and add this post to our collection.

Dec 19, 2006 07:31 PM

Thanks Leanne for the invite to your group. I'll definitely join. I have so many pet peeves about some of the information on the MLS, that I'd love to share and see if other Realtors think the same.

Dec 20, 2006 02:39 AM

Carole Cohen

Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH

Realtor, ePRO

Yes Yael, as Leanne said, please post this in the MLS group; great point to make, and I'm glad you linked it to my MLS post - I just sold a house and since there were over 250 homes for me to preview or scan on the internet, even with her requirements, I never once had to show a home without photos on MLS. Agents, take heart!

Dec 20, 2006 02:51 AM

Yael, I'm glad to see you joined the MLS Issue group and added this to our collection. I look forward to future posts from you on MLS-related issues.

Carole, you just proved my point when you wrote "I never once had to show a home without photos on MLS. Agents, take heart!" Been there, done that... especially in our current market! Even homes with just one photo often don't make the cut.

Dec 20, 2006 03:09 AM

Lee Jinks

Jinks Realty - McAllen, TX

I'm with Coldwell Banker and they now require six photos per listing.

My most recent listing.

I can't get the link to work: http://sei1.navicamls.net/rpv/new_navica2/default.asp?flash_id=%8BX%60%95%8C

Sep 26, 2007 02:42 PM

Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089

Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI

Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

We now require pictures to be posted within 3 days of entering the MLS, or users will be fined. That has helped a lot!

Oct 26, 2007 11:50 PM

Rene Galvan

RGV Realty - McAllen, TX

It is also a good idea for buyer's agents to carry a digital camera when showing property. The photos act as visual notes for the buyer's likes and dislikes. At the end of the day, I'll load the photos to my website and create a page for the buyers to view the photos at home as part of their decision process.

Dec 17, 2007 07:57 AM

Anonymous

Yes, that's an excellent service to proivde your customers Rene. We have a service called Visual Tour and it allows you for a monthly fee to create as many virtual tours as you want, so we do virtual tours of everything, including buyer tours of homes we've visited.

Dec 18, 2007 02:26 AM

#11

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

You are SO right about photos! Thanks for reminding us.

Jan 02, 2008 12:43 PM

The All Pro Team

EXIT Realty Leaders - Crystal River, FL

Yael, In our Assoc. it is a Policy that each home listed have at-least 1 picture and all pictures that are in MLS must pertain to that house. It really drives me crazy when agents don't out in pictures or put one pic of the front door. I agree with you completely, at the time of the listing the agent said they would market their home, how can they market it if they can't even take a picture.

Melonie Haag

Jan 03, 2008 07:05 AM

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