Facebook - Sharing Photos Too Soon Can Be Compromising!
Photos are a wonderful way to document events, things to remember and most anything we love to share. Facebook is a part of life these days for many people. It is a way to communicate daily events and stay in touch with others. As real estate agents we know the power of staying in touch and if we are savvy enough to use it properly it does bring business.
Many agents use our business page along side our profile page to increase brand awareness. Properly used we post photos of homes we tour and list. It is all with the permisison of the owners and should never compromise a deal.
A buyer that is touring homes recently asked if they could take photos of the home to show a family member something specific in the house. This particular home was almost empty and I knew it would not be a problem. I told him that it would be okay if he did NOT take photos of the owners personal belonging and if he did NOT share them on Facebook or any social media.
I do give buyers the scoop on why not to post photos of homes we tour.
- It violates the owners privacy
- It can compromise a deal when you put in an offer.
Our cell phones take some rather wonderful photos these days, and being able to watch our buyers tour homes and prevent them from snapping a photo is almost impossible. I take a proactive stance to this by bringing up the topic when we tour our first home together. Making sure they understand the rules early on is helpful. I know how easy it is for people to grab photos most easily so just ignoring this is not good form. Our buyers are going to shoot photos no matter what. As an agent I just don't really care if they take them as much as what they do with them. NO posting to social media. NO exceptions!
I remind my clients that the house we are touring is someone elses home and should NOT be posted on Facebook or any other form of social media. The second thing I tell clients is that during the buying process it is super important not to compromise their purchase by discussing anything about the buying process. It could cost them dearly when negotiating a deal. People do share way too much personal info about themselves and finances. This is not so cool when buying or selling a home.
A gentle reminder has proven most helpful in my dealings with clients. Some do get so excited when they find that perfect home that they want to take home a few of their own photos to view. No problem, just keep them off of Facebook. A picture is worth a thousand words, but waiting until after move in day is the best plan. There is plenty of time to share all those photos of your new home after you move in!
Happy House Hunting!
published by: your real estate expert Janis Borgueta Hudson Valley Homes for Sale, as a community service in Newburgh NY. To receive more community and real estate information please subscribe to this blog. Looking to buy a new home? Search the MLS for Homes in the Hudson Valley. You can contact Janis at (845)-527-7115 or find her on Google+
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