As the Metro Vancouver market becomes more buyer-centric, I find my inbox filling up more and more with professionally composed listing ads from 'no longer only ‘tech-savvy' Realtors®' from all corners of our beautiful Metropolis.
On one hand, this bombardment has allowed me to experience several different brands of email marketing management tools. Since I may be in the market for one in the future...that's ok.
On the other hand, these listings are readily available to me through my local board system. If they are of interest to me or in the sites of my automated search parameters for a buyer client, the listing will surely show up in my email none-the-less.
The truth be known, I don't mind so much. The format of these mass email systems is more pleasing to the eye than the cold institutional email through the board system (no insult or criticism intended).
Usually, if a Realtor® has gone to the expense of the slick email marketing system, they've probably also spent the thousands on having themselves ‘branded' again, no criticism...I may consider it myself someday, and it's really great to see how good some of my colleagues can look (even if it's not in ‘real life').
Of course, this also means that they will have hired a professional photographer to work their special magic on the highlighted property - a necessity with the marketing of certain properties.
What does irk me is the photographs.
Now for those of you who are not into photography and couldn't tell the difference between a fish-eye and a walleye or a macro from a mackerel, there are a huge variety of lenses out there. If you have ever seen a professional photographer, they never have less than two lenses and usually have access to several for each ‘shoot'.
The trend for the last few years has been to use an ultra-wide-to-wide-angle zoom lens.
Honestly, it really enhances the visual appeal of a room. Heck, I wanted to put an offer on my own listing after seeing the photos! The average sized living room went from well, average looking to expansive!
The question is this:
By using lenses that give the impression of massive proportion are we not committing the same offence as air-brushing out the electrical wires from a view shot? Should this not be considered as illegal/unethical?
I have taken more than one client to a viewing only to have them comment on how much smaller the place looked in person compared to the photos. The disappointment is obvious. And it wasted everybody's time, the owner, the potential buyer, the Listing Agent and the Buyers' Agent. Furthermore, the seller can be given the impression that the property is not fairing well when 30 potential buyers view the property and nobody makes an offer. When the majority of them would not have bothered if they knew the place was that small.
As a Buyers' Agent, I realise that it's my responsibility to ensure my clients are aware of sizes, shapes, etc. I also know that a buyer who sees distorted photos that create visions of grandeur really want to see the property for themselves.
So, who's the big winner in this scenario; Seller, Buyers, Agents? Should we maybe shift our focus?
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