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Please Put The Seat Down! And what it means when you don't do it.

By Debbie Summers

Real Estate Agent with Charles Rutenberg Realty

January 23, 2009 11:30 AM

How many time have you've been told "Please put the seat down?"... Well, it goes for your photos that you use to market your properties too. I was looking through some condo listings in Celebration, Florida for a client today. What was the one thing that seemed to be the same in every listing?

The toilet seat was up in many of the bathroom photos... Didn't they notice it?

This is what I think you say when you don't put the seat down in your photos...

Photos don't matter...
I don't pay attention to details...
I don't care about this property or how it's presented...
I'm just taking the photos because I have to...

I know, I'm making a big deal out of the toilet seat... not everyone agrees with me and some folks are just going to think I'm nuts, but the toilet seat tells me a lot.

I take great pride in the work that I do and that includes how I represent a property online and offline. Yes, I hire a professional photographer to take photos of most of the properties that I list, but even when I don't I make sure that the photos I take are aesthetically pleasing and you'll never see an open lid on my watch.

Lake Mary Real Estate

Debbie Summers, Lake Mary REALTOR, ALHS, e-PRO

407-758-1020 or Debbie@MoveToLakeMary.com

Shop Online for your home in Lake Mary, Florida

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Kenneth Cole

Weichert Realtors Appleseed Group, 2043 Richmond Ave. S.I.N.Y. 10314. office phone 718-698-9797, Appleseedhomes.com... - Staten Island, NY

NYS Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

I also did a blog about the toilet seat. Got no comments.

Jan 23, 2009 11:45 AM

Kay Van Kampen

RE/MAX Broker, RE/MAX - Springfield, MO

Realtor®, Springfield Mo Real Estate

Oh, wait till you see my latest listing.....I've suggested politely for the owners to clean up the house. I think once they see how cluttered the photos are, they will have me come back and redo them. My biggest pet peave is the toilet lid up too.

Jan 23, 2009 11:46 AM

Audrey June-Forshey

RE/MAX Realty Services - Darnestown, MD

GRI, Gaithersburg, MD

You know, I make sure the seats are down too, but I have slipped up before lord knows. I do know an agent in my office and this is her biggest pet peeve!!

Jan 23, 2009 11:49 AM

Donna Harris

Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX

Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Having the toilet seat up makes me think it looks "dirty".

Jan 23, 2009 11:56 AM

Barbara Delaney

Park Place REALTORS, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Dear Debbie,

I love it! Male agents, photographers, etc., don't seem to get it!

PUT THE DAMN LID DOWN!!!

Thanks,

Barbara

Jan 23, 2009 12:49 PM

Roger Johnson

Hickory, NC

Barbara, a few of us male agents do, believe me. Along the same vein, in vacant houses, as the agent, you need to make sure that there won't be any "surprises" for showings. I recently showed pretty nice, vacant home. My clients opened up the master closet and hanging there was a leather, uh..let's say, "after hours" outfit along with the chains.

What do you say at that point? "Look, it comes fully loaded!"

Jan 23, 2009 01:05 PM

Larry Bergstrom

Crescent Realty, Inc. Spanaway, WA. - Spanaway, WA

CNE, CRS, GRI

I wondered what my wife has been harping about for all these years. I didn't realize that she was in the bathroom taking pictures!

Jan 23, 2009 01:14 PM

Marchel Peterson

Results Realty - Spring, TX

Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

It's the little things that make the difference.

Jan 23, 2009 01:57 PM

Tony Orefice

NorthGroup Real Estate/www.TonyORealtor.com - Concord, NC

Realtor- Cabarrus County, NC

Roger,

Did my wife forget to put away her "ahem" outfit!? I apologize. How embarrassing!

Jan 23, 2009 02:10 PM

Bob & Carolin Benjamin

Benjamin Realty LLC - Gold Canyon, AZ

East Phoenix Arizona Homes

Agree, the lid needs to be down --- why don't some people get it.

Jan 23, 2009 03:11 PM

Heather the Realtor Orlando, Lake Mary

LemonTree Realty - Orlando, FL

First Time Home Buyers, Bank Owned Homes

I agree about the toliet lids whenever I show a home I go around and put the toliet seats down as well. I dont need to see what's inside and sometimes that can be a deterent to some.

Jan 24, 2009 05:40 AM

Debbie Summers

Charles Rutenberg Realty - New Smyrna Beach, FL

Thank you everyone for the great comments and interaction... I'm reading each and every one of them - but, I just can't comment as much as I'd like (check my next post for the reason)...

Larry - Made me laugh so hard though... I think that you have the best sense of humor - ever! Please take the camera away from your wife.

Jan 25, 2009 06:42 AM

Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089

Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI

Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

lol - I agree, it's one of my pet peeves. Yesterday I saw a brand new listing photo ($1.6M) and the listing agent/owner didn't even bother to make the bed! I had to laugh.

Jan 28, 2009 11:11 AM

Please Put The Seat Down! And what it means when you don't do it.

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