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Photo Psy"cow"logy & The MLS

By Angus in Naperville IL

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX of Naperville

September 21, 2006 12:45 PM

Photos are Moosic to my eyes! I was talking to another agent about our MLS system and the way agents use pictures in the system.

I told Ron that when I search through the MLS and there is only a picture of the front of the house, I think " it may be a bad agent... or it may be a bad house... I'm not really sure.

We are allowed to use up to 7 photos, if the agent puts in two or three and they are all of the outside... I automatically assume the inside of the home is bad. In fact, if the agent only uses a couple of pictures, I generally assume the worst... I mean, why wouldn't you take advantage of such an important part of the marketing process? I use virtual tours as well, but the pictures automatically go out to so many sources...

How does your MLS handle pictures?

What goes through your mind when you are looking for properties to show?

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Mrs. Sheri Ann Johnson, GRI

Tropic Shores Realty - Spring Hill, FL

It's our job to find a home meeting our Buyer's criteria. We do this by filtering through the MLS looking for listings. An MLS description can't tell you if a home has an open floor plan or a large foyer, for this we need photos!

I can't tell you how many homes pop up in front of me with 1 photo. If I really like the photo I will call the agent & ask if they plan on uploading more photographs of the home or a virtual tour (hint, hint). I am still surprised when I hear, "no".

Sep 21, 2006 12:53 PM

Dena Stevens

Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO

Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004

Sometimes you do have to wonder. If the pictures are all exterior or all interior I wonder what the agent is hiding. In Pueblo we are given opporutnity to get many pictures on the MLS as well - but no web address's. So my broker started another company that does a web page where every listing (our or others) are given 20 pictures, and a sign is attached along with the Real estate sign.

Sep 21, 2006 12:53 PM

Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

RE/MAX Shoreline - Portsmouth, NH

Buying or Selling? Ann & Jim are the local experts

We can upload an unlimited number of photos.

However I feel between 12 & 24 is proabably sufficient for most buyers and agents.

We can also link a virtual tour to our MLS listings. www.VisualTour.com does this automatically if you're one of their customers as well as linking it to Realtor.com and several other sites.

Sep 21, 2006 12:55 PM

Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

RE/MAX Shoreline - Portsmouth, NH

Buying or Selling? Ann & Jim are the local experts

We can upload an unlimited number of photos.

However I feel between 12 & 24 is proabably sufficient for most buyers and agents.

We can also link a virtual tour to our MLS listings. www.VisualTour.com does this automatically if you're one of their customers as well as linking it to Realtor.com and several other sites.

Sep 21, 2006 12:55 PM

Steve Campbell

Century 21 Commonwealth Real Estate - Georgetown, KY

Our MLS allows us to upload as many pictures as we would like. Normally it would be between 10 and 20. Our search also allows you to search only listings with pictures, it is truely amazing that there are so many listings on our mls without pictures.

Sep 21, 2006 01:07 PM

Ann Cummings

RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Our MLS allows us to upload up to 12 photos, and with the ability to have that many in there, I do find myself thinking usually one of two things---lazy agent or lousy property. There are times when you just can't get more than a certain number of decent pictures of a property because the property is just a real-fixer upper or maybe is so small that there just aren't that many things to take a picture of.

We also have the ability to link virtual tours to our listings as well, if you use tours. We also have the ability to upload pertinent documents and attach those to our listings as well--property disclosures, tax bills, plot plans, covenants, etc.

Sep 21, 2006 01:08 PM

Rick & Ines - Miami Beach Real Estate

Majestic Properties - Miami Beach, FL

We can only include 8 photos in our MLS here in S. Florida and you are so right. If the house says "pool" and there is no photo of the pool, it needs to be bad. I also assume that if there are no interior photos, the property must either be impossible to photograph or a dump. What are agents thinking when they don't include even one photo?? Don't they read statistics?

Sep 21, 2006 01:09 PM

Alexander Harb

Knights Investing - Mesquite, TX

Dallas, Texas Real Estate Investing

I always write up every listing I have and take and post all the available pictures I can.....

If we are not marketing the property...we are not doing our job as agents correctly and we are giving shoddy service......

if yer gonna do something do it the best you can do it....!!! :-D

Sep 21, 2006 01:14 PM

Carl Guild

Carl Guild & Associates - East Hampton, CT

Central Connecticut Real Estate

Our MLS allows 10 pictures. I am amazed when I see that they arent all there. What good agent would not use everything available to them. Price and exposure sell homes and pictures on the MLS are definitely one of the easiest ways to get more exposure.

Sep 21, 2006 01:18 PM

Linda Davis

RE/MAX Home Team - Gales Ferry, CT

Our MLS allows unlimited photos but most in the area use 6 or less and many use only 1. I'm always amazed at how bad some of the photos are. One of my pet peeves is dish towels on the oven handle and cars in the driveway.

Sep 21, 2006 02:07 PM

Dena Stevens

Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO

Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004

Linda! I agree completely. Also chairs not pushed into a table or bar and toliet lids left up. Seriously!

Sep 21, 2006 02:28 PM

John Novak

Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV

Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

The Las Vegas MLS allows up to eight photos. Some agents believe that buyers use photos to eliminate the house, so they only include one outside shot. But more and more are submitting the maximum.

Sep 21, 2006 02:34 PM

Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio

Real Living HER, Powell Ohio - Powell, OH

We can load up to 10. Always amazed at how many agents don't put photos in or worse yet, they'll pull the photo from the Auditor's web site. Makes you wonder if the agent has ever been to the home.

Of course, I have called agents before to ask about the interior and had the agent say they had not been to the home. Unbelievable!

Sep 21, 2006 03:21 PM

Gena Riede

Riede Real Estate, Lic. 01310792 - Sacramento, CA

Real Estate Broker - Sacramento CA Real Estate (916) 417-2699

Here in the Sacramento area our MLS allows 12 pictures. I agree totally with what you are saying. I too, wonder what's wrong with the house when there are NO pictures or if I never get to see the front or some of the main rooms. My clients always mirror the same.

The best is when the realtor has MLS drive by and take the photo...so many of those are blurry at best and of course there is only 1. Not exactly what you would call MARKETING!

Just love your cow!

Sep 21, 2006 08:05 PM

Sharon Simms

Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International - Saint Petersburg, FL

St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS

We have SO many properties available to show that we definitely make assumptions when there are only exterior shots (or only interior shots), none of the pool, none of the view, and like most shoppers on the internet, we just say NEXT.

Sep 21, 2006 10:40 PM

Kerri Brencsons

Lift Interiors LLC - Scotch Plains, NJ

I hold a NJ real estate licence but and own a home staging business (which is where im focusing my attention now) I do feel that the lack of photographs is indicative of a house that is lacking something! I am now offering my clients digital photographs to provide to their realtor for the MLS once I am done staging a place.

Sep 22, 2006 01:44 AM

Tyler Wedel

THIRD TENNESSEE REALTY - Monterey, TN

Our MLS allows us to upload as many photos as we want, and like many others have said I assume the worse when there are no photos are only one or two photos

Sep 22, 2006 02:02 AM

Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio

Real Living HER, Powell Ohio - Powell, OH

Maureen McC and I were talking this afternoon, and I missed the 'cow' connection. DUH!

So why do you use a Holstein rather than an Angus?

Sep 22, 2006 09:50 AM

Angus in Naperville IL

RE/MAX of Naperville - Naperville, IL

Just me (OK so a few years ago..) If I did my lettering in solid black, no one would get it!

My son (also Angus) worked on a cattle ranch in Wyoming where they thought it was the strangest name for a human to have.

Moo in Naperville (not Wyoming)

Sep 22, 2006 10:16 AM

Ben Kakimoto

Keller Williams Greater Seattle - Seattle, WA

Seattle Condo Specialist

Our MLS allows 15 photos. The first photo must either be an exterior picture of the house/condo bldg or view from the property. And, Seattle agents fair no better at posting the maximum allowable number of photos. Listings with only a few photo or solely exterior or interior photos do tend to raise red flags for me.

Sep 22, 2006 12:02 PM