The speed with which consumers have embraced online shopping amazes me. In just a few short years, the buying habits of most people have changed from window shopping at the mall to browsing across the internet, comparing quality and prices from the comfort of home. This same change applies to the real estate industry as well.
With almost any information about homes for sale available online, buyers are able to narrow down their list of most interesting homes without spending an entire day driving from house to house...and most of them are doing this based on the photos of those properties.
The New Orleans MLS (Multiple Listing Service) allows an agent to upload up to 12 photos of each listing. Is every home a candidate for 12 photos? Probably not. Tenant occupied properties are notoriously hard to get good photos of - no matter how hard we try. Homes that have been flooded and gutted usually don't warrant more than a couple of exterior pictures and maybe one or two interior photos.
However, too many agents are still just using a couple of shots of the front of what might be some great homes and calling it advertisement or marketing.
The result? Houses that are passed over by buyers that assume there is something wrong with them.
I did a quick search of the active listings on the West Bank and of the 1,268 single family homes for sale here is what I found:
- 17% had only 1 photo
- 13% had between 2-5 photos
- 45% had between 6-10 photos
- 25% had the maximum number of photos allowed
These numbers don't even get into the quality of photos being used. Here's what the buyers will see in that 17% that have only 1 picture to draw them in with:
- Photos taken from across the street that give a great view of the trees, but not much of the house
- People peeking out of the front doors (are they included in the sale?)
- Blurry and out of focus pictures (should I check my glasses?)
- Thumbnail photos that are so tiny there is no way a person could decide if it's a house they might be interested in...combined with a description like "Must see to appreciate"
- Driveways and front yards so full of cars that it looks more like an auto lot than a home
- Pictures filled with garbage cans, overgrown grass and the shadows of the agent taking the photo
- Photos that are so crooked buyers are waiting for the house to slide right off of the screen
So what is my point? Sellers should be reviewing the marketing efforts of their agents. Ask to see the photos they are using - if you don't like them, demand additional or replacement photos. Ask to see the MLS printout that buyers will get. Don't be afraid to ask that the descriptions be detailed and accurate...good spelling and grammar are bonuses as well, but that's a topic for another day.
Marketing and showcasing your home in it's best light is what your agent is being paid for. Be sure you are getting your money's worth, because that shouldn't be optional either.
For information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!
Originally published at West Bank Living
Very true in my market too Lisa. It amazes me why you don't see the maximum amount of photos on every listing!
Lisa, We use a professional photographer on every listing and include a video plus 16 photos or more. You are so right about having the best photos possible out there. We see photos daily that are being used that are way too dark, don't maximize the look of the home and are just sad!
Very true. I try for the maximum but there are times when there simply aren't 25 good shots possible. How's life treating you in lovely New Orleans?
Lisa, this is definitely a pet peeve of mine. And I never did get the ones that post NO pictures. Our MLS has now started posting violations if the listing does not have a picture. Has this helped? Not really. The lazy agents put stock pictures of palm trees. ARRRRGGGHHH!
When sellers interview agents to give their listings that should include a discussion about pictures and a preview of the work that the agent does, pictures are critical. In Westchester County we are allowed up to 25 pictures and one agent felt she that she had to have 25 pictures and so there there were 5 pictures of the living room fireplace from different angles!
Lisa - The day a listing agreement is signed I take about 30 shots and use the 10 best ones in the MLS and include others in the virtual tour. I email the seller the mls sheet with all pictures and ask them if they have any suggestion or comments. I also go back and retake pictures if they made alteration such as new paint.
Makes me crazy... I don't understand why agents don't think it is a good idea to properly market properties...
Lisa I wish the clients understood this. It's hard to make a picture look good if they won't help.
Lisa, This has to be my biggest complaint with our MLS and they honestly ought to screen. I see the WORST photos put up--if there are ANY--where you wouldn't want to step in the door. The things is, I don't believe sellers even realize this. They have hired someone and are expecting them to do a good job with their representation.
Jennifer, even an ugly house deserves photos, because it is what it is and at least the buyers will know that before they waste their time.
Susan, it really makes me just shake my head and wonder if the listing agents forgot that their job is to market the house?
Mangiggly, 25? You can put up 25 photos? Wow...I wish our MLS allowed that many!
Maggie, having no photos is not as much of a problem since my MLS started fining people. And the requirement is that the first photo MUST be of the exterior front of the house to avoid agents doing what they are in your market. Now, instead of no photos, there are tons of listings with one bad photo.
With the almost fool proof cameras that are available it seems like almost anyone can take a reasonable photo and with a little care they can be exceptional.
Miriam, I don't know why sellers don't ask for copies of the listing information. If I were a seller, I would want copies of everything and links to the online marketing as well.
Petra, exactly! I typically take about 100 photos of my listings so that I don't have to duplicate them in all of the advertising. Different pics in the MLS and on the virtual tour are a must!
Lane, when you figure that one out, let us in on the secret.
John, I usually take the pictures and if they don't look good because of the condition of the house, I'll send them to the seller and ask them to choose their favorites. It almost always results in a clean up and a new round of pictures.
Carole, it's frustrating because the sellers SHOULD be able to rely on the agent to do the job correctly. With digital cameras, it doesn't cost any more to take 100 photos vs 1 photo, so what's the problem?
Terry/Bonnie, you are absolutely correct! Not only that, but there are so many free/almost free services that allow you to correct photo mistakes and make your pictures look so good that there really is no excuse.
Lisa, good point for the marketing of property; " I'll send them to the seller and ask them to choose their favorites ". What do you think the other day I viewed a photo on our system that included a dog on the bed. I liked the dog but not the house. Maybe we can put an offer on the puppy.
Lisa, our MLS allows 12, but my enhanced agent package from realtor.com and remax.com allow 25.
Frank, I believe it. It's sad, but I believe it.
Susan, OK, now I feel better. I can have 25 on kw.com too. How is that r.com package treating you? I paid for a year and didn't get a single phone call from it. Are consumers really using that as a search tool anymore?
Lisa... I know the answer... We'll discuss it over a beverage... purple and frozen.
4 years ago when we were selling our home, I asked my broker several times why my listing was coming up with only 1 photo when I had given him several good photos. I couldn't understand why some listings had 6 photos or more and mine only had one. He finally told me it was going to cost him more to be able to have more photos up, so I quit pushing it. I was lucky that I was selling while the market was still very strong and someone who drove by saw our house and bought it. Even back then -- at the time, I had not started my staging business yet -- I realized the internet was going to be important because while I was searching for our home in Portland, I looked online and skipped right past anything that didn't have 6 or more photos. But I didn't have the statistics to push it with my broker. People are trusting their brokers to do a good job. If the seller isn't internet savvy, they may simply have no idea how important the photos are. Sad!
Lane, I'm looking forward to that :)
Pangaea, it's become so much easier to advertise listings now with multiple photos. I remember when I first started in the business it was such a chore to get photos uploaded that most people only took one. Now, there is no excuse to not have as many photos (and video too!) of our listings.