Pets in pictures of homes for sale (Houston, Spring: real estate, for rent) - City-Data Forum

houstmom · 02-19-2010, 02:10 PM

I like to look at houses for sale and for rent on har.com for fun. I read a post on another Houston real estate blog that showed a picture of a bedroom from a house for sale on har.com and there was someone sleeping in the bed! That got me thinking about pets. I see so many dogs and cats in the interior pics of houses for sale on har.com. Often the pet (or just its tail) is in every picture. For me this is a big turn off if I were in the market to buy a home. I am not a big dog person so I really hate to see huge dogs in the pictures. I don't mind cats as much but I do think of all the hair that cat has left behind in the house. When I see pets, I immediately suspect there is damage to the house.

Is this a big turnoff for anyone else when looking for a home to buy? Why can't the real estate agent (or seller) just lock up the animal while taking the pictures?

modster · 02-19-2010, 03:02 PM

I had a problem once with the kids following me around and they wouldn't get out of the pictures and the parents wouldn't do anything. Finally I would point one direction and fake them out and turn and snap what I was intending to photograph.

cheryjohns · 02-19-2010, 03:19 PM

I saw that picture of the person in bed while I was looking for homes for someone! Surely there can only be one. My thought was that if the seller was too lazy to get out of bed, the house was probably a wreck. Seems like the other photos bore that out.

People sometimes are strange. Modster had the above problem with kids. I once had an identical problem with the grown seller herself. I finally gave up and told her my battery was low and I would reshoot them later (while she was at work). It was an extra trip I shouldn't have had to take - but it was worth it to get her out of the pictures.

My favorite is when there is junk piled on the counters and the agent doesn't move it out of the line of sight before taking pictures. Dirty dishes piled high in the sink - not a good selling tool.

Txgal33 · 02-19-2010, 03:39 PM

I saw that listing back when we were looking to buy! I was like whatever that house will not sell. Why the Realtor even took that pic is beyond me. I would have just moved on to the next room. I am the same as the OP. I can handle seeing a cat napping on a bed or couch but but when I see dogs in pics it is a major turn off. I am sure cats are the same for people due to allergies. Unfortunately our furry friends are sometimes our down fall when it comes to selling.
We found our dream floor plan but it was not going to be ready in time. So we then found one that was a few years old. We just knew we had "the" house. Stepped inside and in the living room there was two animal cages and not small ones but large ones. Animals out that just looked at us like what are you doing here. You could see where the dogs had chewed on the baseboards. Needless to say even though I loved that floor plan and its location we did not walk past the foyer. The study also had piles and piles of crap everywhere. Our realtor kept saying it was all easily taken care of but to me if the house looked that way it was the way it was taken care of and I did not want a house that was full of filth. The sellers Realtor kept calling ours trying to get the sale and saying the owner would fix everything and even come off the price. We still passed.
If you are a serious seller and want top dollar de-clutter, clean, clean, and relocate the animals if they are a nusiance. We have two cats but they NEVER come out when strangers are in the house. Realtors always would leave notes saying they could not even tell we had cats until they saw....not smelled...the automatic kitty scooper. That is the way it should be.

*~Kim~* · 02-19-2010, 03:58 PM

I have a dog and I like dogs, but I saw one in a listing picture and immediately thought "I bet their house smells." If they couldn't keep one dog out of the picture, I'm thinking they must have a whole house full.

cheryjohns · 02-19-2010, 04:28 PM

Check out www.uglyhousephotos.com for a laugh

Thila · 02-19-2010, 04:30 PM

I have three dogs and will be putting my house up for sale soon. I would never, ever allow them to be in any picture when I am trying to sell it. I am a huge dog lover but not everyone loves dogs as much as I do. The pictures with people or animals on HAR crack me up. I think that either A) The agent made a suggestion to keep the pets out of the picture and the owner did not listen or B) The agent does not know about staging a home.

elnina · 02-19-2010, 04:44 PM

Here is the famous picture:

Goldilocks in Spring Branch: This One Looks Just Right » Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape

Actually looks like the house is still for sale and posted with the same pictures here: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/photos/27806029_zpid/

TexasCatherine · 02-19-2010, 06:24 PM

After reading Modster and Cheryjohns' stories, I have a new appreciation for the frustration realtors must sometimes face with uncooperative sellers. And they wonder why their homes don't sell...

modster · 02-19-2010, 07:15 PM

The hard part is you would think people would know some of the basics, but they don't. I just had a couple of houses I flat out refused to renew the listings. Give 'em to somebody else, I don't want them. I am about to tell one more. You tell the sellers and tell them and they refuse to clean up or make basic repairs that have to be done just to get the house past an appraiser. It is so frustrating.