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Thread summary:

Listings: lack of details, quality descriptions, marketing online, high quality photographs

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Old 03-28-2008, 09:24 PM
 
30 posts, read 228,436 times
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I'm looking to purchase a home and have been viewing properties both online and in print over the past two months. I've been very disappointed with the lack of detail and heart that goes into the descriptions of most of the listings I've seen.

It seems that the majority of the listings are done in bulk (the a$$ for every seat method) and give poor representation of the property for the sellers benefit and the buyers interest.

One poor photo, describing ceiling fans, garage door openers etc... Are you kidding me?

Then there's wonder as to why they lay out thousands in marketing and their highly qualified lead generation is sub par.

I'm in sales for a living myself, so perhaps I see things the average Joe doesn't - but I'd sure appreciate the effort and quality descriptions on properties if you'd like me to call or submit my contact info on your site.

Not all Realtors operate like this and some are incredibly articulate and professional. These are the folks who will get paid on my deal.
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Old 03-29-2008, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Atlanta/Decatur/Emory area
1,320 posts, read 4,260,972 times
Reputation: 501
Well, that really wasn't a question now was it?

Anyway, I agree with you. Most agents either don't understand how to market homes online or don't have the skills to do so.

I believe it's a result of the paradigm shift that has been taking place in real estate over the past 5 years. These are simply skills that were never necessary in the past. Not many years ago, all that you had to deal with was a written description in the local MLS. Then you got to add pictures. Now you have internet portals that push the info out to consumers.

People who have been highly successful in real estate for years don't necessarily have the skills and experience to handle marketing in the internet age.

And unfortunately, the vast majority of consumers don't know enough to ask the right questions when interviewing agents to determine whether or not that agent will market their home effectively.

To my mind, the single most important thing you can do regarding marketing is to actually ask to see exactly what the agent has done for other properties. "Show me the marketing you have in place for your current listings." If they are going to rely primarily on the MLS and a sign in the yard, you need to know that up front.

If it's important to you to have high quality photographs, expanded descriptions of the home, and a major presence on the internet, you need to find an agent who is competent to achieve this level of marketing. Coming in later and saying "but I thought you were the professional and you'd automatically do everything that should be done" is truly unhelpful.

Remember, if an agent has been successful for 10-20 years selling real estate one way, he or she is not necessarily going to consider there's anything wrong with their sales method. And also remember, the majority of buyers actually do have agents who do search the MLS for them so that is very likely how your buyer is going to find your home anyway -- even if it's out on the internet in a perfectly executed high-tech marketing plan.

There are also still sellers out there who are uncomfortable with a sign in their yard -- much less detailed photos and descriptions of their home on the internet.

Detailed internet marketing is becoming more and more the norm, but it's truly not there yet. As more consumers become internet savvy and demand that level of marketing from their agents, more agents will acquire the skills to do it competently. But for now, we're still at the lower end of the learning curve and you'll just need to be patient while the profession tries to catch up to technology.
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Old 03-29-2008, 09:29 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,212,790 times
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Photos are important. So are words. I do my best to have both, and to have the combination tell a story that will intrigue the buyer enough to make them want to see the home. And I never, ever, EVER put a listing on the MLS without a photo or photos the first day.

If you're looking at Realtor.com and seeing one photo and few words, by the way, it's because unless the agent (or their broker - in our case it's our broker) pays for an enhanced listing, the Realtor.com listing is limited to one photo and whatever few words your MLS allows you.
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Old 03-29-2008, 11:40 AM
 
8,754 posts, read 10,127,429 times
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Most companies have their own websites and many realtors have sites also that will offer more pictures and detailed description of the property. Some realtors put just one picture simply because they are too lazy to take inside photos, but there are owners that do not want pictures of the inside of their house on the internet. In my area, most realtors do a really good job of putting up pictures and giving a good description.
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Old 03-29-2008, 11:42 AM
 
Location: Palm Coast, Fl
2,249 posts, read 8,874,703 times
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Personally, I don't trust either. That is why I spend quite a bit of time previewing. A good camera can take a crappy picture, a good camera can make a room look larger than it really is. The opinions of the Realtor® could be quite accurate and conveyed properly, while another Realtor® is overblowing their horn. There is no substitute for going and seeing the property/home/neighborhood. It is, in my opinion, foolish to discount a listing because of pictures, words or lack there of. But, that's just me.
And yes, I bought a good camera, I take lots of pictures, I enhance them, I quite often put the description as if I was actually speaking to someone, everyone. But I still tell my buyers, get off your duff, get in the car with me and lets go see it. *If* I'm dealing with a long distance customer that is buying from afar (and yes, it happens), I go to the homes and take pictures as I walk through...so they have a long distance previewing.
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Old 03-29-2008, 12:56 PM
 
1,619 posts, read 2,816,731 times
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I agree that the narrative as well as pictures are important when marketing a property...sometimes, however, seller-clients do not want a lot of pictures taken of the interior of their homes, I believe for safety reasons. Sometimes pictures do come out that skew the rooms based on the angle for pictures, however, as the MLS requires room sizes, the dimensions are noted. I have been working with seller-clients who do not want signs on the front lawn and I guess there are mixed views on that...we, of course want them so people who are driving around will find a property and call.

I personally spend a lot of time preparing the right narrative for the property for both the mls and internet/magazine/newspaper advertising and what I generally put into the mls is not the same as what I write for publications and the net. I think the narrative needs more than one or two lines, certainly, and sometimes a paragraph is more than a buyer wants to read...but it should be inviting, honest and positive even if a house needs work and a lot of work....it is important, I think for brokers/agents to also, if helpful, include comments about the potential of a property because there are some buyers/customers who cannot see beyond the purple paint..sometimes, we brokers can't always see beyond the purple paint too - smile-
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Old 03-29-2008, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Barrington
63,919 posts, read 46,479,588 times
Reputation: 20674
Quote:
Originally Posted by palmcoasting View Post

Personally, I don't trust either. That is why I spend quite a bit of time previewing.
Lot's of great property with poor pictures and ads and too much junk with great pictures and good ads. Nothing beats touring and previewing.
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Old 03-29-2008, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
6,957 posts, read 22,234,763 times
Reputation: 6469
Our MLS has a 255 character limit for our public description, but I still have to prod my agents to use ALL of the space in describing the property. It drives me nuts! I usually have to go back in and more fully describe the place.

I have managed to put an end to "real estate ad speak" and they do use full sentences and no abbreviations at least.
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Old 03-29-2008, 01:19 PM
 
Location: Barrington
63,919 posts, read 46,479,588 times
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So many schools of thought on internet ads, just enough to spark interest, way too much information and what's important to the seller.

And none of it may have much of anything to do with what's really going on inside the property.
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Old 03-29-2008, 05:07 PM
 
786 posts, read 3,911,583 times
Reputation: 361
Let me just say as someone in the midst of a cross country home search, although I will visit the area personally, narrowing down the list from all those that meet my criteria to those I want to actually see (and will have time to see in the short time I am there), realtors could be losing a potential sale by NOT doing a good job with pictures and descriptions. I am amazed at how many homes do not even post a single picture. I am assuming that is because the homeowner did not want pictures of their home posted? Those homes will probably sadly not make my list. The picture that means the MOST to me is the kitchen and I have said this in a previous post that I really appreciate seeing the floorplan.
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