National Association of Realtors Magazine- out of touch (buyer's agent, square footage, listing)

[ocean2026]

A few weeks ago I started a thread about real estate agents biggest mistakes. It had great response here and in other mediums.

I wrote and called Stacy Moncrief at NAR as well as two of the editors suggesting an editorial,story or column but not even a return phone call or email. smoncrieff@realtors.org

Oh well- the entire industry would benefit if there were standards for listing- either pictures or size or some basic info- but change won't come here.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Thank you for your suggestions and interest. There are many agents out there are inadequate IMO but there are a lot that are excellent. I'm as big a proponent of tighter regulations on education and entry level requirements. Don't get me wrong here because I do use multiple photos and virtual tours on every listing plus enhanced realtor.com, etc. but...

Why should NAR tell agents how to do their jobs? Each agent is an independant contractor and can work however they want as long as it's not illegal. If a seller wants an agent who uses multiple photos, or open houses, or print media it is their job to hire someone who does those things. If you as a buyer are disgruntled about lack of photos your blame should be placed on the seller who didn't take the time to hire someone more competent. If you want to see the inside and there are no photos get your buyer agent to show it to you.

Secondly and lesser, I'm sure that the NAR magazine (which has slipped over the last couple of years IMO) gets hundreds of thousands of emails each month. I'm sure those guys you mentioned are overwhelmed enough as it is. Would you be uspet if you emailed the Walton family with a suggestion on an item they should carry at Wal-Mart and they didn't respond?

I'm not trying to brush aside your remarks but I just wanted play devils advocate. I don't think Big Brother needs to start dictating to agents what they should/ shouldn't do. The beauty of real estate is the fact it allows for many models, designs, and ways to work. I don't think the standards you suggest would benefit the industry. You as a buyer simply want more free information. You give the impression that you entitled to it.

[ocean2026]

No one is saying they should dictate- just offer a different point of view- from someone who buys real estate. I doubt they are that busy- that lady was at lunch when I called and her secretary said it shouldn't be a problem to call back- plus I sent a few emails with links to the discussion.

Its hard to believe agents ( and the property owners) would list a $500k property and not even provide a picture. Many searches allow a person to eliminate properties without photos. In this age of cheap digital cameras, its not difficult to snap a few pictures. The same can be said for basic size info etc - there are so many properties for sale - why guess at size? It might be different if all buyers were located in the same town as the sellers, but when someone is looking at many cities, the information becomes necessary.

[palmcoasting]

I'm not sure why you think that the Realtor® magazine and websites haven't already run articles about it.... they have. Numerous times.
If you are looking at many cities, the city information is what you really need to be looking at, to determine where you would like to actually move to. Then a visit to the city. Then the location within the city. Then comes the house. You can certainly get a general idea of what is the pricing of homes and what the offerings are without seeing inside of every home. Then you get a Realtor® familiar with the city to assist you. They have access to all the information you're looking for.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

Its hard to believe agents ( and the property owners) would list a $500k property and not even provide a picture. Many searches allow a person to eliminate properties without photos. In this age of cheap digital cameras, its not difficult to snap a few pictures. The same can be said for basic size info etc - there are so many properties for sale - why guess at size? It might be different if all buyers were located in the same town as the sellers, but when someone is looking at many cities, the information becomes necessary.

You fail to recognize that there are many reasons why pictures may not be included in a listing other than a lazy or incompetent agent or a seller without the sense to insist on excellent marketing. Some sellers are simply not comfortable with the interior of their homes being on display to any individual with an internet connection. Also, there are times when a home will be put on the market before it is "show ready condition" and in that case it may be better to have few or no pictures than to put images in the buyers' minds that turn them off to the property.

Personally, I won't list a property that's not ready to show and I always have as many photos as allowed plus a detailed virtual tour online the day the house hits the market, but every situation is different.

As far as size information, our MLS won't even allow square footage to be quoted in a listing because of the potential liability. There was a lawsuit where the square footage quoted was inaccurate and, consequently, no agent in Atlanta quotes square footage anymore.

While being able to view detailed property info and multiple photos online is helpful to buyers (and agents), any buyer who dismisses properties simply because they don't have photos is shooting themselves in the foot. That's why you get a good buyer's agent who intimately knows the neighborhood(s) in which you are looking and is willing to preview properties for you to make sure they meet your needs so you don't waste a lot of time. If you don't want to use an agent, be prepared to do a lot of legwork yourself and recognize that finding the best home for you generally takes a lot of actual time and effort on the ground.

[ocean2026]

Palm In which issues have they run this? I travel all over but like to have a list of properties to look at when I go.

Yes some listings are new and they don't have a picture but nowadays its only a few minutes to load a picture- however I'm talking about listings that never have one. In addition -basic information sq footage- HOA fees for condos- there are many blank listings. Some places don't permit sq footage but Im talking about Texas, Michigan, Pa and NY which all Do.

[palmcoasting]

Quite a few of them over the years. They have been preaching about getting on the internet, pictures, pictures, pictures, recommend what cameras to use, even. Have had articles about thinking outside the box advertising, what has been successful for other agents, using virtual tours, videos, etc.

[BoundtofindME]

The listing system we use in the state of Maine REQUIRES square footage to be reported. Additionally, we have to report the source of that info, i.e., seller, town record, measured by agent in compliance with ANSI guidelines, etc. No longer can list without it!

[chaz longue]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

A few weeks ago I started a thread about real estate agents biggest mistakes. It had great response here and in other mediums.

I wrote and called Stacy Moncrief at NAR as well as two of the editors suggesting an editorial,story or column but not even a return phone call or email. smoncrieff@realtors.org

Oh well- the entire industry would benefit if there were standards for listing- either pictures or size or some basic info- but change won't come here.

Thanks for contacting NAR. Please do let us know what response you get from them. I'll go check out your thread about mistakes.

My own MLS does require a photo, and the dimensions of the photo are carefully circumscribed. Not only does our MLS require a primary photo, but recently it was required that it be of the front of the house. This may have changed recently ...because I believe agents found it hard to accept that if a listing was a condo in a nondescript tower with a million dollar view, the photo couldn't be of that view but instead had to be of the front of the building...

When I list a property, I fill every one of the photo fields with a very good photo before dark on the day the listing begins and is entered in the MLS - that's so that the photos are all immediately available to any customer or client (of any Realtor) signed up for auto-notification.

I have noticed that many of the photos in the MLS are simply of poor quality.
But having some sort of quality standard dictated by NAR doesn't make a lot of sense to me.