Can I include pictures of "nearby" parks in real estate listings?

[DMenscha]

We have an HOA in our area that sits astride a 400 million year old lava flow. It has a reservoir which is nice enough, but some less than ethical agents take a picture of the lake (Which is owned by the HOA) as their featured picture. We get a bunch of people that inquire about the "lakefront" lot(s).

When we point out where the lot is, they get pretty mad at the listing agent.

[Okey Dokie]

I've seen listings with pictures of entrance monuments leading into the subdivision. "The Hills of Camelot Manor Estates." Who the H cares? Don't waste your picture allotment. As far as a park 3 mikes away, unless it's a huge (1,000 acre) Regional Park that people drive many miles to visit, I wouldn't mention it, much less show a picture.

I want to see the house. All of it. We were selling a house once, and our realtor included a picture of our family room wall with the enormous entertainment center and big screen TV, which were definitely not staying. It would have been better to take a picture of the adjacent wall with its four big windows overlooking the back yard.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by jhtrico1850

Yeah, that was what I was envisioning too. It's in Doraville, GA, which has been neglected, but currently has a lot of development going on and recently recognized as an international food destination. It's also close to the popular Perimeter Mall (6 miles) and Lenox (12 miles).

Below is conceptual images of mixed use development 2 miles from where my house would be. It's planned to be over $1 billion developed over the next few years, which would be the biggest of its kind in Atlanta. I would only use it if I planned to sell within 5 years (assuming after it's developed, no need to highlight it). Thanks for all the advice everyone, and I'll definitely keep in mind the 25 image limit.

Doraville is an interesting sell these days -- people like to go to Buford Highway for the variety of food choices, but it's hard to get people to look at houses there. Many listings will go out of their way to say "West Dunwoody", "ITP", "Chamblee", etc., rather than say "Doraville".

FYI, in Atlanta, the number of pictures allowed is 40, not 25. (It was increased last year).

The old GM plant is going to be interesting -- if it ever really gets going. Wonder how it's going to be impacted by all the work being done on the Ga400/285 interchange, with feeder roads, etc. A lot of people really wish the Braves had moved to the old GM plant, instead of Cobb County. (Doraville MARTA station, Spaghetti Junction, etc.)

[Nikki Siam]

Originally Posted by jaynarie

Or the furnace, air conditioner, ect... I do not care, lol!! A picture won't show me the things I care about- function and age.


Things need to be decluttered, but a coffee maker on the kitchen counter isn't going to drive me crazy. I'm sure it'd be super annoying to store it every day. I can look past that. But stuff lined up down to whole counter? Nope. Get rid of it.

I had to laugh at this one. When we bought here in 2008 most were foreclosure homes and someone went through neighborhoods and took the A/C units. We looked all over town and house after house had no A/C. When things picked up a bit so many ads had a picture of the A/C unit just to show it was there. My husband looked at one of the pictures and said "so that's what it looks like if its there".

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by Piney Creek

Absolutely include photos of every bedroom and bathroom...
I also appreciate people who take photos of "minor areas" such as stairs, hallways, etc. Those things can be deal breakers for some buyers ...
I'm not a fan of close-ups ...

I absolutely get where Piney Creek is coming from, but disagree when you're selling an older home, and by older I mean built before WWII.

People buying older homes are often laser like focused on old time details.

Things like:
Stained glass windows leaded panes and other window features;
The Built Ins, their glass, hinges, and knobs;
Old style wall sconces, light fixtures, and even On/Off switches;
Telephone nooks and milk delivery doors;
Close ups of the stairway rail and fireplace mantle;
The tile in the bathroom, and even an 80 year old sink can be a plus rather than a minus.

These minor things can actually be deal makers that get people to come in for an on site tour.

I just wish the major R/E website would allow you to screen out newer than 75 year old homes, rather than just newer than 50.

[jhtrico1850]

Originally Posted by dblackga

Doraville is an interesting sell these days -- people like to go to Buford Highway for the variety of food choices, but it's hard to get people to look at houses there. Many listings will go out of their way to say "West Dunwoody", "ITP", "Chamblee", etc., rather than say "Doraville".

FYI, in Atlanta, the number of pictures allowed is 40, not 25. (It was increased last year).

The old GM plant is going to be interesting -- if it ever really gets going. Wonder how it's going to be impacted by all the work being done on the Ga400/285 interchange, with feeder roads, etc. A lot of people really wish the Braves had moved to the old GM plant, instead of Cobb County. (Doraville MARTA station, Spaghetti Junction, etc.)

It's going to take a little bit more time, but I think Doraville/Chamblee is improving faster than people realize.

Battle for Buford Highway All kinds of cute food shops are popping up and Sweet Hut, the store that revitalized Asian Square, just opened the cool Food Terminal at the relatively new City Farmers Market in Chamblee.

Copperleaf at Global Forum in Doraville, Georgia - Taylor Morrison
Technically, Copperleaf at Global Forum is just past the Dekalb border and feeds into Gwinnett schools (the HS is Norcross, not the maligned Berkmar or Cross Keys). These unincorporated homes have a Doraville address, and certainly the homeowners would use more Doraville amenities than Gwinnett.

Prices in Brookhaven/Dunwoody are kind of insane now, and Chamblee is a bit nuts too. I would rather not live close to the railroad or right next to apartments, but all in all, I like the improving area, and I take the train to work (MARTA is 2 miles away).

The houses in this subdivision have recently sold for 200-240K, and they are about 80% sold out of Phase 11 (roughly 100 houses). There is a demand for Doraville at profitable prices, builders just need time to bust down stores and trees for new housing.

[Piney Creek]

A few more tips if you're doing your own photos:

1. Put the toilet seats down. You'd be amazed how many people forget to do this!

2. Take about half the clothes out of your closet. Some people have just 3 token hanging shirts, I don;t think you need to go to that extreme. But having about half your normal amount of clothes looks a lot better.

3. Remove valuables, clutter, and also anything that might turn off/distract buyers. Political items, guns, hunting trophies (especially animal heads), your stack of beer cans, art with naked people, etc. I would even take down religious items, although I'm not sure those distract people as much as the other items. Certainly if you have a lot of them, or they're big, it could be a problem. You can put all these things back after you take the photos, but why turn off buyers before they even come to your house?

4. Fluff pillows on the couch before taking photo, or remove them if they're worn.

5. Move pet food dishes, piles of shoes, wastebaskets (especially full ones) etc. before taking a photo.

[nightcrawler]

only if you have shown enough pictures of the house, it would be ok.
the house pictures are more important than a picture of parks etc.....