Need Opinions on Realtor.com Photos (agent, price, property, advantage)

[Gretchen B]

Realtor.com just updated their site to allow for MORE photos - 25! My question is for Non-Agents:

What do you think about all the extra photos? Is it a case of "you can never have too many photos"? Or do you find having to look at Set 1, Set 2, and Set 3 a pain? Would you rather just look at one page of photos and be done with it?

I'm really torn. I've added extra photos (about 10-12) on my Realtor.com listings, but I'm not sure if that's too many or not enough?

Opinions please! I want to give the audience what they want.

[Janipoo]

I personally like photos. I and probably most people wanted to see the kitchen before I would even think about looking at the house. I hate when Realtors leave that picture out. I also want to see the bathrooms or finished basement and the backyard and of course the family room. I also like the ones but you don't see it too often that shows the back of the house from the back yard. I look at the pictures of the bedrooms but to be honest there are a lot of them that are showcasing a piece of furniture oppose the room.

Also, my main concern is with the family room, kitchen and size of bedrooms, it frustrates me when these size dimensions are not included with listing. Pictures give me an idea if I am interested but if the size isn't there than why waste anyone's time looking at the home. You can have a 1500 sq ft. home that utilizes the room well or a 2200 sq ft. home that is chopped and doesn't appear bigger.

So I would say yes to more well taken photo's. I think it really gives an idea if someone wants to see it.

Oh, I remember the day when the realtor would pull listings off their computer with only the picture of the front of the house (if you were lucky) and it sounded so good on paper and when you went to the house it was a big let down.

[jimj]

To me 10 well taken pic's beats 25 poor ones. Show me a couple of the outside but concentrate on the kitchen,master bedroom,baths and living room area. I agree that dimensions for the rooms are a big plus for me to see since I tend to match it up against what I'm in now and it gives me an idea if my stuff will fit.
I dislike looking at 10 pic's of the outside showing me 5 views of the back yard and deck and 5 views of the front and then skimming over the inside. I don't stand outside all day and look at my house, I live inside. Now that I think about it, that's why I like the 360 degree virtual tours that allow you to control the view and "look" around in the house.
Good thread, reminds me I need to get with my agent and update my pics and add some.

[PaulaC]

Personally, I want to see as much of the house as possible. More photos are great for me. It helps evaluate which ones you really want to take the time to see - so it saves time for both the buyer and the agent.

Photos of the outside are important, too. So many times, there is just one shot of the front of the house. When I see a listing with more photos, I feel the house is worth looking at. When there is only one, I wonder what the agent is trying to hide.

[gumbyfly]

If you can have quality and quantity, it is going to attract more potential buyers (as long as the price is not over-inflated). At least one picture of every room, the front of the house, and the back of the house should be standard. Add pictures of closets, the garage and the expanse of the back yard if possible. Also, having a scan of the floor plan would be a huge plus. Try to take the pictures so people get a feel for where the doorways and windows are in the rooms (stand in the farthest corner from a door...).
Alas, if a person has a run-down, poorly-designed, 'quaint/cute' home, they would just want one picture of the front of the house as to not discourage potential buyers before they get a chance to see it. (Quiant and cute usually equate to run-down and tiny)
Something most people would not think of, would be to put a snapshot of the property from Google Earth so they could see exactly where the house is. The maps provided in Realtor.com just give you an idea of which street the house is on. The house could end up being the one on the corner of a busy intersection, as opposed to being three houses into the cul-de-sac off of the busy road. Sometimes that could make a difference.
Sometimes it is not just the pictures (as Janipoo alluded too)... People want to know if their furniture will fit, so provide dimensions on all bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. Sometimes the pictures can be misleading on how much space there is in a room with the furniture in it, so providing dimensions will allow people to calculate whether their four-poster, king-size, platform waterbed will fit in the small bedroom or not.

[nocoldiron]

The pictures also tell me about the agent-I might dislike the house but want to keep the agent I prefer to rule out houses by myself before I involve a realtor-we will never live on a busy street because of our cats + we can be all over the place as far as where we live and what we want a realtors nightmare.My husband is super cranky-we don't bring him until I've vetted the places.I,like most people, assume that if you won't show me a picture-you are ashamed of it.

[Srib]

I also would prefer more over less, but please always include pics of the kitchen and baths. I hate when they don't do that because to me thats usually a big red flag that the house probably needs some remodeling.

[msjack]

For me as well, the more photos the better. However saying that, I would rather have quality over quantity. But if you have 25 great pictures, I would say put them up there. A person looking at the site can decide if they want to look at all of them or not.

[Boomerang]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Realtor.com just updated their site to allow for MORE photos - 25! My question is for Non-Agents:
What do you think about all the extra photos? Is it a case of "you can never have too many photos"? Or do you find having to look at Set 1, Set 2, and Set 3 a pain? Would you rather just look at one page of photos and be done with it?I'm really torn. I've added extra photos (about 10-12) on my Realtor.com listings, but I'm not sure if that's too many or not enough?
Opinions please! I want to give the audience what they want.

I always appreciate lots of photos and a virtual tour.

Even if the photos aren't particularly good - although they should be - extra photos can be the difference between deciding
- to ask for a showing because you see enough of the floor plan, features and yard to pique your interest in seeing the house, or
- to quickly give the listing a thumbs-down because the fewer photos did not succeed in showing the home to its best advantage.

I'd suggest putting together your best "overview" set as Set 1, with "extras" as Sets 2 and 3. Set 1 might contain your best shot of each room plus exterior. Sets 2 and 3 would contain alternate views of the rooms and exterior. If people like what they see in Set 1 they're likely to explore the other sets as well.

IMO more photos is always better! Go for it, Gretchen

[marmac]

outside pictures on a cloudy (or rainy day) do a house injustice.

Why do realtors/owners even take them ?

If they have to, at least replace them with photos taken on a clear/sunny day ASAP.