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Thread summary:

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

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Old 03-29-2008, 04:32 PM
 
Location: Houston-ish, TX
1,099 posts, read 3,729,201 times
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The only time I didn't get a photo in with the listing was this week, and it just drove me crazy. When I listed the home though, the roofers were still there finishing up and the roll-off dumpster was in the driveway. I felt that even though it is something positive ( a new roof! YAY!) it would be too distracting to have the roofers actually in the photo. Photos are up now though, and I can rest easier!
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Old 03-30-2008, 07:04 AM
 
Location: Palm Coast, Fl
2,249 posts, read 8,883,933 times
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That's when your own Realtor® kicks in and does some work. They go out, preview the home and take pictures of the things that are important to you. I deal with a lot of people relocating or buying a 2nd home and am doing it all the time.
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Old 03-30-2008, 09:28 AM
 
786 posts, read 3,917,548 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by palmcoasting View Post
That's when your own Realtor® kicks in and does some work. They go out, preview the home and take pictures of the things that are important to you. I deal with a lot of people relocating or buying a 2nd home and am doing it all the time.
Thanks - wasn't sure if it would be asking too much to have our realtor do that or at least ask the listing agent to provide additional info.
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Old 03-30-2008, 10:32 AM
 
Location: Atlanta/Decatur/Emory area
1,320 posts, read 4,267,218 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CrissCT View Post
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.

This is when it really helps to have a good buyer's agent who's up to date with the latest technology. When I have an out of town buyer, I do, of course, set her up with an internet gateway so she can see all the new listings as they hit the market. But that's just the tip of the iceberg and really just a way for her to familiarize herself with the types of homes available in her price range in the area where she's searching. If you only consider homes with a lot of good pictures, you're really shooting yourself in the foot because that's still not the norm.

The agent's job is to facilitate the search, not just to unlock the door to the homes you've seen online. I preview homes that I think might meet mt client's needs and I take many, many photos (dozens at least and frequently more than a hundred) of each home and post them in separate albums on Picasa. Having owned a virtual tour company for 6 years before I ever got my real estate license, I am profoundly aware that depending on the limited number of photos you see online to form an impression of a home is a hazardous thing. A professional photographer can make a hovel look like a palace and a normal agent can make a mansion look like a shack. Also, the listing agent is only going to provide pictures of the best features of any house. When a competent buyer's agent takes pictures, they'll show the good, the bad, and the ugly so you get a truer picture of the place.

I think more buyers should inquire about the photographic skills of their agent and make sure that the agent they choose actually does preview properties for them and can (and will) take decent pictures and display them efficiently for the buyer to peruse (not just e-mail giant files).
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Old 03-30-2008, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Major Metro
1,083 posts, read 2,290,244 times
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I have noticed the quality of the mls listings are not as good as what I've seen in the past. I'm fortunate to have worked with a great realtor when I sold my home (not so much on the buying side). Right now, there are so many listings in my area with no pics or only one outside pic. Also, the descriptions are minimal with poor spelling throughout. I assume rightly or wrongly the following 1) Home is not in good enough condition to be photographed so red flag, 2) R/E agent is lazy and/or cheap (wants to shell out as little as possible on the marketing), 3) Seller doesn't really want to sell the home, more or less forced to do so they don't really care about doing things like photos, staging, etc. and negotiating with a non-motivated seller is challenging. The really good realtors like some that describe what they do here really stand out. I wish more professional screening could be done to weed out some of these "wanna-be” realtors/agents. They bring the whole industry down.
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Old 03-30-2008, 12:30 PM
 
Location: Atlanta/Decatur/Emory area
1,320 posts, read 4,267,218 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prim2007 View Post
I have noticed the quality of the mls listings are not as good as what I've seen in the past. I'm fortunate to have worked with a great realtor when I sold my home (not so much on the buying side). Right now, there are so many listings in my area with no pics or only one outside pic. Also, the descriptions are minimal with poor spelling throughout. I assume rightly or wrongly the following 1) Home is not in good enough condition to be photographed so red flag, 2) R/E agent is lazy and/or cheap (wants to shell out as little as possible on the marketing), 3) Seller doesn't really want to sell the home, more or less forced to do so they don't really care about doing things like photos, staging, etc. and negotiating with a non-motivated seller is challenging. The really good realtors like some that describe what they do here really stand out. I wish more professional screening could be done to weed out some of these "wanna-be” realtors/agents. They bring the whole industry down.

Spelling -- this gets me too, but again, spelling has never been considered a skill crucial to success in real estate. The rise of internet-based real estate is changing that, but it takes a while for skills to catch up. Sellers should ALWAYS look over all marketing that their agent puts out to ensure accuracy.

Condition -- sometimes people don't want their homes photographed; sometimes things are in transition when the listing goes in (people are moving or completing renovations, etc. so it doens't look good for pics right then); and sometimes the seller has simply chosen an agent who doesn't yet recognize the importance of internet marketing. There are still plenty of agents out there who think that it's a mistake to put photos of their listings online. They feel that they will do a better job of getting buyers into the property if they don't provide photos. I think this is insane myself, but everyone has their own ideas about marketing. Sellers must make sure they choose an agent whose ideas conform to their own about what's important in marketing their home.

Agents -- sometimes it is laziness and/or cheapness, but also remember, a lot of agents out there have just come through the worst year they've ever had in real estate. Many of them are just trying to hold on (just like homeowners) until the market starts to turn. Therefore, they are likely to be less free-spending on marketing. One strategy you might want to consider is offering to provide an up-front marketing allowance for your home in exchange for a lower commission. If you're offering the listing agent 3% (along with whatever to the buyer's agent), see if they might take 2.5% plus $500 up front to cover the initial marketing expenses. This can both save you money (depending on the price of your home) and insure that more marketing gets done up front. Make sure the money is used only for marketing and get a written timeline of when the marketing will be implemented. Using this tactic can also calm the fears of an agent who may be reluctant to front money on a significant marketing campaign if they don't have complete confidence that you're really committed to selling your house. Sellers typically have no skin in the game. The agent is the one who stands to lose the most money, time, and energy if the house doesn't sell. So if a seller is willing to put some of their own money into the effort (in exchange for paying less money when it sells), that can bolster the confidence of the agent in the transaction.

Unmotivated Sellers -- people are peculiar about their homes. You'd be amazed at how resistant people can be to seeing their homes objectively. They love their homes and they assume that anyone else will love it too. There's also a very real (and completely natural) reluctance on the part of many people to put money into a place that they are leaving. It goes against the grain for a lot of people to put a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money into the property simply for someone else to enjoy. And after years of a historic seller's market, they just aren't used to thinking that way. But just because someone doesn't have pictures (or hasn't staged their home) doesn't necessarily mean they are unmotivated. And it may mean nothing more than that they made a mistake in choosing their agent. I'm constantly amazed by the number of sellers who choose agents with horrible or even non-existant marketing plans.
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Old 03-30-2008, 12:31 PM
 
786 posts, read 3,917,548 times
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Originally Posted by IntownHomes247 View Post
The agent's job is to facilitate the search, not just to unlock the door to the homes you've seen online.
Again, great advice. You are so right, I can find internet listings myself, I want my agent to provide something I can't do myself and earn their comission. We are a guaranteed sale.
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