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For that reason, I fault the sellers themselves, first and foremost, when there is no (or a terrible) marketing on a home. I realize many people who buy or sell don't have any experience doing so, but common sense should tell them their home has not been made to look appealing. Don't they look at their own listing? Can't they see the agent didn't open the drapes before s/he photographed the house? If someone is selling a home, that means they bought at least one in their lives. Yes, I know many people are lazy and/or clueless, but then it's on them to a great degree if they get a bad price for their property.
I tell people, buying or selling, if they are unhappy with their agent the first thing they should do is contact the manager of the brokerage they represent. We rarely get good service from any provider if we don't expect/demand it and fail to follow through when it isn't delivered.
I disagree. First, many homes listed online are no longer lived in. The rooms are empty or it's apparent in other ways no one lives there anymore. Many homes are being sold at a distance after a move, and many are being sold after a death, and the owners/inheritors are often living at a distance. If they do a FSBO, yes the onus is on them to present their home properly with good photos. The ones I've seen of even upscale empty homes are just appalling.
But when sellers employ a realtor...the realtor is hired to present and market their home. A difference of 15% in selling price (downward) is not that much of a difference in commission for higher priced homes, so taking great care in presenting is not a big deal to many realtors. They just want to unload. But it's a big deal difference to sellers, esp the elderly or those of modest means who have to/had to move, hoping for the best. The realtor, not the seller, markets the home, just as a modeling agent would market a fashion model. Present a model shabbily?
I want to possibly list my apartment next spring. I already know which companies I would not hire based on: (1) how they post their content online and (2) how it was dealing with them when I was trying to buy a place.
I think some realtors don't have a clue. Like why would you post pictures with dirty dishes in the sink?
We were shopping from out of state and the realtor said she'd gladly take a video for us. Do you think she might start at the front entrance and narrate what she's seeing? No. It was a silent (except for her footsteps and traffic noise), choppy, badly done little video. Scared us off the property immediately it was so bad.
I used a flat fee broker to list my property. I hired a professional photographer to take the listing photos. He had $1000's of equipment plus many years experience. The photos were beautiful. Cost was $125.
A "professional obligation"? You're hiring an AGENT, not a cleaning service. An agent has a fiduciary duty to represent the client's interests. If you think an agent can MAKE someone do something that they are totally convinced isn't necessary, then you are bestowing a LOT of magical powers on an agent. It is part of an agent's job to ADVISE the seller what can make the house sell faster or for a higher price (depending on the seller's goals). It is NOT part of my job to drag out the unused mop, wash a week's worth of dishes, scrub the crayon marks off the wall, make the beds, stage a living room that is covered in dog hair, old newspapers and abandoned knitting projects, with a "home office" in the corner spilling papers left and right. "Get" the owner to clean it up for photos? Just, exactly, how does one do that? You can talk comps. You can talk price. You can talk staging. You can even take them to other homes for sale, and point out the differences between their home and the beautifully updated and staged home down the street. But every once in a while, they simply refuse to see it. This isn't as much of a problem with about 98% of the homes we list, but occasionally, one slips in.
So, tell me just how you "get" the owner to clean it up for photos? The time we had someone this clueless, we had to tell them that we could not list the house until a list of items had been completed (cleaning, storing, etc.) The seller dawdled and dragged their feet, and we cancelled the photography session three times. Finally, we told them that we couldn't represent them on the sale of the house for the price they wanted, unless the checklist had been completed. They went with another agent. The house was on the market for over a year, and ended up selling for 78% of list . . .
I agree. It is the seller's job to present the home to the realtor in completely spotless condition. It is the realtor's job to take photos that showcase the home's good points; whether the realtor takes the pictures him/herself or hires a photographer or other employee to do it. The realtor's job doesn't end with listing it online and being present at closing. They are the car salesmen of the home business. It is a very difficult job, but can be a lucrative one if they are conscientious, persistent, and responsive to their clients.
I think some realtors don't have a clue. Like why would you post pictures with dirty dishes in the sink?
. . . or an open toilet seat,
sink clutter (toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes, and other things lying around)
pets in the photos, or litterboxes, food bowls
clothes piled on beds and all over the bedrooms
dirty laundry rooms
toys strewn about everywhere
I saw a house for sale in the most prestigious part of the Chicago burbs (Kenilworth) and oh my, you would think that a hoarder lived there. The clutter and gross things lying about in the photos was ridiculous, and this house was several million dollars, but looked like a dump.
Sometimes short sale photos leave much to be desired which is understandable, as a bank is trying to sell the property, but this Kenilworth home wasn't a short sale.
What I don't understand is why the realtors don't say anything to the home buyer about these things, or are they just too afraid, and instead use the "keep reducing the price" to get out of any nasty intervention with the sellers. Or, could it be, that some realtors are really that clueless?
Yes, some are that clueless and some are too afraid to offend the home owner. But most agents will point out the issues and many homeowners completely disregard that advice. They are used to that level of filth and really look at us like we have 2 heads when we gently tell them "your entire house smells like a cat box".
Yes, some are that clueless and some are too afraid to offend the home owner. But most agents will point out the issues and many homeowners completely disregard that advice. They are used to that level of filth and really look at us like we have 2 heads when we gently tell them "your entire house smells like a cat box".
I honestly don't know how you have the patience to do your job properly.
If people can't take constructive criticism, then they're going to have a hard time selling their home for a fair price, unless it's in the hottest area of the market.
I've seen some terrible ones. One house we bought after the photos taken were terrible and we almost didn't look at the house but decided to after they dropped the price significantly and one we were there, it was a gorgeous house and they couldn't have picked worse pictures than what they posted.
I've seen some terrible ones. One house we bought after the photos taken were terrible and we almost didn't look at the house but decided to after they dropped the price significantly and one we were there, it was a gorgeous house and they couldn't have picked worse pictures than what they posted.
Unfortunately, I have found the opposite 90% of the time. Most homes look way better in the photos than IRL. A recent listing I've been watching has just photoshopped the ugly green formica countertop to a neutral gray color. The countertop has not been changed because all aspects of the photo are exactly the same. Now how on earth is a buyer not going to notice THAT?! They also photoshopped the purple paint in the living room to a more greyish purple, again, trying to deceive? That's just offensive to a buyer. I can understand "brightening up" a darker room in a photo if there wasn't a lot of natural light that day, but to change paint and countertop colors?!
As you can tell, this topic really hits a nerve with me. LOL!
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