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Old 10-17-2008, 09:37 AM
 
Location: Marion, IN
8,189 posts, read 31,149,450 times
Reputation: 7343

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First let me say that I have not read the entire thread due to a tediously slow dial up connection.

Now, I have been looking to buy for over a year and a half. I spend a lot of time online looking. My observation is that 1/2 the houses with no pics or only a pic of the front of the house have nothing major wrong with them. Most of them need fresh paint and new flooring. Some of them have been in bad shape, but not as many as one might think.

I am closing next week on a house that only had a photo of the front of the house. This house needs to lose the lavendar paint in the bedrooms and the floor in the kitchen needs to be replaced. Other than that there is nothing wrong with this house that would have been visible from a photo.

If I was one of those folks who require a dozen pics to decide if I want to see a house I would have missed out. I find what I need to know from the description and the agent remarks. If the agent has given a decent description I will know if the house has the potential to suit my needs.

Buyers, please don't limit yourself to homes that have a virtual tour.
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Old 10-17-2008, 09:57 AM
 
199 posts, read 526,413 times
Reputation: 345
I have been looking for a home in another state, I won't waste my time unless I can see pictures and lots of pictures. I love the virtual tours, it saves me time and money to find homes I would like to see in person. With so many homes for sale and in foreclosure I just skip over the ones with no pictuers and also ones without detailed information. If my agent took me to a house that needed work and didn't tell me first, I would get a new realtor.
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Old 10-17-2008, 12:09 PM
 
1,305 posts, read 2,734,420 times
Reputation: 238
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve View Post
But no doubt, with almost all listings publically available, the buyer determines the pool of candidate properties and the showing list to a much higher degree than was the case 10 years ago when it was almost entirely up to the agent.

Times have changed. Agents adapt and survive, or cling to old habits and fade away.
Steve, you're spot on the money with this comment. And this is why the commission structure of real estate agents will have to change in the future. While people in the business don't like to hear it, the wealth of information out there means the real estate agent is less important today than 10 or 15 years ago.

Case in point: I've talked with a number of real estate agents here in Seattle, and they generally direct me to their website and ask that I pick out some houses I'd like to look at, and they will show them to me. So I primarily need a real estate agent today to walk me through the houses (and provide the contract to purchase plus advise on what's standard).

I still think there's a role for real estate agents - I cannot tour houses without one - but it's a different role today than it was years ago.
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Old 10-17-2008, 01:10 PM
 
Location: SW Austin & Wimberley
6,330 posts, read 17,978,984 times
Reputation: 5531
Quote:
While people in the business don't like to hear it, the wealth of information out there means the real estate agent is less important today than 10 or 15 years ago.
Well, I have to disagree. (I know, just another Realtor defending the entrenched status quo), but in fact all this additional information causes most of us to work harder than before.

I can assemble a good showing list with a lot less time and effort than is required with the "help" of the buyer, and in most cases show them a better set of houses than they choose on their own. But we do what the client wants while gently nudging them toward what they say they want, despite the fact that many end up in a manic state, up until 3AM, plucking this property or that, emailing "what about this one?", etc. Nevertheless, buyers generally enjoy being involved in the selection process at this level, so it's important to accomodate that.

No, the job of the Realtor ain't easier because of the internet listings, not at all.

Steve
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Old 10-17-2008, 01:20 PM
 
1,305 posts, read 2,734,420 times
Reputation: 238
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve View Post
Well, I have to disagree. (I know, just another Realtor defending the entrenched status quo), but in fact all this additional information causes most of us to work harder than before.

I can assemble a good showing list with a lot less time and effort than is required with the "help" of the buyer, and in most cases show them a better set of houses than they choose on their own. But we do what the client wants while gently nudging them toward what they say they want, despite the fact that many end up in a manic state, up until 3AM, plucking this property or that, emailing "what about this one?", etc. Nevertheless, buyers generally enjoy being involved in the selection process at this level, so it's important to accomodate that.

No, the job of the Realtor ain't easier because of the internet listings, not at all.

Steve
I surely believe that in Texas the agents still do all that...what I'm relating is the experiences of about five agents or so that I've worked with here in Seattle. When I lived in Arizona, agents normally created tours and were a full service operation. I had a great agent in Arizona that was worth every penny and worked very hard.

What I find in Seattle, though, it seems like most people have lived here either their entire lives or at least for a long time. So rather than calling an agent and asking them to put together a tour of homes, the agent asks which neighborhoods are they interested in and then go on-line and find some places for sale. From there, it's evolved into, "take a look at my website and see if there are any you like". Maybe it's simply the agents I've talked with but none of them seem real interested in putting together tours, they more want me to find the homes and they'll show me the homes I ask to see.

I should add the disclaimer that I'm talking about real estate on the fringe suburbs of Seattle. I imagine things are different in Seattle proper and especially with the condo market.
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Old 10-17-2008, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Oxxford Hunt, Cary NC
4,477 posts, read 11,580,498 times
Reputation: 4262
I was supposed to have professional photos taken of my house - but it sold before the photographer came out! We still had the pictures taken in case the contract fell through, but luckily they weren't needed. I'm glad I didn't wait for the photos before listing my house though - otherwise I would have missed out on my buyers who were making a quick decision (and luckily they did not care that my listing had no pictures!).

I can't remember if my current house had interior photos before I came to see it. I would have wanted to see it regardless - I was watching the neighborhood like a hawk. If I had more houses to choose from I'm sure I would have gone to see the ones with photos first.. but I also like to drive by listings without photos to see what the exterior looks like. I pay more attention to lot location and features more than interiors anyhow - I've bought more than one fixer in a great location that turned out to be a good investment.
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Old 10-19-2008, 11:38 PM
 
Location: Hunterdon County
12 posts, read 24,893 times
Reputation: 18
The best is when the house has been on the market for months with NO pictures...not even of the front.

Could be lazy agent (or limited service) or could just be that the agent couldn't get a good picture of the rooms. Some rooms just aren't easy to shoot, be it size, lighting, etc. Better to put no picture than one that doesn't do the room justice or makes it look bad when it is actually a nice room.
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Old 10-19-2008, 11:43 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
5,586 posts, read 8,348,131 times
Reputation: 11210
Couple comments: Not sure if my agent was trying to pull a fast one on me, but there were no photos of my listing in realtor.com and this was at least a week after the listing date. Supposedly it was a "problem" on the website side, but I was wondering if she didn't expect me to check realtor.com and was trying to save a few bucks?

I think professional photos would probably be worth it. I don't think the digital photos of my place look as good as it shows in person.

I am always suspicious of listings with no photos. I figure there's something wrong; otherwise, the owners would want to show it off. As far as virtual tours are concerned, I usually don't feel like taking the time to view them. So they're not a deal-breaker for me.
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Old 11-06-2008, 02:26 PM
 
433 posts, read 527,408 times
Reputation: 717
I'm with the lady doing a long distance search. Earlier this year I was looking for building lots in AK. What a PIA!! Poor or non-existent pictures, but, even worse, when I got there with a dozen "possibles," I found that half the addresses and directions to get there were just plain "wrong!" Fortunately, I did find (and buy) another (competitor's) listing.

"Realtors" get off your .ss or get out of the business!
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Old 11-06-2008, 03:10 PM
 
Location: Denver
2,969 posts, read 6,919,254 times
Reputation: 4866
It helps to have friends in real estate! We would've never found our house otherwise.......since there were no interior photos on the listing. Turns out it was a flipped house with a total remodel on the inside and a brand new garage. Thankfully, without the photos online we didn't have the competition we would have had -- and landed the house!!

Out here things are literally on and off the market within a week or two.
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