Why do Florida realtors not use floor plans? (Sarasota: for sale, real estate)

[travelbug1974]

Something like this is great:

[loves2read]

frankly I was going to post that all the houses in FL are alike...but that is probably tacky...

most people can't determine from a floor plan if a house is a write-off or not--MOST people--
so including it is a lot of trouble since most sellers don't keep copies of their floor plans--
if it is off in dimensions then it can be sited as misleading advertising so it become a liability issue...

[Sparky002]

And the ones advertised as "needs updating" have the least pix, as if to say not pretty enough to show pix. If it's priced as needs updating, I would think you would want to show as many pix as you could to draw in investors and the floor plan would be especially valuable.

One other comment, having looked at 4 months of condo listings, i keep seeing this same boat at the dock that's gotta be a 10 year old photo. And more pictures of a pond and entryway sign than condo enterior! Sometimes I think that's because it's a short sale and maybe the realtor can't get access or it's junked up with belongings. But not always.

Sparky.

[travelbug1974]

Oh I agree. When you have a market like Sarasota it really obvious that for empty properties the same staging company is doing every single home so as an internet searcher you become used to that. There are only so many people that can have bought that bamboo effect living room set, or I hope there are.

There is so much to be said for an empty house and a floorplan at least you can make your own mind up rather than having to see through the owners "taste" all the time.

As for needs updating and value of the land sales then that is fine, of course it is buyer beware but by not presenting a full picture on the internet they are doing themselves out of sales because I just will not agree to see a lot or house that I cannot walk through in my head or imagine myself living in.

Compare this listing:

Suzanne Perkins presents 110 Summit Lane - Premier Santa Barbara and Montecito Real Estate


With this:

Listing # A3912968 - 1903 LINCOLN DR - Unrivaled significance, the Bacheller-Brewer... - Tom Hedge - SARASOTA - AVONDALE REPLAT

Exactly the same value but I think you can see which is the let down.

I am white by the way, even though I was born in Kenya.

[loves2read]

I am white by the way, even though I was born in Kenya.
that is a real non sequitur--it totally caught me off-guard---did I miss the reason to qualify yourself in that way???

there are so many different POVs about RE photos and listings and whether to stage a house if seller is moving furniture out--
personally I find that the seller's/staging furniture is more a distraction than a help
NOT having furniture lets me see just what shape the walls are in, if there are floor plugs available for floating furniture in the middle of say the living room or den--the shape the flooring is in
how much light comes into the room and the color values--because furniture always affects color and light in a room

Empty rooms mean you are not tied into the prior owner's idea of how to arrange furniture which might not appeal to you and would reflect in negative manner on how attractive the house itself is...

using lots of bric a brack with staging is off-putting to me because I don't personally find it attractive--to me it makes a space cluttered and I just think of how difficult it is to dust then...
BUT some people can't plan traffic patterns or judge room size for furniture without seeing furniture in place---

realtors usually tell clients that furnished homes sell quicker than empty ones--although some owners' tastes are so off-putting I don't always think that is true...

the house we currently live in has master bedroom smaller than our previous home--was big factor in why I was negative about the house---because I though we would not fit all the furniture in our old bedroom in it--and we couldn't--but we did not really need to either--
we got a flat screen tv (which we wanted) which eliminated the need to use the media cabinet with the older conventional tv. There are two large built-in chests in master bath which meant my husband did not need his gentleman's chest either--and makes getting dressed much easier because we have clothing much easier to hand

we used the triple dresser under the flat screen for the DVD/cable box and to hold some extra seasonal clothing and had room for the king size bed and end tables with no problem...the smaller room dimensions actually makes it easier to watch TV from the bed

We are not the type of people who spend lot of time in our bedroom anyway--don't consider it a "personal retreat" as some talk about--just use it for sleeping--
so for us it really did not work out to taking a lesser option--it was just different--but some people can't adapt to making those kinds of trade=offs when shopping for homes...
they have preconceived notions of what they are looking for that prevent them from see possibilities of new options...

[travelbug1974]

I do not know why I felt the need to tell you that. There is a lot of racism over on the Miami and Southern California boards but I have not got that impression here and for making a point of it I apologise.

[Big House]

To the original question. There is a truth in advertising law. If the realtors make a mistake in a measurement, they could be held liable. If they can't get the floor plan from the builder, then making a floor plan of their own could be problematic. So, unless they are provided a floor plan, they probably would not want the liability of making one. The compensation is not worth the risk.

I wouldn't want to do it, and I'm sure they have been advised not to do that.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Big House

To the original question. There is a truth in advertising law. If the realtors make a mistake in a measurement, they could be held liable. If they can't get the floor plan from the builder, then making a floor plan of their own could be problematic. So, unless they are provided a floor plan, they probably would not want the liability of making one. The compensation is not worth the risk.

I wouldn't want to do it, and I'm sure they have been advised not to do that.

I could see how it could be a liability. As far as the MLS goes there is a disclaimer at the bottom that reads: Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Parties are advised to verify.

[foggytoad]

And don't you just love the pictures that show the furniture in the room but not the room itself? Craaazy!! I don't want to buy their furniture unless it's turnkey furnished but still......no more close ups of furniture please!

[HomeBuyer_2011]

It comes down to the agents being cheap. They are not willing to spend a hundred bucks or so in order to improve their chances of earning thousands. The time they waste at open houses is enough alone to cover such a minimal fee but they can't realize it. Using floor plans screens out the people who dont like the layout. Any showings that come along after viewing a floor plan will be stronger leads to sell to. If I were a realtor, I would try anything to speed up the days on market. I would also try it to stand above all the rest of the realtors who do just the basics. That would mean more business for me and more commissions.
For those who only pass along builders plans... they're not accurate either. No room is exactly square. No structure is ever completed exactly to plan. Using wide angle cameras to make rooms look longer and wider are more deceptive than an inaccurate measurement.
One day floor plans will be part of every realtors marketing plan, whether they want it or not.