Stupid Real Estate Agents (Cookeville, Sparta: home, to buy, inspector)

[mickimouse]

The reason I don't spend a lot of time taking pictures of the inside is because all of the things you see aren't going to be there after you buy it. I will be glad to tell you the measurements of the room, but if it just 4 walls why would you want a picture of that. If there is something special such as a fireplace, whirlpool tub, nice kitchen I always try to get pictures of those things. I think the public would be very surprised to know how many customers don't want inside pictures taken of their house. They say if people are interested they will come and look but don't want everyone in the world seeing the inside of their house (nosey neighbors) I have worked with the public for about 25 years but until I got into real estate I had no idea how difficult people can be. I think if most non agents would spend a day with an agent your mind would change dramatically on how hard it is to make a living in this business. I have a second job that helps support the real estate job or I wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the business. I love getting to meet new people and maybe someday will be fortunate enough to just sell real estate. Between dues, license, insurance,advertising and gas prices you have to sell at least 5 good houses just to break even. So before continuing to bad mouth all of us please give some of us good ones a chance to prove to you that there are some very good, honest and reliable agents in TN. My mother always taught us there are 2 things no one can ever take away: an education and your word.

[mjb62676]

Just my opinion...the more pictures the better...and definitely measurements..

I can often just go off those two things.

[jmarkey]

I agree with mjb. Over the course of our marriage, we've bought five homes, all of them in states other than where we lived. Pictures are critical - the more the better. So many people are looking in locations that are more than driving distance. They depend on pictures to narrow down their choices for when they can take a trip and look. When we're trying to find a place in a distant location, listings with no pictures or just one shot of the outside don't even make it onto our list.

On the flip side, when I'm selling I want as many pictures as possible of my house in the ad. Why would I care if neighbors want to look at the inside of my house? Knock yourself out.

The internet has become a wonderful tool for house hunting. I would think realtors would rather deal with people who are informed about their choices, rather than wasting time taking clients to houses they don't care for.

[CAtoGA]

mickimouse, I understand that a lot of people don't want pictures taken of the insides of their homes, including me, but I also understand that there are a lot of people looking for homes that aren't able to stop by and look. Whether because of time or distance, a buyer may pass up what would be their idea of a "perfect" house if they are unable to view the inside before making the trip. We are a good example of this, in that we are coming from CA and can't just take a weekend to drive up, meet with a realtor and look at homes. We need to be fairly selective in what we look at because we will be there for a limited amount of time. Obviously one option is to rent a home before buying, but I'm not in line with that. The less often I have to pack and unpack the better, so I want to find a home and stay there.

Personally, I like to see interior photos because it gives me an idea as to the layout of the home. Okay, so it has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, etc. How are they situated in relation to the living area, basement, garage, whatever?

Also, in spending so much time looking online at homes, I have been able to refine and better define what I am going to be looking for once we get to that point.

Thanks, mickimouse, and everyone else for sharing your points of view. That is what makes everyone so individual and unique. It is also what helps everyone learn something new.

[daniellefort]

On the other hand, you see a picture of a house and it makes you wonder why the inside isn't shown. Is it a mess inside, does it need repainting, is there water damage, hows the carpet look etc. Things like that also help to narrow down your search and time wasted on your realtor to drive out there just to open the door and say nope, not for me without even stepping inside.

One thing i hated when we were searching for property is the same picture was used for multiple listings. I'm talking 10 or 12 listings with the same exact picture. Yes they were all in the same area but there has to be some difference among all of them. Maybe not as many trees on one lot than the other, maybe a slope or hill on one lot and so on. When i saw that, i just skipped right over them. Also, what would have saved us time from traveling to so many lots is maybe a description of what sloped and steep means. I would change those descriptions to cliffhanger homes only. I can't count the number of properties we drove to just to find them having nothing but a cliff to build on even the ones that said Moderate roll. To me, sloped, steep and moderate roll were all for cliffhanging homes only. I didn't see any difference in their description at all.

[mickimouse]

CAtoGA,
If you find a house you like call your agent and have them go out and make a video of the property and send it to you. In the past 2 months I have made several videos of houses to send to customers that can't come to TN and stay very long. I try to make sure that we can narrow the search down to the # of houses they want to see in the time they have. I have also just gone by and taken pictures and have found some terrible houses that weren't worth the time to take pictures or video. Listing photos can be so deceiving, I am often shocked at what I find.

[CAtoGA]

Originally Posted by mickimouse

CAtoGA,
If you find a house you like call your agent and have them go out and make a video of the property and send it to you. In the past 2 months I have made several videos of houses to send to customers that can't come to TN and stay very long. I try to make sure that we can narrow the search down to the # of houses they want to see in the time they have. I have also just gone by and taken pictures and have found some terrible houses that weren't worth the time to take pictures or video. Listing photos can be so deceiving, I am often shocked at what I find.

I think that's a great idea, but my realtor would then be spending all day just making videos of houses that I like. I would think, based on my limited knowledge of the business, that it would be more beneficial to the seller and the realtor to post the pictures so many people can see as opposed to just one.

Also, to agree with daniellefort, not seeing pictures makes one wonder what is wrong with it. Okay, so it's cluttered. My house is cluttered, I admit it. But a serious buyer is not looking at what is in the room, so much as how the room is situated and what condition the walls, carpet, etc. are in.

Another thing to consider, is that posting listings that include more information makes the realtor look better. It tells the buyer that you are interested in selling the home, that you believe it is worth the listing price, that you are proud to be the person chosen to sell that home. Knowing, or believing, that a realtor enjoys what they do and takes pride in their work is important to me.

[Father John]

For me, the interior pictures do several things:
1) they show the wall types (wood, paper or paint?)
2) they show the fireplace (gas, wood, or a Franklin stove?)
3) they show the bathrooms (cramped or open?)
4) they show the bedrooms (layout for beds, size, etc.)
5) they show the kitchen - appliances and cupboards are important

For example on the last item - I saw a house with BLACK kitchen cupboards and paneled walls. To me, it looked awful. To someone else, it might look cool. Pictures beat words in most cases.

[jimj]

First, MBMOUSE, very well said! Second, Suzie, the up side to all of the floridinans leaving is that maybe the state will empty and all of us (via FEMA) won't have to foot the bill for more disasters
Third, MBMOUSE you brought up the MLS and I have a good one for y'all. Do y'all realize that the MLS company has a monopoly on listings? The reason I bring this up is that currently our MLS is down more than it is up (on the public side) so searches are not possible. I sent them an email and they pretty much blew me off by telling me that the public side of the MLS is just a convienience even though you can't sell a house for the most part without MLS. They didn't like it when I reminded them that I pay them (granted through my realtor) but I pay just the same. They also told my agent that he couldn't list our house "in a private setting" or "on a private road" (even though we own the road). Did you know that you can't list directions like "turn left at the church" or that it is adult friendly as they might be discriminatory? It is sad that they have us and the realtors by the preverbial garage as it were and that there is NO competition so they only have to give the service they see fit to give. I am surprised no one has filed a RICO claim against them yet. Ok, venting done.....

[TreeFarm]

Originally Posted by mickimouse

The reason I don't spend a lot of time taking pictures of the inside is because all of the things you see aren't going to be there after you buy it.

The room layout is still going to be there. The ceiling shape is still going to be there. The open design, or lack thereof, is still going to be there. The kitchen's functionality is still going to be there, etc., etc.

Of course, if the house doesn't show well, it is likely to be reflected in the pictures. Even if does show well, buyers will assume from a lack of pictures that there is a reason they are missing. They will assume that it is either a house that doesn't show well or a lazy or incompetent agent. In either case, you draw fewer potential buyers.

In an age of inexpensive digital cameras and almost universal internet access, listings without photos are generally inexcusable, in my opinion.