I was on the MLS recently looking at townhouses in the Los Angeles area. I was looking at properties in the $250,000 - $350,000 range. This is the very low end of the market and I didn't expect to find photos of beautifully appointed homes and professional photography but what I did find was truly shocking and disgusting.
Today I want to climb up on my soapbox and rant for a moment about something that I consider so unprofessional and frankly, lazy that it actually has me steamed.
How difficult is it to take 4 - 5 decent pictures of a home before you list it on the MLS?
Here are some examples of the types of photos that drive me nuts.
1.Picture of the toilet, with the toilet seat up.
2. Pictures of the current owner's stuff instead of the room.
3. So much clutter that you can't see the counter tops.
4. Picture of the corner of a room.
5. A single stock photo of the condo community the listing resides in after the property has been on the market for 2 months or longer.
6. Pictures of cars in the driveway.
7. Outdoor photos taken at night.
8. Pictures that don't add any value. (Yes, this was the photo used to promote a condo in the South Bay.)
Agents all over Los Angeles are complaining about how difficult it is to sell their listings right now. They complain that they are not getting any showings, they claim their listings are over priced, etc. It took me about 20 minutes to find all of the photos posted here. In just a few pages of listings in just one area this is just a sampling of what I found. Photos like these are unacceptable and I'm suprized that brokers allow their listings to show like this.
At ProREA Staffing we teach our assistants to follow a simple formula when taking photos of homes. This process is simple, easy to follow, and guarantees at least 4 - 5 decent photos of a home - no matter how ugly the home really is.
1. Take 2 - 3 photos of the outside of the property. Don't include cars, toys or trash cans.
2. Take photo of entry way.
3. Bring a few large boxes with you and use one to clear off kitchen counter tops, one for the living / dining room and another for the bathroom. Do not take pictures of the seller's clutter.
4. Take several photos of the kitchen, living, dining rooms. Take pictures of the rooms, not the furniture.
5. When photographing the bathroom, put the toliet seat down, remove the toliet paper roll, pull back the shower curtain, remove everything from the shower and counter tops.
6. Take wide shots of each bedroom from at least 2 angles.
7. If there is a back yard, shoot 2 - 3 photos from the back yard.
8. Go back through the house and make sure you took shots of any special details or features.
9. Upload a minimum of 4 pictures: outside shot, living area, kitchen, 1 bathroom.
10. When uploading the photos, arrange them in the order that you would show the home, starting with the front and moving through the house.
Is that really so hard??
It's not, and it makes such a huge difference in your ability to attract potential buyers. I know that managing heavy listing inventory is difficult and I know that especially with REOs and short sales the sellers are not always easy to work with. But, if you do nothing else to promote your lisiting, shouldn't you have decent photos in the MLS?
We can help you declutter your listings! Our professional organizer can help your sellers make their home ready to show. Email info@proreastaffing.com.
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