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Okay, I’m going to be a bit blunt here. Yes, your job as a real estate agent is to negotiate legal contracts and work on behalf of your clients. But much of that is marketing as well. One MAJOR piece of marketing nowadays is visual marketing – photos, virtual tours, marketing pieces, etc. I am sure it is easiest to take photos when you are already at the home for the listing appointment but I BEG YOU to set up a separate photo shoot appointment. Ask your sellers to stage their home in the same manner they would for a showing. What does that mean? YOU NEED TO TELL THEM. I’ve seen some absolutely atrocious photos at which any buyer would laugh. Don’t mistake what I’m saying; they are laughing at you as well. They probably think you are not a good agent for the sellers. You won’t even tell them to:
- Get the dishes out of the sink
- Make the bed
- Get out of the photo! You’ve heard about taking personal items out of the home – gosh, don’t forget to take the seller out of the photo! Same reason – buyers can’t visualize themselves in someone else’s home.
- Store all of your knick-knacks in a storage unit
- Turn off the TV
- Clear the kitchen table of breakfast dishes
- Close the toilet
- Close the garage door
If you don’t have the nerves to tell them these items to their faces, put a Staging Guide in your Seller’s Presentation packet. For goodness sake, do something. They are depending on you to help sell their home. If you can’t take a good photo and you know it, HIRE SOMEONE. It’s well worth the cost.
Now, I won’t point at anyone specificially, so take a look at these Bad MLS Photos websites. Believe me, sites like these are all over the internet. People notice bad photos.
Stay tuned for photo tips every Wednesday.
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Renee – what were they thinking?? Great tips!
I’ve seen some crazy horrible photos. I think that some agents either don’t know how to say what they need to in a polite manner to their sellers, they don’t want to make a second appointment just for photos, or they don’t realize the importance of good (no, that should say GREAT) photos. Plus, our MLS has a time frame within which agents need to load photos or get fined. With what, 84% of buyers beginning their search online, the homes need to complete visually.
I’ve been collecting awful real estate photos over the years. These are ACTUAL photos used by local agents, many of them “top producers.”
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116129&id=753402564&l=f02f5c80eb