We all know that the first place anyone is looking at real estate is online, so for this reason it drives me crazy to see a poorly input listing. How does this work? How are you seeing those homes on apps like Realtor.com or Zillow? A listing agent puts his/her listing into the MLS and once it’s active it gets pushed out to any real estate site you can think of. So, for this reason, it’s important to make a good first impression. It’s one thing to READ about a house, but it’s a whole different thing to see the pictures. After all, we are visual creatures!
For buyers already actively looking for a home, they are getting emails from their agent when new listings that meet their criteria become available. Buyers can communicate to their agent through a client “portal” by reacting to the listings. It’s sort of like Facebook with 👍 and ❤, except it’s a heart (love), lightbulb (interested) and trashcan (dislike). There should most definitely be a 😂 (you can’t be serious) reaction. You don’t want your listing to go in the trashcan because it will not be seen again.
How do you avoid this? When you’re interviewing REALTORS to list your home, likely your biggest asset, ask the question, “How will you make my home look amazing to the people seeing it online so that we can get them through the door?” PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY!!!
Listen, I get it, we can do some pretty cool things with iPhones these days, but let’s be real, some things we should leave to the pros, like photography, and real estate (shameless plug). They have equipment that’s the real deal, like tripods and cameras with wide angle lenses and stuff, and I can’t leave out that they know what makes a photo look good. Ceiling fans on or off, blinds open or closed, and my personal favorite, toilet lids up or down! 😂 (seriously, close the toilet lid)
Our MLS system allows for 36 photos to be uploaded into the listing. While not all listings warrant 36 photos, most do, and they should be utilized. People love looking at pictures of houses, and people are also critical. I’ll admit that I’m a bit judgy when I see listings that only have a few photos or the photos are awful. The cost of a photography package can be expensive and it’s negotiable on who pays for it. I pay for this service as part of my marketing package, with the exception of a few unique circumstances. BUT, if your agent doesn’t offer this service, and you would prefer not to incur the expense, WE CAN DO SOME PRETTY COOL THINGS WITH IPHONES THESE DAYS!
