I love social media. When browsing the not so small world that we live in, where we are all probably a little more connected than we realize occasionally you stumble on things that surprise you. Sometimes these are welcome surprises such as realizing that your friends are friends with your other friends and you never made that connection until you see them holding the babies of your loved ones, or enjoying parades or parties together. Those are the feel good moments of our social media world.
Then there are the times when you stumble across a post, open a link and realize, “Wow,” there’s one of my local agents who has enough time on his hands to have a whole website dedicated to “bad MLS photos,” …of his fellow agents right here in lil’ ole’ Tallahassee, FL! Best of all, he touts himself as an expert marketer in nearly every post, because he uses a “professional” photographer. He also sells his properties faster than the average agent because he uses professional photographers that make him a better marketing agent. Whoa,.. he must be the best in the business!
Perfection is always up to interpretation. Winston Churchill said it best about perfection, “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds!”
In this focused blog about bad MLS photos, this one agent points out imperfections of the photos his fellow agents have shot. Let’s see, in his words, “You really have to know how to use a fisheye lens,” “All those little sparkles are dust particles that the flash picked up,” “Finally a classic out of focus/fuzzy photo,” “One of this homes best assets is its lake front,” “But, anything that distracts a buyer is bad,” “And Yes, they should clean up the toys,” “Showing off the amenities at a local condo complex (related to a very pixelated photo), “Its hard enough to sell a trailer,…” “It would have taken 30 seconds to move the hats,” “I bet they just got one of those new fangled wide angle lenses for their camera,” “Finally the classic corner of the room photo.” So enough, you get the picture. The entire blog dedicated to criticism of what we all know we make from time to time, mistakes.
Most Realtors are not professional photographers. At least this agent admits that he is not, that is why he hires a professional. But are professionals, really without imperfections from time to time? Let’s take a look at these property photos, and be fair by saying these were only photos of the properties he has had listed over 365 days. Perhaps this was before he became the expert on bad MLS photos.
“Sometimes the subject of a photo is bad. Sometimes we don’t do the little things that could make it better.
If your not going to make the extra effort just don’t put the photo up!” … What he said.
So, besides the lesson on karma, what else can we learn from this? Maybe a few things seller’s can help their agents accomplish. Take a look at the photos taken by your agent. Be a part of the marketing of your home. Ask your agent for names of service persons that can help you clean, landscape, organize, de-clutter. I bet they have references for you. Ask your agent where your property, and it’s photos, will be seen. Afterall, we are all here to help each other accomplish one thing, a SALE.
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