If you want to follow along, here are parts I and II.
Once again, I took a meandering walk through the new listings in Lilburn for the last 30days. As I wandered through, I was particularly looking for quantity of pictures and virtual tours. The reason I was concentrating on those items was all about research that EVERY real estate agent should be familiar with regarding buyer behavior.
Buyers largely SKIP listings without adequate pictures.
Let's mention a few basic items. Last year, FMLS changed the maximum number of pictures allowed from 8 to 12. They also allow an unbranded virtual tour to be attached. The pictures can all be captioned...
Many MLSs across the country allow more than 12 pictures... some as many as 50. But many local agents are used to only putting 8 pictures on a listing, despite being able to upload more than that for quite a while, now.
Here are the numbers for the last 97 listings:
- 14 had 0 pictures, 14.4%
- 11 had 1 picture, 11.3%
- 21 has 2-8 pictures , 21.6%
- 12 had 9-11 pictures, 12.4%
- 44 had 12 pictures , 45.4%
- 9 had virtual tours, 9.3%
The good news is that the number of listings with 12 pictures is up sharply. That bad news is that 53 properties from the last 30 days didn't have 12 pictures. That isn't that many. If an agent just shoots front, back, 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, garage, dining room and something like a close up of the front door... that is 12 shots for a modest home. And most homes really need to have a couple pictures of several of the rooms.
The bad news is that the group that lost membership was the 9-11 pictures. As a percentage, the growth was t the bottom end of the spectrum. WAY too many agents aren't publishing more than a picture or two.
What can you do?
If your home is currently listed, get a look at the listing in the MLS. If it doesn't have enough pictures, talk with your agent to find out why.
If your home isn't currently listed, make sure that you have an agent that is going to leverage available technologies to get your home sold faster.
Unless otherwise noted, all content of this blog is the property of Lane Bailey, ©2012 Lane Bailey.
I'd love to hear from you...
Good post, Lane! Great at a listing presentation.
Our MLS allows 30 pictures but most of the time coming up with 30 pictures is a bit of a stretch. This week when I was looking through my saved list of searches I came across a listing that had used my community pictures as part of their listing. When I sent the agent an email to remove them I got a snide response. Go figure you use my photos and then you get an attitude.
Lane - I always look forward to these posts. I've got to steal your idea and see what I find in our MLS. We use 16 photos, which I think is a great number. Cindy mentions her MLS uses 30, which I can imagine can be hard to fill at times (although at that point, I'd go artistic I think - closeups of countertops and flooring to show the great materials, great coverage of a master bedroom, better backyard photos showcasing landscaping, etc.). I think what makes me most frustrated about these sorts of inadequate listings is that a) when I want to see if its right for my client, I'm at a disadvantage, and b) I want to call up every seller and just let them know they could be served much better (of course I don't, I just wish I could).
Hi Lane, interesting exercise here. Our MLS allows 12 pics, many agents use all 12. I've noticed with the rising number of short sales and foreclosures, most of them are carrying only 1 photo (bad sign from the getgo). My website is with Point2, I can have as many as 36 pictures, I love that. Not all houses need that many but still a great feature. Have a super weekend.
Maria - I always tell sellers that regardless of who they use, lots of pictures are important... no matter the listing.
Cindy - You can do it... Shoot two angles of the rooms, add some detail shots, and if there is still space, get out into the neighborhood and shoot the common areas or nearby shopping.
Matt - I have a couple of property websites with 150 pictures each. One is a 6,000 sf home, the other was a 966 sf condo... That is what they make neighborhoods for.
Gail - One is terrible... Everyone assumes that the place must be trashed. Zero is just wrong...