One of My Biggest Real Estate Pet Peeves

A few weeks ago, I penned a piece crying for better service for a slew of home buyers on behalf of their chosen Realtors. I strongly believe that, while there are varying degrees of talent, knowledge, work ethic etc amongst Realtors around the world, we, as a group, face a ton of criticism from the general public, and often rightfully so. Why? Because there are a lot of people who got into this business and should absolutely not have done so. I know that I am not perfect, but I do believe that I do great work for my clients and can spot somebody who is not nearly up to the task.

I can pinpoint a whole host of things that somebody could do wrong in this business, either due to a lack of knowledge, ignorance, or they are truly just trying to take advantage of people, nobody is perfect. But there is one thing I want to talk about today because I believe it to be one of the worst things that I see on a somewhat regular basis. What is it that has me so irked today?

Cell phone listing photos.

I’m sure that sentence has conjured up images in your mind, but if it hasn’t, allow me to explain. A large majority of the time, a would be home buyer’s first impression of a home comes from viewing said home online. The biggest part of your online listing are the photographs that are attached to show the buyer what your home is all about. I’m sure that we’ve all heard about the importance of “first impressions”. Ipso facto, your listing photos are of the utmost importance to marketing your home.

So please explain to me how any homeowner can be happy with their listing agent walking through their home taking still photos on an iPhone 11 to be posted online for the world to see? These listings stick out like sore thumbs, in the plural, because this happens ALL THE TIME. WHY? HOW?

Jeeze Cam, tell us how you really feel.

Alright, let’s me take a step back and explain why this upsets me so much.

When a homeowner is looking for somebody to represent them in the sale of their home, a large component of that is how that agent presents the home online. We’ve already established that the online impression buyer’s get of the home will often determine whether they want to see it in person. More people through the home usually leads to more interest in the home and eventually a higher sale price. Again, a major component of a listing agent’s job.

Sometimes buyers will overlook bad photography, think “maybe it looks better in person” and they will still decide to look at the home. But some won’t and now you have missed out on potential interest. Really good photography works in a similar but opposite way, drawing in buyers that would have otherwise passed for one or more reasons but see a “beautiful” home online and decide that they would like to see it anyway. One scenario provides less than average numbers of buyers, the other provides above average numbers of buyers. Which would you rather have?

Let’s move past the first impression to a buyer who has viewed a poorly presented home online yet still decided to see it in person. As they approach the front door, they have a vision of the home in the back of their mind. It’s not a positive image. When they walk in the door are their first thoughts “this is way better in person!”? Sometimes, yes. Most times, no. What is usually on that buyer’s mind is “it didn’t look great online, it must not be that great in person” and they start to nitpick the home. Any minor detail that is amiss simply confirms what they thought before they arrived.

Let’s imagine the opposite scenario. Great photography, home really shines online. This house is at an advantage. Buyers will show up excited and eager to explore a home that they are already much more interested in. Those little details that bugged them so much about the other house? “We can fix that, we’re likely going to have to paint or do some minor repairs before we move in anyway.”

Even if you want to argue that the psychological component plays a very minor role, it is still there. Why not have every advantage you can when trying to achieve a top dollar sale for your beloved home? This is why I cannot ignore this offence.

My next point: we don’t live in 1990 anymore. Cameras have come a long way and they are not hard to get. There are professional photographers everywhere! And guess what else! A photographer isn’t going to charge you an arm and a leg to provide you with these photos. There is no reason not to hire somebody to do this work. None.

So then what could the excuse be? I can’t think of anything that a homeowner would hear and think “that sounds reasonable, I am comfortable with you taking the photos for my listing on your phone”. I just can’t imagine that scenario playing out unless your listing agent is literally working for free and that is the level of service you have chosen.

I will say this, there are varying levels of service in this business, and on the very bottom rung you can likely find somebody who will do it cheaper, but at a cost to you, the homeowner. Ask yourself this: is the money I save worth the cost of not having my home presented properly to every buyer out there? That’s up to you to decide.

Personally, I would never attach my name and reputation to that calibre of listing. Not something I believe in.

Also, I would be willing to wager a large sum of money that the agents who are listing homes with cell phone photos are still charging a sizeable fee. While they are still making money (if the home sells) their clients are at a massive disadvantage in comparison to other homes. How can somebody feel okay about that? Anyone who is convinced they can do just has good a job with their phone compared to a professional photographer is either delusional or an idiot.

The responsibility that we take on when signing a listing agreement with a seller is massive, something I don’t take lightly. I will always do everything I can to give my client every advantage imaginable, represent them professionally and strive to meet their expectations. That is why this frustrates me so much. There is no reason and no excuse for cell phone photos.

Do better, agents. Expect better, sellers.