Time is the scarcest commodity, especially when you may have a part time job to supplement your income as a Real Estate Agent so that you can stay in the Real Estate business.
Here's the way you might look at your listing obligations.
- Make the listing appointment.
- Get it signed.
- Get it into the Multiple Listing Service.
- Double check for accuracy.
- Make sure the photos show the features that make this home special to the potential buyer. Choose an exterior photo for the first impression.
- Done.
Let's say I'm your potential buyer. I've got a full time job, and it's not real estate. My spouse has narrowed down the area of town where we intend to buy a home. We've scoured listings on the internet. We haven't spoken to a REALTOR yet. And then we see your new listing pop up. A first impression is formed.
Which photo is going to evoke an emotional connection to the home and its surroundings?
(Please note: This particular home in my neighborhood of Tucson Estates 2 is not listed, and is not for sale.)
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender.
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TUCSON REALTORS: You can hire me to take your First Impression Photos. (same phone number)
Hi Mike~ The second photo definitely leave a better impression, that is for sure!
Wow, what a difference. I guess you don't have to worry about updating the photo after the snow melts. :)
Kevin,
Snow?! What's that?
Vickie,
Thanks for being the first to comment. What did you like about that second photo?
Mike in Tucson
Mike~ The second photo was much more effective in invoking an emotional reaction to it.
I really liked the second picture. You are right. Pictures are definitely what entices a buyer to go look at a house, expecting the real thing will live up to the pictures.
For me, the first photo is best. I can see much more detail of the house and landscaping, and it looks like it was taken on a bright, sunny, typical southwestern day. While the second photo shows more of the surrounding area, the house doesn't seem as big, and the darkness and shadows (at least on my monitor) make it seem gloomy.
I think a prospective buyer needs to see BOTH images.... ~Both~ images clearly represent Southern Arizona.... Most days there are bright, clear, beautiful blue skies ... Other days, the sky is darkier and more intense, the shadows more deeply defined.....
Mike, this is interesting. I have a google alert for Pueblo Homes, this post popped up. Tell me how? why?
BTW, great post.
Mike - I love the sky in the second photo. WOW. Just love it. ~Rita
Photos can make all the difference in getting the buyer to consider the home .
Terry,
Amen!
Rita,
This was an early morning photo. The combination of the sunlight on the home, and the stormy sky in the background lend an air of drama to the image.
Dena,
I have no idea how it popped up for "Pueblo Homes." Take a look at the tags. The only thing I can think of is that Tucson is also known as the Old Pueblo.
Cheryl,
I think our MLS allows 25 photos now. Only one will make that first impression, though. I look at it like a beautiful woman in makeup, dressed to kill. First impressions...
John,
Thanks for commenting. I'm thinking that the record snowfall you had in Las Vegas has you pining for some noonday sun! LOL
Patricia,
I agree with you. The agent wants to capture the imagination of the viewer.
Elayna,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. The photo has done its job if it makes the potential buyer want to go see that house.
Vickie,
If you feel an attraction because of the image you see, the photo has done it's job. First impressions...
Mike in Tucson
I have to think about this one. I can see pro and con to both. An engineer might be impressed by the first one. A right brain person might like the second one. Someone from the Midwest may be wondering what's coming around the mountain in photo two.
Doreen,
But how do you react? Which one makes Doreen McPherson want to stop and look?
Mike in Tucson
I think they are both excellent photos! The second one will get attention because it is so much more dramatic.
Seriously, I do right and left brain, so it's hard for me. I like the drama of the second one because I know what it's about. I lived there for 23 years. If I see dark drama in the sky in a photo of a house in the Midwest, I think tornado. BUT, I don't know how someone from the Midwest would see it. Maybe a few of our Midwestern friends can let us know what they think???
Here's where I blew it, I should have looked at them and answered the question and left the scene. LOL! I was too busy analyzing.
Mike, I like the contrasting photographs. Cool...
**** Merry Christmas ****
Well, heck, Mike, if you are going with the "first date" metaphor, then I think you need to go with the first photo. It's a very bright, cheerful, pleasant photo. The second photo reveals .... hmmmm.... a "dramatic intensity" that might not be as well suited to a "first date." :-)
This is an excellent way of reminding us that pictures can make or break it. I can't tell you how many times I have emailed listings to clients who responded by saying, "Wow, the pictures don't look as nice as the description." But, back to the photos here - I studied the them carefully and thought about the emotions and I decided that the first one reminded me of nice spring day in Tucson; the second one made me think about how it could be the very next spring day in Tucson and the smell of rain in the desert. And I love when it rains in Tucson! --Gabrielle
Gabrielle,
Thanks for commenting. Rain in the desert is one of our treasures, so maybe I'm biased toward the second photo.
CJ,
LOL! I love your comments!
Michael,
But you're sitting on the fence!
Doreen,
You're roped into it now. LOL We don't have tornadoes in Arizona, do we? My neighbors are from Iowa and Oklahoma, and that's one of the things they really like here.
Janna,
I agree with you. Both sides of my brain like the second photo because of the light.
Mike in Tucson
Pictures and the quality in wihich they are taken make all the difference to a home sale..We use a professional photographer to take pics of our listings
Mike,
The importance of photos can not be overstated. I am shocked when I still see bad pictures on our MLS. It's makes no sense with digital photography giving us the opportunity to take multiple pictures at no cost, and with easy enhancement software like Picasa that give us the ability to sharpen our photos to put our clients best foot forward. When a listing expires in my MLS where bad pictures were provided by the agent, I NEVER feel guilty about seeking that listing. The agent dropped the ball and didn't put any effort into their clients listing. There's no excuse for poor quality photos. Also, in this day where you can get unlimited virtual tours for $125 a year, as I do through realestateshows, it's crazy that every listing would not have a virtual tour, although I see most on my MLS, even custom and luxury homes do not. What's up with that? Lazy agents?
Sorry...you struck a nerve. If an agent doesn't have the wherewithall to take good photos, they should find another line of work.
Mike - You have some serious skills with a camera. Most poeple don't really understand what you were just able to show. THanks for the inspiration.
Mike- Excellent point, and that picture is just beautiful and powerful. In all fairness to our fellow REALTORS not everyone is around when the weather and lighting is just right for this kind of shot. And even if they were not everyone understands how to set the camera to capture it :)
Merry Christmas Mike to you and yours :)
Mike - as a fellow shutterbug (though not up to your caliber...yet lol), your photos always seem to capture the "soul" of the moment, and I eagerly await your next offering. More on the subject: it never ceases to amaze me how few agents take advantage of the opportunity to have their photos work FOR them, instead seeing them as something they "have to do" or a nuisance. Hundreds and thousands of dollars are spent by individuals on visual tours or other enhanced promotion packages when the very basics of a listing are left with poor, limited or no photos at all.
The old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words" is more often true in advertising than any other field!
Love both photos. Your post has been featured in the Photography group. : )
Maureen,
Thanks so much! I appreciate your group and the lessons I've learned from being a member.
Kent,
Okay, video guy! LOL I appreciate what you are doing with video on your AR blog!
Kathy,
Merry Christmas to you and those whom you hold dear!
Larry,
Thanks for the encouragement!
Fran,
I couldn't agree more! Thanks for commenting.
Anne,
Your use of a professional photographer shows in your listings and on your blog. You and Eddie both come from a professional movie background (I've seen and admire Eddie's western stunt work in several Hollywood movies) and you know the value of seeing through the eyes of the beholder.
I'd like to see Eddie bring that western theme to your real estate business! (Just a thought...)
Mike in Tucson
Hi Mike, Wishing you and your family a VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY, WEALTHY, & BLESSED HOLIDAY SEASON.
Julie,
Same to you, my dear!
Mike in Tucson
I am with you.
I know that as I wander through the listings I pause and look deeper when the "cover shot" stands out. One is unique, one looks like hundreds of others.
Well Mike, even though the second photo is cool. Just to dark for me and like the sunshine in the first home. I will always take photos pre listing, on a sunny day I am back at the property taking snapshots for a sunny photos.
Julie,
Desert rats like me love the rain, and stormy clouds. Those of you from wintry climes seem to like the sun. LOL
Lane,
I like the shot on the right!
Mike in Tucson
Mike, it is just a little different. Almost all of the shots in the MLS are full frontals... seldom s there anything else... so they stick out.
Here's one I did for an MLS listing for a REALTOR in our neighborhood. It sits on a bend in the road, across the street from my home.
Mike in Tucson
Mike,
I by far like the second photo. It caught my attention instantly and longer than the first picture. Thank you for drawing the attention on the importance of taking quality pictures and the importance of the exterior picture to use for a listing to make sure it generates a strong first impression.
Great photo showing the contrast. Maybe you can show the owner these comments and they will sell it:) Have a great 2009!
HMS,
Thanks for commenting. All the best in '09!
Gerry,
A strong first impression is a lasting impression. It's good to see you.
Mike in Tucson
Wow, Mike, that's impressive. THanks.
Mike pictures make a huge difference this is so true. I think the first one is nice because it's a blue sky day. But it doesn't really do anything for the house itself. The second one has more character ,the coloring is much better but the sky seems so gloomy but I would definitely pick the second. I work with buyers that a lot of times , actually most of the time won't even look at a home if there is only 1 picture or even worse no pictures......it really does the seller an injustice.
Great Point..
Hi Mike: I had to think about this for a little bit...I particularly prefer the more artistic look of the second photo--the sky gives it great drama. However, a buyer may be more drawn to the blue sky. First impressions are definitely important; they are key to getting the potential buyer to take the step to seeing a home in person. Now that I've thought about it...I would choose the second one, I think it would bring a buyer to the home or at least make them pause and take a closer look. Thanks for sharing this--it has inspired me to try harder at making a great first impression through my listing pictures.
Have a great day,
Anne Rains
Great illustration. The second image is much more dramatic and so much more interesting.
A lot of opinions have already been shared on this one, but I believe the first photo is the best for heading a listing. The second photo is more apealling for drama, but it shows us less detail for the property and it also has a dark feeling to it. The view of the home is also somewhat obstructed in the second photo by the tree. However, I do like that the mountain shows on the right side of the second photo. Both are good, but I would vote for photo one to head a listing.
It looks as if photo 1 was taken in the morning and photo 2 was taken in the evening. An afternoon photo with the sun highlighting the of the home might be the best of all options.
Ian,
The more dramatic photo was taken at sunrise. The second photo was taken around 10:00 a.m. The afternoon sun would be shining right into the camera lens from this vantage point.
Kenneth,
I'm with you!
Anne,
The idea of a more dramatic first photo is just as you indicate--to make the viewer pause for a second look.
Sonya,
With 300 days of bright sunshine in Tucson, we desert rats appreciate the rain. What looks gloomy to the rest of the nation says "water in the desert" to us. Thanks for commenting.
Maria,
Thanks for saying so.
Mike in Tucson