For all Charlottesville agents, buyers and sellers

Posted on June 21, 2007 by Jim Duncan

Read this post from a real estate consumer’s perspective. When I market a home, I assume that the first visitor to my website, the MLS, etc. will be my seller client.

When I look at MLS photos I want to see the front of the house, the kitchen, some pasture and a barn if there is one. I don’t want to see multiple shots of an outdated bathroom for example. Unless it’s an award winning designer bathroom we really only need one shot but not in place of the kitchen.

In Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson, there are 2,597 properties currently listed as “active” in the MLS. Of these:

2140 – Have more than one photo
391 – Have only one photo
67 - Have no photos at all

From my perspective, it sure seems that there are more properties with only one photos or terrible photos.

Check out Athol’s “Bad MLS Photo” series. The photo below is one I picked from the Charlottesville MLS last week.

House In Cville

There should be a way to report agents.

For those of you buying or selling in the Charlottesville/Central Virginia area – do you have any advice for those marketing properties that you want to share? Please let me know.

Technorati Tags: , ,

About Jim Duncan

A Charlottesville Realtor who tries to stay on the bleeding/cutting/functional edge of technology and real estate trends. I have been selling real estate for the past 10 years, lived in C'Ville for twenty+ and am married to one of few Charlottesville natives left.
This entry was posted in Buyers, Marketing, RE Blogs, Sellers. Bookmark the permalink.
  • http://www.reagentinct.com Sock Puppet

    Hi Jim, thanks for the link love, I appreciate it.

    To some extent I think we have to blame the sellers for bad photos too. Don’t they ever look at the photos?

    I’m not sure how these agents have the nerve to upload these photos. I’d die if I did it myself.

    As an side, I’m having issues with my Category Link not showing photos. Try this search instead. It pulls in some other stuff, but it’s the work around for now.

  • http://www.7bravo.com Frank

    I came across your blog while looking for homes in VA. It has always baffled me why realtors don’t provide proper images of their homes. As a result of your post I wrote about it over on 7bravo (a blog on starting a small web business). In part I agree with the previous poster about the seller allowing it, but the reality is that the realtor is the expert, not the seller.

  • cvillemommy

    Jim,
    I am begging local realtors to use decent pictures. If I see one more listing photo that consists of nothing but azalea bushes and driveways, I’ll scream. Buyers want to see the INSIDE of a house. One exterior photo is useful only in the sense that it saves me from driving by the listing. I’ll stop stalking your comment area now:)

  • http://www.Charlottesville-Area-Real-Estate.com Toby Beavers

    The worst is when an established Charlottesville realtor cannot even get excited enough to put up more than one photo and we (the other realtors) must waste time and energy pursuing the selfish agent for more pics and info.

    It should be mandatory in every Virginia mls (including caar.com!)to HAVE to put up a minimum of 6 pictures. If the agent is too lazy then the seller should fire them.

    I met a Loudoun County realtor recently who previews 100 houses a week ALONE to get a feel for the market.

    While I admire her perseverance and interest, I could never do that. What a waste of gas and energy.

  • Pingback: Posts With Enduring Interest - Just for Sellers | Real Central VA