Reading Kris Berg’s blog about her irritation with MLS listings with no photos sparked another peeve I have with photos. I agree, no photos is a sore point for me when I’m trying to find homes for my buyer clients. I typically skip over such listings unless I happen to see something compelling in the written description (if I get that far).
However, even with photos in the listing, buyers should keep in mind that photos don’t always do justice to reality, particularly with bank-owned and short sale properties. Many times my clients and I see listing photos implying the home is in reasonable condition only to visit and find that either they were taken pre-damage, or conveniently do not focus on material issues.
I was recently asked by someone that had seen a Tempe bank owned condo listing on my website (using my MLS IDX search) to send additional interior photos. There were about 3 inside shots, with none showing the kitchen or bathroom. Kitchens are usually a major concern for buyers. Sure enough, I show up and find the stove is missing and cabinets damaged. The bathroom has water damage around the toilet and a missing mirror (just the glue where it had been).
Another set of listing photos showed a furnished home that appeared to be in excellent condition, with a great kitchen area. Reality was a vacant short sale home with water damage where the refrigerator used to be, questionable wall colors, and a half empty stagnant pool (what happened to that sparkling blue pool in the photo?). It would be helpful if the agent had retaken photos after it was vacated to show current condition.
I suppose you can argue that the listing agents are doing their job to show enough to spark interest and get buyers to check out the home, but sure feels like bait and switch.
I’m more than willing to preview homes for clients so that they don’t waste their time. But with more and better photos, it would take less time to sort through those with real potential, and save some gas. And showing the bad as well as the good can be positive for the seller. Some clients are looking for bargains and fixer-uppers, and don’t mind a little repair work.
There may have been some excuse for fewer photos in the old MLS system that only allowed 6. However, the new MLS system has unlimited photo capacity – let’s start using it. After all, with the advent of digital cameras, it isn’t wasting film to take more shots.
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