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I'm not quite sure what they were trying to pull off there. Someone put some work into the place, but that's a lot of different styles fighting against each other. Those are some of the shortest pieces of hardwood I've ever seen too. Must have been a bear to install.

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I'm beginning to think those pics aren't all of the same property. Did you notice the washer dryer in the kitchen? But there also appears to be a full-size laundry room! WTF?!?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/HaybFg][/url]colors by Paul Bubel, on Flickr

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Spectacular home offering decorator colors... Priced to Sell!! Don't let this one slip away...

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Days on the market: 319 Priced to sell,eh? Every ****ty paint selection a "decorator color."

That's exactly the shade of red HGTV was telling people to paint in the early 2000s. My first place in SA (2004) came with a wall that color. It was right around the time they were telling everyone to paint an accent wall Barney purple.

I can't see the last digit in the year on the picture you posted, but to me it looks typical suburbia of the era to me, minus the huge DLP or 4:3 glass tube TV and PS2.

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It's a big house and down oil, I get that. But it's a hot area of the heights (zoned to desirable school) and we've watched nearby houses listed higher all move during those 5 weeks. Sort of frustrating, so looking for ideas.

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Did a professional shoot that house? I assumed that to be the case for a home in that price range, but the images posted make me think otherwise. Some of the rooms look ok, but your feature rooms (kitchen, master bedroom, master bath) do not. Those rooms should be bright and generate excitement. Instead, they give the impression that the home is dark and uninviting. You probably don't feel that way about the house in person - the photos should make potential buyers see the home the way you see it.

A stager wouldn't be a terrible idea, but they're expensive. It's easier and more cost effective to have it reshot. It's a great house, but those photos don't move the needle.

We are moving out of it July 1st, and I'm probably going to get a new photographer for that.

The house is actually quite bright, and o agree that isn't translating in the photos.

Good idea. I will also mention that a home with furniture is much easier to shoot than an empty house is. Just something to keep in mind while you prepare for the move. You might pack up your personal items first but have the photographer come in before the furniture goes. Good luck - it's a great house.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/J6cwod][/url]custom by Paul Bubel, on Flickr

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Custom home on 1 Acre Lot.

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Custom used to mean something to me before I started appraising. The word is so thoroughly abused I just have to shake my head.

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Brand new 6 bedroom, 2.5 bath home being built in Hunters Forest

1571 SQ FT as per builders plan

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Good God almighty. The one redeeming thing about crappy rural work is the lunacy played out on these lots.

I'm glad the photographer decided to include this touching message scrawled on the wall in sharpie.



10710 Dunlap St

$3 million dollar listing. 7 pictures that look like the Realtor took with her cell phone.

www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/132-Grand-Chase-Dr_Nederland_TX_77627_M83046-05265

Those are likely placeholder shots to get the listing up. It was listed six days ago, so there's probably a professional coming in the next few days to shoot the entire property. Then the realtor just swaps them out. It happens all the time.

I agree, I think it's poor form. But as the photographer, sometimes I can't always get there before the listing goes up. My clients typically only use two of their own phone shots (which they've told me is the minimum), and they're usually the same picture.

The old shots do go away (sort of) if they use the same file name once they're replaced. I didn't realize that until I googled one of the addresses, saw an old image in the preview, and then saw my own image pop up when I clicked on the thumbnail. It was weird, but the agent who does it that way explained that it's the only way she's found to hide the old images.

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No kidding. That's a terrible strategy. List it when it's ready.

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I've been told on multiple occasions some form of "I have to get the listing up by _____ or I lose it." And that's from people who know that I'm booked through a certain date, so they aren't just trying to get me out there sooner. I don't know if different markets have different rules, or if they're working with sellers who are giving them their own deadlines, but timing comes into play in some of these cases for whatever reason.

I think it sucks though. Sometimes agents simply add my images to the current listing, and then there's a mix of good and bad. It's easy to tell the difference, but I still hate the idea that a potential client sees "my" photos and thinks that those bad shots represent the quality of my work.

Best case, the images are replaced with identical file names. Worst case, they're all mixed together with the bad images. Typically, it's just a new page and the old one falls far down the list after a few days.

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Those are likely placeholder shots to get the listing up. It was listed six days ago, so there's probably a professional coming in the next few days to shoot the entire property. Then the realtor just swaps them out. It happens all the time.

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There is no way I list a house until everything is 100% ready. Explain to your client that it's best to have everything done before you list it to increase the exposure and present the property at its best. These listings go out to 100's of websites that realtors have no control over. The original listing pics will stay on some of those sites until the listing agent manually emails each website to have them updated.

My biggest pet peeve is listings with 1 picture. It's a waste of my time to show a house that I have no clue what the inside looks like and if it even fits what my buyers are looking for.

That property is listed about $2.2 mil higher than any house that has ever sold in that city. It wouldn't hurt the listing agent agent to splurge a little with professional pictures, virtual tour, & drone footage of the property.

I agree. Needs to be ready or not on at all. I've postponed listings for WEEKS because of small things that are out of our control. I think an agent should explain to a seller why a listing without being ready isn't in their best interest.

I agree with everything you're saying and have explained that much to them. We've also talked at length about the difference between shooting an interior "as is" and simply paying the fee to have me come back another day because the sellers didn't prep the home. They also seem to think that 30 mediocre/bad photos are more important than 15-20 high quality images. One tried to convince me that buyers sort search results by number of photos first. My standard package is 25 shots, and even that was a compromise because it's usually too many... but they still want more.

But in the end, all of that is on the listing agent. I'm out of it as soon as the images are delivered and the check clears. They seem to have pretty successful offices, so whatever works for them. It's nice to work with the top notch agents, but I'm not going to turn away business from the others.

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Those are likely placeholder shots to get the listing up. It was listed six days ago, so there's probably a professional coming in the next few days to shoot the entire property. Then the realtor just swaps them out. It happens all the time.

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There is no way I list a house until everything is 100% ready. Explain to your client that it's best to have everything done before you list it to increase the exposure and present the property at its best. These listings go out to 100's of websites that realtors have no control over. The original listing pics will stay on some of those sites until the listing agent manually emails each website to have them updated.

My biggest pet peeve is listings with 1 picture. It's a waste of my time to show a house that I have no clue what the inside looks like and if it even fits what my buyers are looking for.

That property is listed about $2.2 mil higher than any house that has ever sold in that city. It wouldn't hurt the listing agent agent to splurge a little with professional pictures, virtual tour, & drone footage of the property.

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Only one picture and I assume the worst - everything is either shot or poorly executed regardless of what the listing says. Not worth seeing in person unless it's at a giveaway price.

This conversation is fascinating because I'm just a real estate civilian but we did that - postponed listing our house for almost a month to finish fixing stuff and to get it fully staged. And freaking out the whole time that we were delaying too long and losing valuable time. We worked like crazy people moving almost everything out and almost got divorced (lol) but the photos (from a pro, natch - no agent cell phones) looked great and we had an offer the first day it was listed.

http://www.har.com/11619-snowmass-dr/sale_33391927

Good photos matter! My house has never looked this good and never will again.

I agree...the place looks well staged and the photos came out great.

I understand everything you're saying and agree. It's on the listing agent and the seller to make sure the place is ready to show.

Your job is to do the best you can with what you're given to shoot. Not always easy with some clients!

Thanks. Total nightmare but well worth it.

It just boggles my mind that someone would hire a listing agent, agree to pay 6%, and then not listen when that agent says the house is not readay to be photographed. Or worse yet, override the agent and insists on allowing poor photos to be posted on the MLS. Good grief - why would you pay someone 6% only to ignore all of their advice?!? Just do FSBO!

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I understand everything you're saying and agree. It's on the listing agent and the seller to make sure the place is ready to show.

Your job is to do the best you can with what you're given to shoot. Not always easy with some clients!

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It gets really fun when "recently remodeled" means there are unfinished walls, non-working fixtures, and three different decorating styles, and the job lasts twice as long as originally scheduled because the seller and the agent are busy moving boxes from room to room to clean up the shots as you move through the house.

where are you located?

I'm in Austin but I also make monthly trips to Crystal Beach to shoot vacation homes. Those properties are either amazing or... not. Total crapshoot. I've been lucky with the last several listings though. There's some nice stuff out there. And a lot of rebuilds and remodels after big storms, so pretty good inventory right now (post-Ike).

I suppose I could actually contribute to the thread with a photo....

When I do a reshoot, I look up the previous photos to get an idea of what I'll find when I arrive. Last month a guy told me to be sure to get a view from the top of the stairs overlooking the living room, because "there's an opportunity for a dramatic shot from up there".

1. No there's not. I hate that photo, but I understand the purpose, so I'll include it if they ask for it.
2. Here's the image he pulled from that spot the first time around. This is his "dramatic shot":

True. And you can't beat the view through those windows.

I could see it as a great setup shot for a Final Destination XII mishap.

is that a sleep apnea machine under the bed?