In this day and age, it is ridiculous to be on a property site and see active listings with no images included. If we want to give sellers the marketing exposure their property deserves and buyers the shopping experience they require, then it’s time to get us past this problem once and for all!
I received a property alert today for properties that matched my search criteria for homes $800,000 properties. 3 of the 6 properties sent to me had NO photos!
How could I possibly evaluate a property without any photos? How can an agent think they are doing the right thing for their seller without the most important way for a potential buyer to get interested in a home?
Properties only get 1 shot at engaging a customer. Why would we not help agents put their best foot forward and include a series of attractive and engaging images to help get the seller the BEST price they can for the property?
Today, there are still MANY MLSs that only require images to be submitted for as long as 7 days after the listing going live! Many allow at least 72 hours after a property goes live.
What rules do these lax requirements support? Properties are syndicated to literally thousands of IDX sites, third party portals, newspapers etc. in 15 minutes of less after being accepted into the MLS.
It is TIME for all MLSs to require at least one photo and ideally multiple photos to be included before listings are pushed live anywhere. If your MLS’s rules allow you to wait days before doing the right thing for your seller than you need to advocate to change these rules!
As a listing broker I agree. However, if a listing agent is so incompetent that they cannot take high quality photos and an accurate description of the property, that’s not my concern. I am happy to realist the property after it expires from the poor representation their last broker gave them.
Thats true, but listings with no photos make the entire MLS database look bad – and no photo listings don’t do much to raise the bar on professionalism. Consumers need to feel like the industry is serious about curating quality data which generates activity for their properties.
I couldn’t agree more! With older Corelogic products like MLXChange you could add photos after the initial drip email went out and another would go out letting the buyers on a drip know that new photos were added. Matrix doesn’t do that, so when agents set up their new listing, they should have all digital and visual assets ready, including Drone and 3D VR links so that all marketing is available the minute a prospective buyer gets the link to the property. We see so many that don’t do that and they could be missing out on a buyer who might be very busy and only has time to look at fully ready properties. Thanks Marilyn!
I agree, but are more requirements really the answer. If the MLS requires a photo, these agents are just going to upload a stock pic that reads ‘pictures coming soon’. What is needed is for brokers to more closely monitor what their agents are doing, how they are representing, and engage in better accountability.
For sure, but unfortunately that does not always happen.The MLS, as the curator of the most accurate database possible can at least make a rule that does not encourage incompetence.