What should Sellers expect from a real estate agent as far as their home’s online presence?
I recently saw a new home on the MLS listed on a nice street in Pasadena priced in the $1.3M range, and there was ONE photo (our MLS allows 50 photos to be uploaded). The picture looked like it was taken by the agent lying on his side in the backyard with his iPhone, looking up at an awkward angle at the back of the home. To make matters worse, there was only a one line description of the house. It made me wonder how the agent obtained the listing in the first place, and secondly, if the homeowner actually went and looked online at how his house was being represented.
Whether we are experiencing a seller or buyer’s market, there is never an excuse for being lazy in marketing a property. When a real estate agent is hired, they have a fiduciary duty to the seller to put forth their best effort in properly representing the home. A professional photographer should always be hired to take several photos of the home, giving the online consumer a better understanding of what they may be going to look at in person with their own agent.
I once had a fabulous view property listed overlooking the Annandale Golf Club with beautiful views. We made sure our professional photographer took great pictures of the view, and then had him come back at dusk to get more photos to show what it looks like when the sun sets as well. I then had an attractive website created for the home along with detailed descriptions and a professional floor plan included as well. This is something I do for every listing, no matter what the price range, and every seller should expect it.
The bottom line is that sellers pay a real estate agent to SELL their home, not just to enter it into the MLS and hope the buyers show up. In this day and age it is imperative to have high quality photos, a property specific website, and an MLS presence that highlights the home in the best way possible. The photos and description that are entered into the MLS will be the information that will shows up on the myriad of real estate consumer websites like Trulia, Redfin, Zillow etc, and sellers should know up front what kind of online presence they can expect.
If you are a seller, be sure to speak with your real estate agent to see how they plan to market your property—and hold them to the highest standard.
Feel free to contact me for any real estate needs.
Aason Alms [email protected] or 626-399-4696
Partner’s Trust is located at 594 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 696-4800 or visit www.thepartnerstrust.com.
