Everyone loves to read, talk, and discuss real estate. We have a couple of new listings coming up and were reviewing the photographer’s photos. Typically, we assess them and sort the best ones from the others. Generally, we don’t need to use three angles of the living room. We then upload the photos in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
Years ago, I would insert the photos in a particular order:
Typically an exterior shot of the home, then the rooms with the best features, keeping in mind that often kitchens and master suites sell homes. But several years ago, a new assistant convinced me that it makes more sense to show the pictures in the order in which you walk through the home. Seemed logical and we started posting the professional real estate photos in this manner.
In this time of information overload, I find myself not wanting to read the entire article, watch the whole video, etc. I often lose interest quickly – and likely I am not the only one to do so. I decided to pose a real estate question on Facebook.
“Real Estate Question: When adding listings to the multiple listing service do you think the photos should be in the order as you walk through the home or should they be the best exterior and then the best photos? I am leaning towards the best photos, because we are often adding 20+ and maybe buyers might lose interest – thoughts?”
If you scroll down my Facebook page, you will find the responses, but what is interesting is that while many Realtors believe the correct way is the order in which you walk through the home, most real estate consumers want to see an exterior and then the best photos. One comment from a client we recently sold a home to seems to sum up the consumer’s point of view:
“Just my preference, but I like to see 1-2 exterior shots of the front of the house first followed by 10 or so great interior shots, then 1-2 of the backyard. I don’t understand why there are occasionally redundant shots in some listings and too many exterior shots sometimes makes me wonder whether the listing is trying to compensate for a less than ideal interior.”
So, thanks to the power of Facebook and my friends who weighed in, we will be reverting back to our former method: one exterior then some great interiors followed by a few more exterior/back yard features.
