The Reality of Selling Ugly Homes

Margaret...

"He who laughs last laughs best!" I hate it when people try to sell their services by "guilting" you into it. I'm glad that you prevailed in the end.

Margaret - some people will never understand the fiduciary responsibilities of a Realtor.  They think that term means miracle worker.  Good for you on your responses!  And congrats on a bunch of speedy offers!  If the ROI is there ... it will sell as an investment!

Margaret, while we try to put the best pictures on line, eventually some one comes and looks at the home.  Presenting a true picture will not lead to disappointment fr the prospective buyer and a better chance for a sale.

Weather reports and real estate are local. What works in one area may not work in another. Since we just need one buyer for a property, if we can get them quickly (or as quickly as possible), that's all that's required.

Good response to some thought provoking comments.  An occupied rental home can be difficult to sell - if photos is the ONLY marketing you're providing!  Obviously you know how to market a good rental property.

Margaret good for you!  For someone in another line of work that may be related does not give them the authority to say the things about you not doing your FIDICUARY duty,  the person quoted must not realize the fidicuary duty to the seller is to sell the home.  And you did.  Any photo is better than no photo.  many serious buyers know how to overlook JUNKY rooms and bad paint jobs.

Every home has a buyer. Sometimes you would never imagine a certain person in a particular property. You must have great marketing skills. Have a great day

I get weird comments on YouTube too, it is the nature of that forum. I don't even bother to respond most of the time. Cathy wrote a nice post on Youtube today. On the feature board.

Have fun buying all those shoes!!!

Honesty and integrity are our responsibility.  Every agent deals with different circumstances that will dictate how they sell or advise a buyer.  It is when we "know" and do not "do" that is less than honorable.  We do the best that we can at all times given our situation etc.  We can and should ask a client to fix-up, clean up, shape up and look up but if they refuse, crappy pix are better than no pix for a plethora of reasons.

Often a buyer will buy for all the reasons they did not share with you as hard as you posed open ended questions. Photos are better than no photos, so many of our buyers simply skip listings with no photos. I am always stunned with listings that have been on 30 plus days and they have only 1 or 2 photos. Same goes for short sale listings, surely give the home a chance to sell by posting photos for buyers to see.

Hi Margaret.

Here in Florida we are not fiduciaries. We are transaction brokers. Our MLS requires a minimum of one photo to be uploaded for a listing while Coldwell Banker requires us to upload a minimum of six photos. Neither require that the pictures are terrific pictures.  I try to post photos that best represent the listing... without clutter and/or mess in order to get the home sold. That is my job... to get it sold.

Good thing I know how to sell ugly homes because I'm listing one today - a desperate seller facing foreclosure on a property occupied by a tenant who can barely move, due to an injured back, let alone tidy up the home for sale.

Gotta run into the office and process the contract for the listing which inspired this post.  I'll come back to acknowledge comments later today or tonight.

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder".... your buyers obviously saw it in the income potential!  And besides, who wants to do business with someone who is pressuring you by trying to give you the guilt trip. 

I think there's a real difference in the factors that buyers will focus on when they're seeking an investment property vs. a principal residence.  In the former scenario, we tend to place a lot of emphasis on the numbers.  In the latter, I think we naturally focus more on how the home looks, feels and has been maintained.

Congratulations on knowing your property and who your buyer would be.

Excellent post.  Our broker always reminds us not to take pictures with the toilet lid up!  Using good photos is still a pretty high priority in our area, but you should see some of the ugly ones!

Hi Margaret!  Great debate from the last post and it is likely to continue here!!  I have to say that I prepare my buyers, "Remember, we're not looking at the 'stuff,' we're looking at the BONES--the house, the structure, the cabinets, ceilings, floors, appliances, fixtures ONLY--NOT the 'stuff!'  I also let them know that if the property is not prepared well for a sale, then it possibly has not been well-maintained and we do expect to get a better price for a home that is in 'very-used' condition!

Conversely, I let my sellers know the above is how they will be approached as well--low ball offers for unkept houses.  Most decide it's worth taking a week or more to clean it up--money talks!

You must have deleted the comment or my eyes are getting really bad. However, I am struck by the inane comment about morally reprehensible. I reserve that feeling for Sunday morning news shows when I see the deaths of young men and women in combat that will never get a chance to list a property with or without photos. 

A portion of my listing business for many years has been REOs, which often are not "the cream of the crop".  But I have found multiple, accurate and representative photos really help get property sold. This is true even for "the Ugly ones".

Today's "open house" is the WEB. Most people "tour" the WEB like they used to cruise the neighborhoods on Sunday.  anyone hold an open house and not not let the lookers inside to see the property? 

Get a decent camera with a wide angle lens an learn to use it, or hire someone to take the best possible photos, and let them be seen -- even if the place is "less than perfect".

Matt Peters, Albuquerque-Rio Rancho, NM                      Matt@REALTOR.com     
(505) 269-4791 . . . .  Your Direct Line to RESULTS
www.IdealNM.com           www.Relocation2Albuquerque.com

All I can say is that I have had many a buyer refuse to even go see a home because of the lack of photos.  They can handle the truth, but they have to be able to see the truth first!  Great post and congrats on the sale!

Hi Margarate - good points.  It's called know what your market will bear - every situation is different.  Just about every 'dump' sells here in Phoenix these days and the photos were probably taken before it was a dump!  But they sell and isn't that the point.....get those puppies SOLD!

Now for the 'normal' homes we do stage etc.  Most folks do!

Yes, Joe, I did delete the comment from that post because of its length and advertising, not the opinions expressed.  Obviously there are other posters who disagreed with me, but this is the only one I deleted and only after contacting the commenter to suggest she copy and paste it into a post on her blog.  She declined and I deleted it after several days, but not before copying and pasting the whole thing into a draft post of my own.  Then, when the property sold yesterday, I incorporated excerpts of her comment into this post.  I chose not to identify the commenter because it seems unnecessary in this context - I don't believe in public bickering and clearly I think the entire comment was judgemental and ignorant.

You go, girl! Not every home has the chance to be on the A list and they still need to be sold. I think accurate photos, good or bad, are important!

This was encouraging for me, to say the least. Now, if I can only get my ugly dumpling to sell!

Margaret,

You rock!  I'm thinking that commenter you took to task is pretty full of herself, and maybe new to the business.  Congratulations on the sale.

Mike in Tucson

We had an asset company on a REO property that insisted on a virtual tour on a really ugly listing of ours. More pictures are not always better. Check this out.

http://www.portcityrealty.com/Listing/VirtualTour.ashx?listingid=2440340

Margaret, I am going to make a statement here some stagers might not appreciate but...here goes...

Don't the comments you posted sound eerily similar to something a stager (who might be looking for work) would say? Fiduciary responsibility? Morally reprehensible? Good Lord! This isn't a spelling bee, we're just selling real estate here! Does that also mean that every seller better buy that home warranty to protect themselves, otherwise we're putting them at risk? Seriously, it's up to the seller to make those decisions. And it sounds like you did it right - as usual!!

Hi Margaret, Ugly home may be a good and beautiful home for someone else. Although being able to sell an 'ugly home' will take the true skills of an agent. Anyone can sell a beautiful home, but only good agents can sell 'ugly homes'!!! Thank you for sharing!

 Margaret: Your last sentence reminded me of when I was a Realtor myself.

I specialized in listing UGLY homes (aka fixers)

The other agents in the office (older, "wiser", and more experienced) would snob-out on me. They would not tour my houses, and turned up their noses at showing them. They also talked behind my back saying I would never make it in the business because my clients were all "crack heads".

Okay. Funny thing was, I always had takers for those houses, even though I advertised them as ugly ducklings, fixers, needs your touch, etc.

At the end of the first year, I creamed those agents income wise. They were still sitting in the back of the office looking for pretty houses and I was "laughing all the way to the bank".

I agree with you completely.  I think that there area plenty of people out there looking for ugly houses, and if my clients want to keep their house ugly while selling, that's their business.  Sometimes I do have to remind them that they are not going to get the same price as they would if they did some work to the place, but in the end, that is their decision.  Either way, I always think that it's best to have multiple pictures.

Margaret - I had posted a comment I believe as well about how I had to take a few pictures down on one of our listings, because I had comments from people that saw them online making rude remarks about the home. I ended up taking some of them down and then decided to put them back up because the sellers have decided not to reduce their price as it is overpriced and wont budge on what they think they should get. I know this sounds bad but I believe I have to put up all the pics because they are unrealistic and they need my help to sell. I can only do what my ethics tell me to do and so I try to do the right thing as long as I can to help them as best I can.

I missed your post last week - will have to go and take a look. I think the commentator is missing an opportunity to network. Their comments are just too confrontational to even consider a relationship in my opinion.

oh and.....

Attempting to educate your clients about the importance of staging is truly a part of your fiduciary responsibility!

YEAH RIGHT - NOT!

I agree - better a picture showing something  - even if it is ugly - than no picture at all.

Pictures are worth a thousand words and in your case $10,000!  Good for you!

I can usually tell the condition of the inside of a house when the only photo posted is the outside!!!  I too am from Florida and our MLS requires at least 1 photo (and the first photo must be the front of the property). So is it too distressed on the inside - is the agent lazy - do they not have access - who knows?

Hi Margaret, when I stopped taking pictures of the listings and paid a pro to do it is the day I stopped worrying about what looks good.  My guy comes in with the Pro-Wide Angle camera and makes everything look good, certainly better then it would when I snap it!

You should see the crap shack, water damaged former marijuana grow-op I just sold, thank God it was development property.  Used two pics only, overhead aerial view & overhead topographic view.  But I thought my Disclosure in the listing was a work of Art :)

Development property, home is condemned and has a Do not habitat order from the District of Mission.  Potential 4-5 lot subdivision into 0.88 acres lots with large executive style homes. This property has a large condemned home which fronts on Bench Ave which suffers from fire & water damage as well as having been used for a grow-op. All measurements are very approximate and should definitely not be relied upon at all, this sale should be considered for land development value only.

Full disclosure, the truth shall set you free, and the best part is I doubled ended it for just under a million :)))

Hey Margaret,

Some homes just aren't that spectacular. I have a list of investors that I like to get in touch with when these homes come around. Usually an ugly house is a great house to flip, and investors are looking for those homes. 

-Lisa

"Give 'em Hell Harry Margaret!" You handled this subject very well.

We face a challenge of getting pictures of condos simply because bedrooms may be small and the photo just does not make any sense when you look at it. I'm finding floor plans attached to my listings are much more helpful, and may take it a step further to put numbers on the floor plan to correspond to the direction of the picture.

Now, about that lunch you were buying with that check?

I guess this just proves that we all have our own methods and opinions. As long as we are looking out for the best interests of our clients, then we are doing what we should be doing.

HI Margaret - this is a very good post and I will read your other one as well. Sometimes homes do not always photograph well, and staging is not an option.

I agree that showing a picture however lousy is better than no picture at all.

Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh real estate

It is true, even if the pictures are ugly, it helps. No pictures and the buyers move on.

You go girl!!  I'm appalled that they person even had the nerve to say:

Deciding that your clients can't afford to even discuss or implement staging is verging on morally reprehensible these days...  Please, stop underestimating the sellers and start helping them protect their equity. It's just the wrong way to handle your fiduciary responsibilities in today's RE industry."

Obviously, this person doesn't have a clue as to what our fiduciary responsibilities are.  We all WISH all of our listings could be staged.  We are dealing with the real world here.  I have seen far too many sellers that are struggling to even keep their lights on, let alone spend money on a professional stager.  Please! 

ANY home will sell, if it is priced right,  period!   I do insist my sellers clean it up!  A clean home shows much better than a dirty home, for sure.  It also gives the buyer the feeling of a home that has been taken care of. 

I just had a GREAT idea!  Since this stager is so confident that they can get more for the home once their services are provided, let them stage the home and get paid at closing, IF the home sells for more than the listing agent feels it will bring before being staged.  Now that sounds fair, doesn't it!

Pictures are very important!   I've had some buyer clients look over homes due to the listing agent not putting any photos up!  Your correct a bad photo is better than no photo! 

Margaret, we have to be delicate when putting lipstick on a pig. Oftentimes the best and only shot should be the front exterior and let them come out and see the rest. Great post.

Well said. And there is a buyer for every property, we should not try to assume any house will not sell because we think it is ugly. If we all like the same it would be pretty boring!

Whew! Look at all the comments your post ellicited.  I always prefer to have photos rather than no photos, no matter what the condition.  Too many buyers will reject a property because there are no photos--they are sure there is something very wrong with the home.  I think it might help to coach the seller with something like: "Mr. Seller, let's schedule a photo shoot for _____. Can I count on you to (or ask your tenant to) have the beds made, lights that work in every room, no dishes in the sink, etc?"  Your post is prompting me to have a handout for sellers so that they know what I would like when the photos are being taken.  In the end, nothing sells a home better than the right price, but a seller doesn't have to stand in his/her own way to make it harder to get that best price.

This entire "ugly photo" discussion is so interesting. Don't you think that ugly photos can be improved? For instance...putting the toilet seat down is not difficult, but makes for a much nicer picture. There have been many times I've said to a seller, "move all the clutter behind me before I snap the picture." It's quite obvious that Margaret knew her market and what she needed to do. But, for me at least, I know I must go to the extra effort of trying to improve my photos. Competition is fierce!

I'm just stunned at those comments you received on that last post of yours.  I cannot imagine a day in my life when I would treat another professional that way (even on the internet.)    I'm still scratching my head on the "morally reprehensible" thing.  I think that all professionals should strive to present a listing in its best possible light -- but in the case of an unwilling tenant or owner, a few well-placed photos are better than nothing (especially if you can shoot around the clutter.)  But there are just some houses that are clearly ugly and in need of some love. There is no Doris Day filter in the world that can make avocado green counters or torn carpeting from the 60s look classy.  ; )   

I'm not a "stager." I often work with real estate professionals as sort of a middle-man with their clients.  Often sellers disagree with their agent about what needs to be done in a house.  I meet with the owners and listen to their concerns and we strike a happy medium to get the home in a more buyer-pleasing condition.  It's almost like good cop/bad cop.  I don't do "staging" work, I do "people" work.  The sellers sometimes just need to hear it from a third-party, in order to make the changes so you can get those photos, and good showings.  I just don't believe that there is one magical solution for every listing that needs to be sold. The Realtors I work with know best what that magical thing might be! 

You obviously know the market area, and what buyers were looking for there, and you sold the property for your client. Doesn't sound too controversial to me! Sounds like a win-win!! 

Great job.  The seller is lucky to have you on their side.  Nice comeback.

even ugly homes need love too, no photos is bad in any circumstance

Pictures are very important, but you're so right, sometimes you just cannot make it look good.  Sometimes when my sellers see the pictures it motivates them to make the changes I had recommended.

Good Post!

Hi Everybody,

In the spirit of full disclosure, let me first say that I'm a home stager. 

While I don't share my fellow stager's opinion that realtors have a "fiduciary responsibility" to suggest staging to their clients, or that it is "morally reprehensible" not to do so, I can't help but wonder why you wouldn't, if it means getting better photos and presenting the home in a more positive light from the beginning.  Certainly, there are buyers who can see the potential in an ugly house (and are prepared to immediatly gut it and remodel), but most want a home in move-in condition so they can customize it at their leisure. 

Is it a matter of not wanting to offend the homeowner?  If that's the case, then we stagers are more than happy to be the "bad cop," because we can provide an objective opinion that won't impact the realtor's relationship with the seller. 

Is it the perceived cost?  Most sellers have to make some updates and repairs to their homes anyway, so wouldn't it make sense to have a professional stager come in and point out fixes that would have the most positive impact on buyers?  And, if the seller could get closer to his or her asking price (before resorting to a price reduction of $5K or more) by having the home staged, wouldn't that make more sense than having to make concessions to the buyer to close the deal?  Moreover, if the seller fetches a higher sale price for the home, that means more commission for the realtor.

Or is it a matter of urgency?  With so many sellers finding themselves in a financial bind and needing to sell quickly, wouldn't it make sense to bring a stager in at the beginning--if only to do an evaluation so the homeowner knows what should be changed--and help speed the sale and save the homeowner money in the long run? 

I'm not trying to be adversarial here; I'm just trying to understand both sides of the situation.

Hi Margaret-I believe that we should show the property in its true form..It kills me...people assume we should take full responsibility and clean sellers houses, arrange their furniture...and some how magically remove the ugly in a house...someone's ugly is someone else's beauty.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. 

I don't give a fig about photos in listings. 

I know my market.  I preview.  I am not surprised.

Margaret - Keep doing what works for you. Some realtors feel one way about it, while others believe in something different. Not everyone advertises the same way.

MArgaret - congratulations. Glad to hear the deal is going through on your "ugly " house. The commenter does raise some good questions about agents adn sellers. I suspect some agents do everything possible to get the seller to clean up, make repairs, and so on, to no avail. Whose fault is that? We cannot force someone to do these things - we can only advise them of what the implications are, and decide to not take the listing if we choose.

On the other hand there are some agents who clearly are NOT doing their job in terms of marketing.

There IS a buyer for every house, at the right price.

Jeff

Margaret- I love this post! Laughing all the way to the bank is right! There is a wonderful marketing consultant I met in Arizona who focuses on luxury agents and their listings. He creates wonderful brochures for these listings. But he loves most the ones that did not sell because the previous agents hides the flaws and then the buyers don't like the house when they see it.

So this one house, it had NO yard. It was like on this wierd lot. Well, most agents just did not mention the no yard thing going on. This marketer took that negative and turned it into a selling point and the listing sold for more than it was listed for.

He marketed it with; Hate mowing your lawn? Hate taking care of your yard? This is the home for you. NO YARD! I Promise, there is NO yard to take care of... I think it was better than I just paraphrased but the point is, the negatives can be pointed out to benefit the property.

Isn't it funny how there are so many "Real Estate experts" that don't even have a license!

Jill-Obviously this isn't my post, but I did have a comment.  Honestly, there are MANY sellers that do not have a penny to spend on their homes.  Nada, nothing, zilch.  It would be fantastic if they could afford to have their home staged.  I think most of us would LOVE it if all of our listings could be professionally staged. 

In many, many markets, there are SO many homes on the market.  We can not guarantee a home will sell, period.  If a stager is so confident that their services WILL sell my listing for more than the original listing price, I'd love for them to stage it, and allow my sellers to pay AT CLOSING. 

A good agent is not afraid to "offend" their seller.  They need to hear the truth, now rather than later.  Many sellers are NOT in the position to make updates, let alone repairs.  Many times we spend our own money doing this for them so the property can get to closing.  As for spending money on a consultation, why do that?  Again, a good agent can surely tell their seller what needs to be done to make the home sell quickly.  I don't claim to be a stager, not even close.  What I can do and SHOULD be qualified to do is tell my clients what needs to be done before the home goes on the market. 

I'm honestly not trying to pick on you, but this is reality. 

Long day... I'm finally back  Sorry for the delay in acknowledging all your comments, but it was a day full of appointments.  Let me start at Bill Gassett and work up.  'Hope that's okay.

Bill - Yes, isn't it?

Katerina - That's often my approach.  If you know the property has a turn-off, market it to the people who will LOVE that feature.  Thanks for making that point.

Jeff - Price is definately a factor in the sale of any house.  I find that owners of ugly homes are more likely to follow my advice than owners of beautiful homes.

John - In each and every case, we have to create a buyer profile and find positives about the property that we can market to those buyers - just as Katerina described in her comment, and just as I have done with this college town rental property.  We might do something entirely different with another property, because no 2 are alike.

Lenn - I love a selling agent who doesn't take the lazy way out.

Midori - Don't yah love it?  Somehow, the property condition is the agent's fault!

Jill - All agents would prefer to have a perfectly staged beautiful home to list and photograph.  In the real world, we have to accept business from owners of homes that are less than perfect.  For example, in the ugly house with ugly photos that inspired these two posts, it's a rental property in a college town that has been rented to 5 or 6 undergrads every year since it was built (1990).  The buyer is going to be another landlord, who ONLY cares about cash flow, cap rate, and vacancy factor.  Staging isn't possible or necessary to sell this home - obviously, since we had two contracts so quickly and it sold at almost full price in this awful market.

The listing I'm working on now is in foreclosure, out of state owner, military tenant protected by the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act AND suffering from a very painful bad back.  Who would you have spruce up the home?  It's up to me to find a buyer for this ugly house in its present condition, without staging  That's my job. 

Meanwhile, I have other listings which are beautiful... staged... have a glossy four-page brochure full of fabulous photos... priced right...

If stagers want the business that's possible to earn from agents and their sellers (like the last home I described), you can't expect to earn it by insulting us for selling homes that can't be staged (for any reason).  Try complimenting agents who get homes sold without staging - it's hard!  An agent is more likely to do business with a stager they like than one who always makes them feel defensive.

I hope this helps answer your questions.  Please feel free to call me and talk about this more, Jill.

Marian - I've had that happen, too.  Sometimes, it doesn't inspire them to clean up and stage the property, but it does inspire them to lower the price.

Michael - All of us aren't gorgeous cover models or handsome jocks, but people still do business with us after seeing our ugly photos.  The same is true with houses.  LOL.

Angelia - Thanks for the compliment.  I think we all have our share of ugly houses in our listing inventory!

Elizabeth - Obviously we crossed in cyber-space.  Thanks for that added dose of reality.  I agree with you that stagers should try our business model:  Pay up front for everything you do for a seller, and get paid only at settlement.  If their services are going to make the difference, they shouldn't have a problem with this, should they?

Diana, Thank you!  Yes, I was stunned by those comments, too.  "How to win friends and influence people" has obviously not been on her reading list. 

Katie - I can assure you that the sellers of both properties I described above in my reply to Jill would dearly love to get into those homes and de-clutter them.  But a landlord cannot enter into a tenant occupied property to do their house-cleaning.  Another situation that is sometimes like this is a divorce... often the spouse remaining in the house doesn't want to leave, and they make it a messy as possible, make showings difficult to schedule.  We just have to work with whatever the situation may be to get the home sold.

Sandy - I do that, too.  When it's an owner-occupied home, I just charge in there and start removing things from the counter-top, opening the blinds, removing or stacking magazines on the table...  Heck, I even bring flowers for the front steps and sometimes cushions for the couch.  When it's a tenant occupied home or an ugly divorce situation, however...

Marie-Denise - Great script.  If only tenants cared enough to do their part...

Corrine - Another excellent point!

Gary - I've done that sometimes, too.  Really, each property is unique!

Ashleigh - Obviously a good photo is ideal.  But really, the buyer may care more about the price or the size or something that has nothing to do with the house (such as living near their baby-sitter), and ugly photos won't impact the sale as badly as no photos.

Elizabeth - I agree!  Pay stagers at closing IF the property sells, just like agents get paid.

Patricia and Mark - Much as we all prefer fabulous homes and photos, sometimes that's not what we have to sell!

Sharon - Unfortunately, that's true.

Dan and Rachel - You're right.  There are "stories" behind every home sale, and sometimes they impact what's possible to do with our marketing.  If I have an ugly house, I'm okay with dark photos that don't show every detail.  When I'm marketing a fabulous home, I want professional photos that do showcase every detail.  It depends on the property and the "story" behind the sale.

Thom and Ray - You're "on" for lunch!  I'm thinking Crab Cakes at Carroll Creek Cafe on Spa Creek, with a view of historic Annapolis and the sound of wind chimes mounted on the masts of sailboats at the nearby docks.  P.S.  Floorplan sounds like a great idea!  On my "ugly" house, I used a map showing how close it was to the University of Maryland.  Same idea - photos are not our only option.

Lisa - That's a great idea.  The seller of this rental property has often been the first one I've called when I took a listing for a "flipper" because he knows how to buy/sell investment properties.

Scott - I love it!  A fixer-upper for almost a million bucks!  I rarely use a professional photographer, but certainly for high-end beautiful homes.

Laura - One photo or no photos does leave a lot of unanswered questions, and often results in fewer showings than even a home with "ugly" photos.

Bridget - LOL.  Yep, I'm pretty pleased with the fact we had two good offers so quickly, and another waiting in the wings.

Preston - I'm a new convert to this philosophy - a month ago, I would have disagreed - but I've seen the results and now I'm a believer.

Jo - I'm still laughing about your comment.  Finding a way to sell their property is my job, not creating business opportunities for stagers.  That's THEIR job.  I can think of ways they might do that - but that topic will have to wait for another time.

Robert - That's all we can do.  Trust our professional experience and do whatever we think will help the seller achieve his/her goal.  I agree!

Joseph - You're right... there are reasons why some people look for ugly houses (a good deal perhaps?) and sometimes they'll settle for one if everything else is right about it.

Eileen - Selling any home is hard work these days, selling an "ugly" home will be hard only if it's not priced accordingly.  My nicest listing is the one that's been on the market for six months, so staging and a glossy brochure with beautiful photos has not helped. 

Christianne - The seller is in control and sometimes they won't (or can't) accept our advice.  We still have to do our best to sell their property.

Julie - I'll go look at your video, when I catch up with all these comments. 

Mike - I, too, thought it sounded like someone who is new to the real estate business because it was just so ignorant.  Maybe before commenting, she should take a quick look at the profile page of the author - she might realize she's unarmed in a "battle" of knowledge and expertise.  Meow...

Okay gang - I'll come back in the morning to acknowledge the remaining comments.  Gotta do some admin stuff before bedtime!

Price is king and with good pricing and great photos it is a wonderful combination.

Laughing all of the way to the bank is certainly one of the better ways to laugh...

Having photos is better than "Photo Not Available" online !!!

Having photos is better than "Photo Not Available" online !!!

Having photos is better than "Photo Not Available" online !!!

Hi Margaret, I love this post. I am a huge fan of having good photo's and lots of them especially in the kind of fast paced market we are in now especially online. It saves everyone time and energy. In my experience most homebuyers are willing to see past the Stuff In The Room!

That said though it seems all the rules of marketing a home have gone on the wayside in the current Washington DC/Virginia Real Estate Market. So many sellers in today's real estate market are stressed , selling by short sale and strapped for grocery money.  The reality is, staging is not an affordable option. You know your market and what is exceptable and what's not.

Margaret.When is the last time you saw a really nice "home brochure" in a house ? I haven't seen one in a very long time.

Margaret,

You go girl.  You have to have pictures but sometimes you need to squint so the ugly doesn't hit you too hard.

Brenda - Very well stated!

Peggy - I still do those for homes that show well and don't discount the commission.  But you're right... I wouldn't make one for this listing unless it was all about the cash-flow, cap rate and vacancy factor.

Michael - I've been a believer of both philosophies, at various times in my career.  Right now, however, there are many more "ugly" homes out there - and buyers know it.  In fact, they may be thinking the ugliest will be the easiest to buy!

Lane - Right on!  I always have to chuckle when a "sold" sign goes up on one of those houses, and a "beautiful" one with a slick brochure and 30 professional photograpahs are posted of the perfectly-staged home is right across the street.  LOL.

Terry - You're absolutely right.  But how often do you list one of those?  Most homes in Crofton are lovely, but I do business in other areas, too.  Ugly and/or overpriced is not all that rare, but I get them sold.  ...probably not 10 exceptions in my 40 years in the business, and those have been taken off the market by sellers, not expired listings.

I haven't forgotten the early commenters I haven't acknowledged yet... I'll be back, but business calls.

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for your response; your comments were very insightful.  Every house is not a good candidate for staging, and staging may not factor in at all if the house is not priced competitively, is in a bad location, etc.  I suspect that the stager you mentioned in your post does now too!  I wish you -- and your fellow realtors -- continued success in selling those ugly houses.

Margaret,  I haven't read all the comments, but am sure I'm repeating what others have said.  There are buyers for every home... and to expect every home on the market to show like a new model home is simply unrealistic.  Great photo's are wonderful, but not always possible.  Wonderful retort to your commenter.

Jill - Thanks for your comment. As I mentioned in the re-blog I did today for Glenda Hodges, the best way to promote the benefits of staging is before and after photos, not lecturing agents on their own professional responsibilities.  I don't think there's anyone in real estate who wouldn't prefer to list a beautiful house, but sometimes we have to sell ugly ones, too.

Now, back to the top...

Sylvia - Certainly not me!  LOL.  Thanks for commenting.

Tanya - That's what we do, right?  Create a buyer profile for each property and then target our marketing.  Anyone looking for their dream home would probably not look in a neighborhood of college rental properties.

Bob - I try not to include photos of toilets at all! Even a bathroom sometimes can be a selling point, but that's usually not it.

Debe - I agree completely, and most of my sellers do as well.  But sometimes we have properties to sell that the owner does not control...

You do have to be realistic.  If it is an ugly home, if you only show the best pictures, people will get there and be disapointed.  If you show them the ugly up front, at least they know what to expect, and if they get past that and go look at the house, they might be pleasantly surprised. 

Having survived a day from hell - trying to prepare for a dinner party and do real estate at the same time - I'm back.  Please accept my apology for delays in acknowledging some of the early comments.  For some reason, I find it easier to keep track by starting at the bottom and working up the list - but that's not always fair to the early commenters.

Brian - So true!

Matt - That would be tough, but you're right - a wide angle lens helps show the size of the room (it's on my wish list) and you can only photograph what's there.

Jeanni - That's been my experience recently, as well.  One photo... no photos... buyers just move on!

Anna - Yes, you're right about that.  Most sellers want their homes to show their very best.  If they don't hire a stager, at least they watch the video and follow the agent's suggestions. 

If I've missed anyone, I apologize.  Please let me know.  I think this is everyone.  Thank you so much for your comments and your patience.