Listings with no photos (tenants, foreclosure, agent, sales)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've recently begun looking for a fixer-type home to buy in a nearby area. One of the odd things I have noticed recently is that some the listings (off zillow, realtor.com or trulia) have no photos or just one exterior shot. These are not houses that have been listed in the last couple of days and they haven't had time to get the photos up yet, either. Occasionally, if you follow the listing link back to the realtor's site there will be more photographs, but usually not. The listings have been through some large brokers, too - Coldwell Banker, John L Scott (NW specialist). The listings don't say things like "please don't disturb tenants" either, so I am doubting that the realtor couldn't get access to take photos.
What is the point of this? As a potential buyer, it does not make me want to deal with the property - can't think of too many reasons NOT to put up pictures.
A lot of time, the "do not disturb tenants" is a confidential agent remark, you cannot see it from the public sites.
I have an issue with listings with no pictures. I think it's terribly unprofessional. I see it often with short sales from out of town agents (that's another big issue with me), and also with very low priced bank owned homes.
Many MLS's require one exterior shot so that is why you see the one. Sometimes it is because the people living there are hoarders and there is no way to take interior photos. Sometimes the house is just nasty inside. Most of the time, I think it is because the agent is lazy.
Many MLS's require one exterior shot so that is why you see the one. Sometimes it is because the people living there are hoarders and there is no way to take interior photos. Sometimes the house is just nasty inside. Most of the time, I think it is because the agent is lazy.
The number of out-of-focus photos is also surprising. Really, if the intent was to hide something, it doesn't really work. If you can't figure out how to operate a point-and-shoot camera in non-challenging lighting conditions, well, then, someone else should be doing it....
It's been a long time since I bought a house (rather than built one) and it's been amusing trying to remember what the various phrases mean. "Buyer to do due diligence" - hmmm, you mean that "den" is really an illegally converted garage or that interesting-looking third bedroom is a non-permitted addition? Or you mean it was a drug house of some kind?
The one time we did look at a house that didn't have pictures posted, it was worse than we ever could have imagined. So, after that point, we only looked at listings with pictures unless they were under construction. I also don't see the point of ever posting a house without pictures. Even if the house isn't the greatest, it is at least the truth and someone may look at it as having potential. I hate when people waste my time so I want to get an idea of what I may be looking at before I make that effort.
Many MLS's require one exterior shot so that is why you see the one. Sometimes it is because the people living there are hoarders and there is no way to take interior photos. Sometimes the house is just nasty inside. Most of the time, I think it is because the agent is lazy.
First time I was looking at houses my agent took me to a house she thought I would like but I had never seen the listing. Now this was by no means a dump listing or tear down. It was average priced house for a working/middle class neighborhood. We walked inside and I almost gagged. It was like squatters were living there. Old food lying around, dirty dishes stacked up on the counters. Dirty clothes and garbage covered most of the floor space. This was a four bedroom house that apparently had a family living in it. As far as I know they were the owners. Who the h*ll lists a house and then leaves in looking like a pigsty. If owners would leave a place like that I can imagine what renters or some foreclosures look like.
I've seen some pictures where they were obviously taken with the agent's cell. Small, out-of-focus, dark...or you could see that there was a window because of the huge brilliant rectangle at the end of the shot but no other details. Even an inexpensive house should have proper photos taken with a real camera.
I've also seen photos taken of disastrous interiors just like Velvet Jones describes. Cereal boxes and bowls on the counter, clothes piled high in the bedrooms, unmade beds, junk on the floor. It's like they didn't know the realtor was coming to take pictures or just didn't care. Or, possibly, they don't want to move but are being forced to sell the house because of some personal problem. I'd be wary of even looking at such a house...who knows what damage the mess is hiding or what damage could be done by people who don't really want to give up their place?
I agree its eally annoying when houses don't have interior pics listed.
But I got lucky. When we were looking for houses, we bookmarked 3 houses with no indoor pics. The first two were messy and it was obvious why there were no pics. When we got to the 3rd, I was expecting the worst. When we opened the door, we were pleasantly surprised to find there was nothing wrong with the house. It was pretty clean, clear of furniture and all walls painted off white. It was the one we bought.
We were thrilled to find that after 4 months on the market, it had no offers and the price was reduced the day after we saw it. It was such a great steal.
Ours was a foreclosure but houses on our street (its a townhouse development where the floorplans are near identical) are on the market for $50-60k more than what we purchased.
I could be something as simple as tenants in the house do not want photos of their belongings broadcast on the internet for the world to see.
However, there is no excuse to not have an exterior photo.
I think it hurts sales to not have a photo. Buyers won't waste their time to go and look when there is no photo.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
