If you’re living in Minnesota, Montana or Alaska, you expect to see real estate photos with snow on the ground. When Nashville is home, it’s not something you expect to see in a real estate photo.
Sometimes agents use a snowy seasonal picture as a piece of art. Recently, we’ve seen an influx of MLS photos with snowy photos that have no artistic or charming aspect. If you have a photo of your home as the center of your home marketing, stop reading this now. Pick up the phone. Call your agent. Tell them to get over to your house immediately and get a new exterior photo.
You should always show your house in the best light, in spite of the season. I cancelled or delayed numerous photo shoots because my sellers deserve better. It’s almost like seeing Christmas trees, stocking-filled fireplaces and garland in living room photos in March. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.
Additionally, when the trees green out and the grass comes back in late March and early April, it’s time to freshen up those exterior photos, too. For now, get rid of the snow…seriously.
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Snow in most pictures (especially the south like Texas) is just a lazy agent at work.
Great Blog! So True……
Well Said Brian, Well said. I always try to see if the home owner has a great spring time picture of their home to get us through the winter months. If not well then we just make the best of it and keep updating the photos.
To take a slightly different approach, buyers (especially unrepresented) tend to be very conscious of the Days on Market stigma. DOM is not something that the general public can see, so a picture can give them an idea.
If it recently snowed and there is a house with snow on it, then it looks like a house that just went on the market. Contrast that with a picture surrounded by beautiful flowers and a lush lawn, and that house may have been on the market since May.
IMO, a lazy Realtor isn’t one that takes a picture with snow on the ground. It is one who uses an iPhone, uploads only 5 pictures, and there are animals or people in the shots.
And really, is a GOOD picture of a house with snow on the ground any worse than a dead lawn, leaf-less tree, and wilted bushes?
Good point, Mr. Dean. The point here is that snow is so rare here in Middle Tennessee that (1) we are painting and inaccurate picture and (2) it does indeed “date” our photos.
We’ll hit dead lawns, leaves and bushes in a future topic