They Say A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words

Then what were these real estate agents thinking?  Honestly some of these pictures are a little much.  I’ve been dying to post this for a long time, but there’s a little catch which makes it tricky.  You see, due to MLS rules I can’t repost the agent taken pictures directly on this blog.  But bear with me…if you click on the link I provide in the commentary, it will be worth your while.  Think of it like the “What Not To Wear” of real estate photo taking.

Victim #1-  228822 El Mio in Mission Viejo – I know it was described as, “Having potential written all over it” but the pictures don’t help anyone see any potential.

-Why agents shouldn’t Photoshop their pictures.  Making the house black and white with a freakishly colored sky makes it look like the end of the world.  See it here.
-While this is a pretty picture of the beautiful California sky, how much does it say for the neighborhood when you’re highlighting the huge security wall surrounding the 1,900 sq ft house?  Here
-This picture is like describing the house as “well loved”.  The carpeting resembles Linus’s security blanket.  For the love, why didn’t you vacuum first?  I know this is a fixer upper, but 5 minutes with the Hoover and this would be so much better.  And why move that chair into the hallway, it would have hidden some of the filth on the carpeting.  Here
-Need extra storage?  How about the large storage crate located in the backyard.  You could even ship your stuff overseas!  Here
-And lastly, while you might want to attact buyers with the furniture, leaving the couch smack dab in the middle of the side patio probably isn’t the best place.  Scoot it to the side or put it in one of the vacant rooms you posted pictures of to help make the house look a little less tattered.  Here

Victim #2- 25486 Chrisanta DR  in Mission Viejo.  Once again, I recognize the fact this is a fixer upper (estate sale to be exact) but the agent or family members could have done a few things to make it even a hint more desireable.

-My older son has this bad habit – if he makes a mess he tries to cover it up instead of cleaning it up.  Apparently the same works in real estate.  Instead of cleaning the boxes and books of the dining room table, just throw a table cloth over it and I’m sure no one will notice the clutter or the table cloth sticking 2 feet into the air.  I hear all the staging experts are doing it these days!  Here
-While the agent couldn’t do anything about the out of date decor and furniture, here’s a quick throwback to the Brady’s house that might stir up a few memories.
-Is that Mary Kay Blusher Color No. 48?!  Oh my goodness I have the same color and brush?!  No, but seriously, you can see the bottle of Shout cleaner out on the counter, so there was at least some attempt made to start cleaning this house.  Just put away the make up, facial cleanser and drinking glass that you were sipping from before taking pictures - even just set it aside momentarily to snap the picture and then put it back.  Here
-It becomes obvious some of these pictures were taken at night – which goes a long way in giving the illusion of a bright sunny yard.  Be sure to take your pictures in daylight and please remove all pink plastic flamingos from the trees before taking pictures. Or did the Woody the Woodpecker get into the Peptop Bismol?  (Since when did flamingos fly anyway?) Here

Victim #3- 24851 Spadra LN , Mission Viejo – I’m well aware this is a new listing and the realtor didn’t exactly give bad pictures, but for claiming how beautiful the house is on the inside, it only gave us 5 pictures of the view from the house and 1 of the front exterior.  In today’s technology driven market people want to see what the house has to offer before checking out.  This home might be losing buyers because they won’t give it the time of day without more to lure them in. 

And that, my friends, is how to NOT sell your home through digital photography.