Real estate photos - talk me down or validate me

[scm1011]

We had our real estate photos taken yesterday and I'm pretty unhappy with the results. She seemed to take photos from odd / unflattering angles and some things (i.e. woodwork scuffs/scratches) look WAY worse in the photos than in person. 

One thing that is really making me unhappy is how she photographed our 3rd floor, where our bedrooms are. We have 3 bedrooms that are off a long shared hallway, but there are also railroad doors between the bedrooms. She for some reason opened the doors between all the bedrooms so a) they don't look like legit bedrooms and/or it looks like you need to enter one to get to the next. This is not how I want to present my house. 

My realtor (my friend who is brand new to real estate, I've posted about this before) arranged for this photographer and was present during the shoot (I was not). I mentioned I was unhappy about how the 3rd floor was presented and she was all "oh I suggested that she close the doors too". Uhh. So I asked her to go back to the photographer to see if there are shots with the doors closed otherwise I want them redone. Am I being unreasonable? Is this not a big deal? In general I feel like my house looks better in person than in the photos overall and I feel like that is never the case (and I feel like I have a very realistic view of my house's many flaws, I am not sentimental about it at all).


The link they sent has my name and address attached, so I don't want to post publicly. Does anyone want to take a look and give me thoughts (preferably long time posters I "know")? I'm considering hiring someone new ASAP if possible (we're supposed to list next Weds!). 

[georgeharrison]

When we sold our condo a few years ago, I hired our own photographer. My agent originally took photos and I had some people on here look at them and agreed that they sucked. For us, it was totally worth the expense to hire our own person.

Point being, if the photographs don't represent your house in the most favorable light, it is not unreasonable to ask for them to be redone.

[thejackpot]

Ugh, sorry you are having to deal with the photo issues. I think you should trust your gut. We just listed my th a two months ago, soI have been looking at listings galore. If you want I can take a look and give you my opinion.

[Susie]

This doesn't sound at all minor to me.  I'd be happy to take a look if you'd like to PM me, but based on your description I'm pretty sure I already know I'd say you should insist on having them redone.  If your agent friend thought the doors should maybe be closed in the photos, then maybe it's a learning point for her to be more assertive.  The photographer probably thought open because you always open windows, turn on lights, etc., but it's the REA's job to override that when it's to the detriment of how the house is being presented overall.  This is a major asset for you to be selling, and she's new to the business.  You were kind to give her the business but it needs to not negatively impact your home's presentation and ultimate value.  And honestly it's probably a long run favor to her to help her gain this experience.

There were things I didn't adore in a couple of our listing photos, but they were like... coloration.  And there was one of the exterior that was not perfectly straight and I wanted to level it (I didn't).  THOSE are the sort of things I'd let slide.

[devonpow]

I don’t “know” you but I’m pretty sure I know your town, I used to live there, and I obsessively look at local real estate on the daily, so happy to look if you would like (and totally cool if you don’t want to share!)

[scm1011]

sent to the 3 who offered - thanks!

[ssmjlm]

Ugh that's the worst. I would definitely push for them to be re-taken or hire your own.

[Pilsy]

Happy to take a look if you need another set of eyes.

But like others said, it's not unreasonable to ask for retakes, especially if multiple people weigh in and find the photos unacceptable.

[k3am]

Honestly, if you think your house doesn't show well in pictures, it doesn't show well. At the end of the day, if you're not happy with the photos, I'd ask for them to be redone. Especially during covid, you really want to lead with good photos.

When we sold our house, I was amazed at how great our home photographed. Even areas that I knew looked not as great IRL looked better in the photos.

[jlt19]

Do you think they're bad enough to deter people from booking a showing or coming to an open house?

I only say that because my house pictures were GREAT. But I also felt that my house didn't live up to them, lol.

I also went to see a house that had great pictures and didn't live up to them and I was put off. BUT I had gotten phone pictures of a house that wasn't even cleaned/staged from my agent (I asked for them) and still wanted to see the house. It was 10x better in person and we close tomorrow am.

All that to say, if they're good, but not amazing, I would probably keep them and let the house speak for itself. But if you think they'll deter people from coming in the door, then I'd ask for retakes.

[scm1011]

jlt19, my agent made the same point. I mentioned to her that I'm used to houses looking WAY better in the photos than in person and she pointed out that's not necessarily a good thing. I can see the logic there - I didn't buy any of the houses where that was the case. I think the issue with the 3rd floor could detract lookers, but the photographer has agreed to come tomorrow to reshoot those rooms. Otherwise I think it will be ok. Feedback from others has not been as critical as mine, and I think that one issue is really overshadowing everything for me.

Pilsy, I sent you a PM!

[sakura]

I’d probably want them redone too.
Do you have a blueprint layout or 3D walkthrough included in the listing? Those always help me get a better sense of the layout if the individual pictures aren’t showing the flow of the house.

[RockNVoll]

I'm sure you're being completely reasonable, but I definitely want to take a look!

[ellipses84]

You can send them to me. Looking at Zillow is my hobby and I’m very into design and photography.

When I met with a realtor to discuss putting my house on the market she convinced me to do it right away due to timing. I was so unhappy with the photos because the house wasn’t staged enough IMO and she didn’t move everything like the garbage can out of the way. We got an offer the first weekend that fell through and we ended up doing some minor upgrades after inspection so we updated the photos later (realtor not pro photographer).

On AirBNB I always see the artistic shots, like a detail shot of the kitchen faucet with running water that makes me laugh, but it’s really annoying when you see stuff like that and don’t even have enough broad photos to understand the house layout.

[winecat]

How hot is your market? If it's not smoking hot, I'd want the photos redone. It sounds like the photos make it look like it's in worse condition than it is and has a wonky layout that might deter people. Is the photographer new too? I'm happy to take a look too, if you want.

[rubytue]

I’m glad the photographer is coming back!

When we sold, we had the photographer edit the photos. Or really, unedit. They had done something that made all our walls look brown, when we had spent so much time painting gray (bc that’s what’s in, not brown). I felt high maintenance complaining about it, but it was just the wrong color. My agent convinced me it was ok to try to get them right. Which made me feel better.

[TR]

I don’t know that my opinion is worth much, but I’m super curious about the third floor layout and these railroad doors now. Could you screen shot one of those?

[scm1011]

TR , rubytue , ellipses84 , winecat , posting the link for about an hour and then i'll delete: poof

[TR]

It’s beautiful! I see what you mean about the bedrooms. So they DO connect, but also have their own entrances off the hallway and that’s not totally obvious in the photos.

[scm1011]

Aug 5, 2021 19:28:12 GMT -5 TR said:

It’s beautiful! I see what you mean about the bedrooms. So they DO connect, but also have their own entrances off the hallway and that’s not totally obvious in the photos.

Thank you! And yes, I don’t want people to have to work to figure that out.

[winecat]

scm1011- It looks like she has no idea how to use lighting, flattering angles, or photo processing software. Like the lighting is wrong (too much contrast?) so the wood doesn't look like it does IRL. I don't know how they take photos for those virtual tours but it kind of looks like they grabbed stills from that. The angle of the laundry room photo made me think of that because it's so wonky.

Your house is totally my jam so I'd go and see it. But if your market isn't really hot, it might discourage some buyers.

[ellipses84]

Ahh, I missed the link. The point of photos is to get people to visit the house. While I do think it’s worse to have the photos look better than it actually looks in person and can cause people to offer lower than asking, if you think it will deter people from showings I’d ask for better photos. Based on others comments, I’d ask for updated photos, at least for the worst ones.

[dr.girlfriend]

I hate to say it, but real talk -- and having missed the photos -- in the context of your other posts this really makes me worry that your friend/realtor is out of her league with your high-end listing.

There's a LOT of good real estate photographers out there, and for her first big listing she chose one that took bad photos, wasn't comfortable guiding the photographer to highlight the features of the property, and sent the bad photos to the client without intercepting and being like, "Hey, these are definitely not good enough"? That's like three opportunities she had to do better that passed her by at the very first step. I would be pretty worried. Wasn't she getting mentorship from a more experienced realtor?

[scm1011]

dr.girlfriend, I agree. She hired a photographer from a company that farms the jobs out to contractors, which doesn't seem ideal - you don't know who/what you're getting. On top of that, I'm the one who had to step in and resolve this. She was emailing with them for a couple hours and I had to be like "please send me the phone number - we need to resolve this urgently". And I did - the photographer is coming back today at 11am. I'm disappointed and worried and let her know it. I told her I'd appreciate her looping her mentor in at every step going forward.

This is what I get for trying to help a friend! Ugh.

[Pilsy]

Thanks for sharing. I love your house. It reminds me of my sister-in-law's last house and brings back good memories.

I completely agree about the bedrooms and how they're shown. Otherwise, it's not that the photos are bad, but they're definitely not amazing. They look more like photos I would take on my own. Did she use a fish-eye lens at all? I feel like that's a big part of how RE photos always make things look way better than they are in real life. (And we can debate whether that's actually a good thing.) They could also be brighter or something. The lighting is off somehow. 

I'm late to the party and glad to hear she's going to redo them. I'm sorry you're in this position! Selling a home is a really big deal, and I'm bothered on your behalf that she's not really on top of things. 

[scm1011]

Thanks, Pilsy - I appreciate your feedback! I agree about the lighting and I'm going to ask about the fish-eye lens when she arrives.

[CrazyLucky]

We hired our realtor because we thought she was good, but we recognized that her listing photographs stunk. Why do people even bother posting photos that are hazy? Anyway, DH is a pretty good amateur photographer, so he took pictures and we sent them to her. She was like, "Oh, I always take my own pictures." We just told her we took them as we cleaned so it worked out. If I were you I would definitely expect a new set of photos and I would give your friend/realtor a little bit of constructive feedback. She's there to be your representative and show your house in the best light. She can't worry about hurting the photographers feelings over a question like that.

[dr.girlfriend]

Aug 6, 2021 7:40:14 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

dr.girlfriend , I agree. She hired a photographer from a company that farms the jobs out to contractors, which doesn't seem ideal - you don't know who/what you're getting. On top of that, I'm the one who had to step in and resolve this. She was emailing with them for a couple hours and I had to be like "please send me the phone number - we need to resolve this urgently". And I did - the photographer is coming back today at 11am. I'm disappointed and worried and let her know it. I told her I'd appreciate her looping her mentor in at every step going forward.

This is what I get for trying to help a friend! Ugh.

I'm so sorry.  I really appreciate how far you are going for your friend, and it's making me mad on your behalf that she seems to be squandering this opportunity.  Wishing you the best!

[RockNVoll]

I hope the re-shoot went well, scm1011. Hopefully she'll redouble her efforts after this initial bobble.