Too Much of a Good Thing?
I know there are Realtors who would disagree, but personally, I think it’s possible to have too many photos of a For Sale home.
While MLS only allows up to 18 photos, Realtors can now supplement that with additional photos on broker Web sites, electronic marketing materials, etc.
In fact, I received an emailed piece today that had 56(!) — count ’em — 56 photos.
Gilding the Lily Listing
I can imagine a property where that would make sense.
But, this wasn’t it: a medium-ish, 3 Bedroom St. Louis Park home with less than 2,000 square feet.
So, how did the agent come up with 56 photos?
By taking six of the Living Room, five of the Kitchen, four of the Master Bedroom, etc.
In fact, there were multiple photos of practically every room in the home, taken from every possible perspective and vantage point — many barely distinguishable from one another.
Four Photos of the Hall Closet
In the agent’s defense, several of the photos were of nearby parks and walking trails — a true selling point for this particular home and area.
Another 4-5 photos showed summer-time photos of the home’s yard and garden.
That’s smart to do in a supplement, because many agents (myself included) associate especially dated or unseasonal MLS photos with foreclosures.
Rules of Thumb
But in general, unless a room is unusually large or impressive, I think 2-3 photos suffice — and can’t imagine when it makes sense to show mundane things like hall closets, bathroom vanities, etc.
When are a zillion photos a good idea?
For an estate-type home in a one-of-a-kind setting (think, more than 6,000 square feet, 5+ Bedrooms, sprawling grounds, etc.) . . . the more, the better.
But for a more average home . . . it seems like overkill.
P.S.: By far the more common problem on MLS is too few and/or unflattering photos (and no captions).
