Realtors Can Now Upload 36 Photos to MLS, But Do You Need Those Extra 11 Shots?

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Woodland Dr. Hip Pocket

Christine McKenny’s luxury listing on Woodland Drive benefits from having 11 extra photos on the listing, but not all homes need 36 photos. Photo: Courtesy Christine McKenny

Some buyers have the hardest time imagining how a home will work for their families, and in the digital age, Realtors are providing tools like virtual open houses and tours to help these buyers fall in love with their listings. So I wasn’t surprised when MetroTex Association of Realtors increased the number of  photos agents can upload for each listing from 25 to 36.

Of course, some Realtors and real estate professionals see this as a fantastic development. Others? Not so much.

Photographer Lance Selgo of Unique Exposure Photography says that the response has been mixed. He sent out a survey to his clients, asking them whether they would want the additional 11 photos at a slightly higher fee should he begin offering them. He received 18 responses, and only four said that they would definitely want the extra images.

“Of the remaining 14, 8 clients have stated they are interested in having the 36 photo option as part of my services, however they wouldn’t choose that package for every listing,” Selgo said. “That leaves 6 clients that specifically said no, they aren’t interested at all in the 36 package.”

Of course, not every property warrants 36 photos. I mean, can you imagine using 36 photos to market an Uptown condo? Selgo says he has a hard time shooting 25 photos in smaller properties, and 36 would mean shooting several shots of each room from slightly different angles. “It seems redundant,” he added.

But several of his clients, and many other Realtors, feel that having 36 photos helps them show off larger estates and even ranches.

 

“For some properties, 36 images may be excessive. But, for what I do, it sounds great,” says Keller Williams Farm and Ranch Realtor Kathryn Roan. “I often struggle to choose what images I’ll use for a farm and ranch property — it is hard to capture the house, land, barns, fields, fencing, etc. in 25 images! So, for that reason, I’m happy to at least have the option, even though I may not use that many for every listing.”

For luxurious estates, having more photos allows Realtors to show off details and architectural interest. Christine McKenny of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate says that more photos help her buyers and sellers understand the larger, unique spaces her listings may have.

Woodland Dr. Kitchen Woodland Dr. Lounge Woodland Dr. Master Bath Woodland Dr. Loggia

“My Woodland Drive listing is a great example,” McKenny said. “We could feature more secondary bedrooms, various angles showing how rooms connect, powder or secondary baths, more exterior property and yard angles. In the past I have always needed to narrow the possibilities and usually had the seller assist me. Sometimes I would want to cut an image that they felt was important.”

Of course, some Realtors feel that 25 images for a listing was plenty before, and now with 36 images, there’s no incentive for buyers to come out and see homes in person.

“Somebody has forgotten — I don’t know whether it is our MLS vendor or our Association leadership — that the purpose of these images is not to provide an archival database showing the color of every bedcover in a house,” says M Streets Realtor Ken Lampton. “The purpose is to help real estate agents entice prospective buyers to come on out and visit our listings. I don’t think the addition of 11 more images will make a house more enticing. In fact, I think prospective homebuyers will be bored by the extra time it takes to look at all the images. This change will serve no useful purpose in the end.”

In some cases, Lampton may very well be right, but what about a home that has unique detailing you may not be able to see in a photo, but definitely adds to the character and attractiveness of a property?

“Many times there are specific features and details of a home that often go unnoticed during a showing or on the MLS photos online,” says Home Star Staging founder Karen Otto. “Getting creative with the photo marketing is now possible with the additional number allowed or even just being able to show multiple angles in a room.”

split image of the built in garbage/recycling cabinet with the built in server storage in the same house.  If a kitchen has updated features like that why not show a close up of this type of detail?

Karen Otto: “A split image of the built in garbage/recycling cabinet with the built-in server storage in the same house. If a kitchen has updated features like that why not show a close up of this type of detail?” Photo: Lance Selgo/Unique Exposure Photography

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You can also use collages and split-screen images to show off features that you won’t see in traditional MLS photos, Otto said, allowing buyers to glimpse unique features like an updated granite counter, a built in you may not notice, hidden storage for garbage cans and recyclables, in the same image. You can also include community amenities, illustrative graphics, nearby attractions, and all sorts of visual enticements you couldn’t put in your listing’s description.

“What rule says you have to use the same old same old photos for the MLS?” Otto added. “With the general buying public loving sites like Pinterest and Instagram, and the unique, stylistic photos we see there, now Realtors can do some marketing that stands out from the rest and still be able to show the house in traditional fashion, too, and not feel like they have to omit certain photos that can help showcase the property even better.”

What do you think of the expanded image library options for listings? Will you use the additional 11 images for your properties? 

Joanna England is the Executive Editor at CandysDirt.com and covers the North Texas housing market.

3 Comments

  1. Karen Eubank on February 4, 2016 at 6:56 pm

    The issue is will that photo help you sell the house? Often you don’t even need 25. It depends on what there is to show. If you have a huge home with beautiful detail by all mean use the extra 11 but if not don’t worry about it. Think about what you see in Architectural Digest. You see exactly what creates desire. That’s the bottom line. The images are a selling tool. Make sure they do just that.

  2. Ken Lampton on February 4, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    Thanks for your comment, Karen Eubank. As you say, the images are meant to be a selling tool. Even when we had “only” 25 slots available, most of the images did more to show you the furniture than to show you the house.

    I suggest each agent should front-load his “money shots” at the beginning of the photo gallery. That way the public will see those images even if they click away from a listing after viewing the first 10 or 12 photos.

    • Candy Evans on February 5, 2016 at 1:23 am

      Great advice! Pretend like you are getting your home ready for a magazine photo shoot, and the first shot should be the one that would be on the cover!

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