Top Ten Listing Mistakes

As an agent who scours listings for potential clients there are features and descriptions that draw one in. There are very effective marketing tools, pictures and descriptions that help potential buyers notice a house or property.  There are also features in listings that make one question why they are there. This is a list of the top 10 mistakes seen in listings.

1. Blurry pictures taken with a cellphone. Not only are these disappointing, they are unprofessional.

2. Personal items appearing in pictures like medicine bottles, dirty dishes, open toilet lids and piles of what appears to be dirty laundry. Not only can this make a poor impression on a buyer, it could be dangerous for the homeowner.

3. Green/brown or only slightly filled pools. If the first thought that enters one's mind after seeing a picture of a pool is an opossum on an inflatable ring enjoying the pool, it is not listing worthy.

 

4. Misspellings. If an agent doesn't take the time to spell check a listing are they going to take the time to comb through a purchase and sales agreement for simple mistakes? 

5. Words and phrases the average person is unfamiliar with. For example lavette, I had to look this one up! It means small bathroom, a derivative from the French word lavatory or what most people call a small bathroom without a tub or shower.

6. Shorthand that appears in the comments section. EIK, eat-in-kitchen or FP, for fireplace, they make sense once you are familiar with them but they can confuse and frustrate buyers.

7. Pictures only featuring flowers. I have nothing against flowers, but generally they do not belong in a listing.

 

8. Random pets. Pets are great, but unless they photobomb the picture they too do not belong in a listing. They are a very cute and cuddly distraction from design features (I got distracted just thinking about them).

9. Cars in the driveway. They can block the view of the house.

10. Mislabeling outbuildings. Sheds, barns, running sheds, potting sheds, chicken coops and garages are not interchangeable words. Each has a unique design feature that while can be changed, for example a barn can be converted into a garage, but until that change happens it is still a barn.