Is there such a thing as being too confident? I recently had a majorly comical moment which was directly correlated to me thinking I was at the right place, at the right time. But I was NOT!
I had negotiated a deal for a client who is a friend of mine, I have known him for a while and he's got a very outgoing, gregarious personality. I had to stop in to see a couple of his family members (who I do not know at all, have never met them). My client gave me directions, I called ahead to book the appointment and arrived feeling like I already knew the people.
I pulled into the driveway and called out to the woman by name, I got a funny look but carried on, unfazed. I got out of the car and followed her into the house, jokingly I asked if I was at the right place. No response. The husband peered around the corner at me quizzically so I thought to myself "my friend certainly doesn't get his jocular personality from his parents, odd bunch".
I took off my shoes and headed into the house with the paperwork, exclaiming that it wouldn't take long, you know, to set their minds at ease because they obviously weren't thrilled that I was there. Finally one of them pipes up "um, what paperwork?" I replied with the clients name, a blank stare was returned. I started to get a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, and a bit more softly repeated the clients name followed up by a repeat of the question "Am I in the right place?"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE! As it turns out I had gone to the property next door by accident, it's a good thing such mixups don't embarrass me! I promptly put my shoes back on and got out of their home, I can only imagine what kind of questions must have been going through their heads!
"Who is this lunatic in our house? Why is she here?"
"Are we selling our property? She seems to think so..."
"Is this a gag TV show? When is the punch line?"
I thoroughly enjoy a harmless mistake and love to share these hilarious mishaps with others for the purpose of a good laugh! I hope you enjoyed my story! My confidence is a great asset and occasionally a comical liability.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Wednesday, March 07, 2018
The Goldilocks Photo Syndrome
I am very picky about the photos that I publish online, I always have been, and I am getting worse about it. I encountered a listing today that I have buyers from out of town interested in and guess what... There are ZERO photos of the property online! I contacted the listing agent, who didn't even have any on file!! ABSURD!!
The vast majority of buyers these days are doing a huge amount of preliminary research long before contacting an agent. They are pouring over online information, statistics and photos/videos. The way that your property is being represented online is extremely important, and there is a fine line between photos that are good, and photos that aren't.
There are 3 kinds of photos out there, it's a bit of a Goldilocks syndrome... some photos are really bad with spots on the lens, out of focus, or at worst - taken with a cell phone! UGH! I have even seen cell phone photos, taken in vertical format, where the agent didn't even bother getting out of their car! You can tell because the edge of the car window is in the frame! You should be fired if caught being this lazy!
The other end of the spectrum is where the photos are TOO GOOD. The lighting has been altered and overly processed, angles and creativity in the shots omits very important details of the property, or worst case scenario - the photos have been photoshopped!! There's nothing worse than a buyer being sorely disappointed in seeing a property in person because the photos were not an accurate representation, disappointment is not a good emotion for buyers.
There is a happy medium though! Somewhere in the middle where the photographer has professional equipment, knows how to use it correctly, and has an eye for what needs to be showcased in a real estate photo! Not too hot, not too cold, juuusst riiiight!
Bravo to the agents that can find this subtle middle ground, it takes some time and investment but it's worth it in the end. If you are a buyer looking to purchase, be wary of those super slick photos! If you are a seller, check out prospective agents photo quality, make sure it's happy medium style!
The vast majority of buyers these days are doing a huge amount of preliminary research long before contacting an agent. They are pouring over online information, statistics and photos/videos. The way that your property is being represented online is extremely important, and there is a fine line between photos that are good, and photos that aren't.
There are 3 kinds of photos out there, it's a bit of a Goldilocks syndrome... some photos are really bad with spots on the lens, out of focus, or at worst - taken with a cell phone! UGH! I have even seen cell phone photos, taken in vertical format, where the agent didn't even bother getting out of their car! You can tell because the edge of the car window is in the frame! You should be fired if caught being this lazy!
The other end of the spectrum is where the photos are TOO GOOD. The lighting has been altered and overly processed, angles and creativity in the shots omits very important details of the property, or worst case scenario - the photos have been photoshopped!! There's nothing worse than a buyer being sorely disappointed in seeing a property in person because the photos were not an accurate representation, disappointment is not a good emotion for buyers.
There is a happy medium though! Somewhere in the middle where the photographer has professional equipment, knows how to use it correctly, and has an eye for what needs to be showcased in a real estate photo! Not too hot, not too cold, juuusst riiiight!
Bravo to the agents that can find this subtle middle ground, it takes some time and investment but it's worth it in the end. If you are a buyer looking to purchase, be wary of those super slick photos! If you are a seller, check out prospective agents photo quality, make sure it's happy medium style!
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