Why do so many real estate people show their pictures?

[Jeff Something]

I was at a coffee shop the other day with a very good friend, and she was flipping through one of the local weekly papers, and she asked why so many brokers put their pictures in their ads. I couldn't offer any good ideas. And now looking through this board, so many people have THEIR OWN PICTURES as their avatars. I mean, besides being incredibly vain, is there an actual reason behind it? Because, and I very honestly mean this with all sincerity and do not mean it to come across as I'm sure it will, but there are a lot of your pictures that are awful. I'm not sure if any of you have seen the BBC version of The Office when David kicks the camera crew out of his office, but then poses for a picture before they leave? He gives this ridiculously absurd pose, but that is what it seems like so many people are doing here. What is it? What is the reasoning behind it?