Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here

Join Over 3 Million Real Estate Investors

Create a free BiggerPockets account to comment, participate, and connect with over 3 million real estate investors.
Use your real name
By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.
The community here is like my own little personal real estate army that I can depend upon to help me through ANY problems I come across.
Rehabbing & House Flipping
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated almost 11 years ago,

User Stats

83
Posts
69
Votes
Bobby Gerry
  • Lender
  • Houston, TX
69
Votes |
83
Posts

The importance of good listing photos!

Bobby Gerry
  • Lender
  • Houston, TX
Posted

Recently a friend of mine (and a client) listed a house for sale. I always like seeing the listings of any property we’ve been involved with, and when I saw this particular listing, I was a bit startled. My friend had rehabbed a complete junker of a house and turned it into a gem. He’d spent a pretty penny on the rehab including gutting the kitchen & starting over, replacing the roof, adding a garage, installing new windows, new carpets, new cabinets, new fixtures.. in short, the works... and the house turned into a beauty.

The total rehab budget was over $50K. My friend had done just a huge amount of work and the finished product was gorgeous. Then, when it was time to list the property, he pulled out his iPhone to snap the listing photos. ..Aaaachh! The photos were dark & the house looked cold and uninviting.

When I saw the listing, I called a photographer friend and asked him to go re-shoot the house. He went over and took gorgeous, warm pics. He emailed them to me, and I sent them to my friend with an email saying “Check out these photos! Perhaps switch them out with yours, yes?!” He quickly agreed and made the change. Whew!

My friend the photographer charged $125 to shoot the house. After going through a rehab budget in the tens of thousands, a mere $125 to shoot great photos of the finished product is worth every penny! In fact it's worth *more* than every penny. The photos could mean a difference of several thousand dollars. If people see a lame, unexceptional house on the MLS, they're probably not going to go see it. How especially painful for the rehabber if the house went through a costly rehab, is in fact gorgeous, and the photos just don't show that. It's actually monetarily painful!

(I've just re-learned how to post photos here on BP, so let me get the original dark photos in here from this house. I will post the re-shot photos right after.)

Below are seven of the photos that my friend took with his iPhone and then used for the MLS listing.

Pic 01

Pic 02

Pic 03

Pic 04

Pic 05

Pic 06

Pic 07

(The new photos are coming next.)

Loading replies...