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weedyacres

Do these photos make my house's butt look big and estate-like?

weedyacres
11 years ago

OK, the title was tongue-in-cheek, but our realtor hired a bucket truck to get some differently-vantaged exterior photos of our house.

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Comments (29)

  • wagnerpe
    11 years ago

    I like the last two a lot. I don't like the first two, except that I do like that you can see the proximity to the water in both.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago

    I like them all except for the second one, because it is out of focus. It sure is too bad that there is no lush landscdaping on the sides and back of the house to soften those great expanses of brick with no windows. A bit of lushness here would really soften up your butt a lot and give it some form and movement. Tongue - in - cheek, of course.

  • chispa
    11 years ago

    As an FYI and something to tell your realtors, you can get much better aerial shots by locating someone with a remote control electric airplane. There are local club chapters throughout the country and some of the guys will specialize in aerial photography. DH bought a camera to hook up to his hobby planes, but he only does it for fun and doesn't have "the eye" for it!! You can get a slightly higher angle than that of the bucket truck.

  • nancylouise5me
    11 years ago

    I like the 3rd and 4th pictures. The first 2 just remind the buyers how barren your lot is. Not a good look.

  • barbcollins
    11 years ago

    I like the first one because it shows the lake (which I personally find a bonus).

    Also like the 4th one because it shows a nice view of the deck.

    I see pics like the 3rd one a lot on MLS, but they are a turn off for me. Obvious that they are trying to make the house look bigger.

  • kswl2
    11 years ago

    I like them all, and am glad your realtor is still trying to find ways to make your listing more appealing.

  • deegw
    11 years ago

    I think the first shot would look a lot better with a bit of photoshop. The partially wet driveway and the patchwork grass look unpolished. I don't think it would be unethical to fast forward the growing grass with a little green and to make the driveway one color. I think the darker color looks a little richer.

  • cas66ragtop
    11 years ago

    Pics 1 & 2 are not good at all. They really show how terrible your yard is. The wet driveway and the dry sidewalk makes it look staged - and that just looks cheap. I also don't know why they would choose to take pictures on such a dull dingy day. And yes they are out of focus.

    Pic 3 is nice - still out of focus and still shows the dull and dingy sky.

    Pic 4 is the best one. Really helps to show how huge the house is, when combined with a front view. You still have the dingy sky. Still shows some of the bad patches of yard. You're wise to be selling this in fall/winter - at least some people may be fooled into believing the yard gets nicer in the spring/summer.

    If these pics were the realtor's idea, and this is the quality of the product - I'd be a little worried. If this was a professional photographer, I'd be even more worried. I'm not a professional photographer, but I know what looks good. I dealt with 3 different realtors when selling my house, and I took ALL the photos myself because theirs weren't acceptable. Seems to be the norm that realtors just can't take decent pictures. I could sort of understand this back in the days where you had to pay for film development and you could only afford to take a few shots. Now that we are in the digital age and you can shoot a hundred photos and then pick out the ones that are really good - there is really no excuse for bad photos.

    Anyway - glad you finally got a realtor. Now the next hurdle is getting it priced right and bringing yourself to accept that you are probably going to have to give someone a bargain just to get rid of it so that you can go on with your life.

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago

    Pic 1 showcases the front entry garage. Not desirable at all.

    Pic 2 shows the water, and the mass of the house. Much better, but it also highlights the lack of landscaping.

    Pic 3 is the best of the lot, but it should have been taken at even more of an angle to emphasise the size of the house to the large expanse of garage. Yes, that would show that big blank side of the house again, but you would get a feel for the house size better from that actual corner. And it would minimize the garage better.

    Pic 4 shows off the nice deck, but would be better taken from a further distance, like across the water, so you can see the relationship of the house to the water. You should ask your neighbors across the way if you can walk onto their property to be able to photograph your home.

  • Adella Bedella
    11 years ago

    I like the concept, but the pictures are blurry and remind me of the intro to the tv show "Dallas". The #4 back shot is my favorite and highlights an area of the house that would be highly desireable to many people. I think you need the front shots to be a little more directly in front of the house rather than at the corners. I like that you can see the water.

  • northbound
    11 years ago

    If you decide not to use the overhead shots, is it possible to get something off of Google Earth to show the relationship of the house to the lake?

    I actually appreciate the photos since they show the property as it really is (I like it!). What you might do is put the best one first in the sequence on the listing to catch a prospective buyer's eye.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago

    I would put #3 as the primary photo, as it deemphasizes that the garage is almost as large as the living space. At some point, it may be that you find it impossible to hide all of the shortcomings of the property, and just settle on the best picture possible.
    No one is going to look or not look at the home because there are clouds in the sky.
    A suggestion... have your agents take a picture at late dusk with EVERY light in the home on. If possible wet the driveway and walkway down and put a flood light pointed onto the wet drive. If you can get this setup just right, it makes for a dramatic photo. AND, it will hide the lack of green grass somewhat.

  • rrah
    11 years ago

    I am going to go against most opinions here. #3 makes me dizzy. The angle is just odd to my eyes. It "looks" like the right side just veers off like a Dr. Seuss house to me.

    I like #1, despite the wet driveway (good gosh, it rains) as it shows the beauty of the surrounding area. Yes, the grass on the left is yellow. It's fall and grass dies off, but oh well.

    #4--yes, it shows the need for landscaping in the back, but it is what it is. I would prefer to see the back of a house as it really exists before I visit.

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    I feel like all but the last are blurry.
    I like the 3rd one, esp if you had at least a shrub or 2 to cover the brick.
    And, the 4th one, I like.

    Have your photographer clean their lens and try again.

  • greg_2010
    11 years ago

    A blue sky and green grass would make a difference.
    Maybe not ethical though. :)

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago

    Different MLS's have differing rules for photoshopping. Is the driveway wet, or did you have it stained, or both. The blotchiness is distracting to the eye.

  • lazy_gardens
    11 years ago

    Also makes the lack of landscaping glaringly obvious. It looks barren and unkempt.

  • beachlily z9a
    11 years ago

    I'm a passionate gardener and your pictures wouldn't bother me at all because they show an empty canvas that I could work with without tearing a bunch of stuff out. That would really appeal to me!

  • annemouse
    11 years ago

    I agree with beachlily - either perfect blank slate for avid gardeners or a plus for people who do not care about gardening and upkeep.
    The new pictures finally show how big your house (front and back) and property is and that there really is a lake view. Yes, they could be less blurry but still they are a big improvement to previous pictures.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes, I caught the blotchy driveway right away. It had been raining earlier, and wasn't all dried up. Had I been present for the photographing I would have sprayed down the driveway and front walk to make them uniform, but they didn't catch it.

    I didn't pick them for their awe-inspiring photography, and verbalized my misgivings to them before we signed. They've acted very collaboratively and responsively to my comments and feedback to use the best photos and retake as needed. We've got pro photos from our FSBO listing time, and that's mostly what we'll use.

  • Happyladi
    11 years ago

    I like the first picture but it is blurry. Its nice to see the ouse in relation to the lake. The last really shows how big the house is and the porch, so that's good.

    I think it would be okay to photoshop a better sky and grass. It's that time of year that grass is fading anyway. Just don't go too green.

  • GreenDesigns
    11 years ago

    It must be a regional thing, because a man made water retention structure isn't termed a lake here. It's a pond. And that bit of water isn't even a good sized pond. It's more of a filled drainage ditch. Which the photos draw attention to. I think showing the water creates more of a negative impression than a positive one. All I can think of is mosquitoes breeding.

    Also, being out of focus doesn't say "professional photographer" to me. Yes, they highlight the house in a way that some of the other photos didn't. It's like taking the turtleneck off of the 60 year old woman. You really don't need all of that's being shown to be highlighted. It was better left to the imagination of the less revealing pictures. That way, a buyer might fall in love with the positive personality traits before being confronted with the negatives.

  • Pipersville_Carol
    11 years ago

    I like how these photos highlight the waterfront setting of your house. Other posters have commented on the lack of landscaping, but to my eye that's a pretty common situation for most new houses. Your home looks like big, new construction on an attractive lot. Should appeal to lots of buyers.

  • wagnerpe
    11 years ago

    Did they take any "tighter" shots where you don't see the entire house in the frame? Sometimes those are very attractive, too.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago

    Mosquitos don't breed where there are fish. I suspect there are fish in there.

  • sheilajoyce_gw
    11 years ago

    Weedy, NCRealestateguy makes an excellent suggestion for the picture at twilight. The shots I see that way are so inviting. You may have to move lamps closer to the windows for the shots, to get that warm, welcoming glow of a home waiting for you to come home.

    I like the last 2 shots to use as the first pictures you would see on your MLS. The first shot is good for showing the pond so that people who would not want water close could reject your house and so that people who love such amenities would react positively.

  • kats_meow
    11 years ago

    I like pictures 1 and 4. Yes, the lake (pond, whatever) isn't huge. But if someone doesn't like that I think better to find out sooner rather than later. Actually I don't think the landscaping looks too bare on picture 1. I do note that I would have to build a fence but that is OK since I can build my own.

    Picture 4 is interesting. I think it actually makes your house look great and is very inviting. At the same time, it would cause me to cross your house off my list. Why? I absolutely 100% do not want and will not buy a house where I have to go up and down that many steps in the back. In fact, when were looking for houses earlier in the year I rejected several houses with very similar backs.

    Some people might say that is a reason not to use that picture as it might turn off some people. I think of as a service to not waste your time or that of a buyer. If I would reject a house over that feature I'm not going to suddenly change my mind if I go and look at the house. I would rather know in advance and not waste the seller's time by even setting up an appointment.

  • Debbie Downer
    11 years ago

    I like no.1. The butt does look humongous, but oh well! The river shows up better in no. 1 compared to no. 2, you can see the whole thing in relation to the house. I wonder if you could shoot from the same direction as no. 2 but get up higher or shoot from a different angle, to capture more of the river.

  • LuAnn_in_PA
    11 years ago

    That is not a river....