I have always wondered why in todays day and age of technology and digital cameras, there are still Pasadena homes listed for sale every day without a single photo. Digital cameras are inexpensive. They allow real estate agents to take a ton of home photos and then pick the best ones.

So, whats the problem? There is absolutely no excuse for not having a photo listed in the Pasadena Multiple Listing Service.
Pasadena home sellers, please make sure that you see your Pasadena Real Estate Agent snapping away photos after you have prepared your Pasadena home for sale.

Heres why?

1. A photograph is almost always the first element that connects the buyer with your Pasadena home. It is the handshake, the first impression, the thing that cuts through the clutter to create an emotional connection with the buyer.
2. Multiple photographs of your Pasadena home are needed for Multiple Listing Service (MLS) input, internet marketing, property brochures, flash presentations and print advertising. There is no way to avoid taking photographs to property market your Pasadena home.
3. Many times, the buyer will decide whether or not to visit your home and the agent will decide whether or not to show your home based on the quality and presentation of the photos.

The California Association of Realtors findings show that ˜Multiple photographs/Slideshows continue to be the online feature with the highest rating among all online features, followed by ˜Map/Directions.

Point2 conducted a study monitoring listings over a 30 day period and found that properties listed with only 1 photo generated 5 views while listings with 21 or more photos generate over 77 views. Thats quite a difference!

Another study compares the number of photos to the number of Days on Market (DOM). The findings show that listings with more photos sold faster. The findings are fascinating:

1 photo = 70 Days on the Market
6 photos = 40 Days on the Market
16 to 19 photos = 36 Days on the Market
20 photos = 32 Days on the Market

Also a fascinating find: listings with fewer photos sold for less.

1 Photo = 91.2% of Original Price
6+ Photos = 95% of Original Price

According to these findings, a $600,000 home, sporting only one photo, could sell for as much as 3.8% LESS or a loss of over $22,000, just because there was only one photo accompanying the listing. More amazing is the fact that only 12% of real estate agents posted the maximum 20 photos.

Pretty powerful statistics!

Multiple Listing Services are cracking down on real estate agents who do not post home photos when they list their properties into the MLS. Unfortunately, Pasadenas and Arcadias MLS services (ITEC and IMRMLS) do not have this policy yet.

So what can you do to ensure that your Pasadena home is presented in the best light?

* When interviewing your Pasadena Real Estate Agent, ask how many photos they usually take and use to market their listings.
* Ask to see samples of photos both in flyers and on-line. See how their home listings are presented. Look for quality photos focusing on best features on the house. Photos that create emotion!
* Request to review the photos of your Pasadena home before they are added to the Multiple Listing Service.
* Insist on the maximum number of photos that the MLS allows.

The Internet is the most powerful tool you can use when buying and/or selling your Pasadena home. According to results, photography does sell real estate. And when you choose to have high quality professional images for your marketing tools, you stand to gain by:

- Generating more interest for your Pasadena home
- Attracting more viewers/leads
- Entertaining higher offers/selling price
- Enjoying a faster sale of your Pasadena home

This all translates into less stress and a smoother transition to your new home!

The pendulum has shifted overnight. Did you notice? Pasadena real estate and the surrounding neighborhoods went from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market.

If you are a Pasadena home buyer, you came face to face with reality of multiple offers on any reasonably priced home. Not just one or two buyers bidding against you, but a multitude of buyers that you are competing against. What to do? Remember Real Estate 101 – Get back to Basics!

Home Buying Tips:

1. Get fully approved with a reputable lender! My clients are approved with not one lender, but three – Two direct lenders like Wells Fargo and Bank of America and a Mortgage Broker. Why?
   • First of all, in today’s ever changing banking climate, a home buyer needs to have back up financing.
   • Second, if you are writing a home purchase contract on a foreclosure (real estate owned – REO), the bank that is holding the property will only review your offer if you have a strong approval letter with their bank. Timing is of the essence. Buyers are not in a position to get approved with the foreclosure bank after they see the home because home buyers working with me are already approved and are writing that offer while others are just trying to get approved. The early bird gets the worm, right? You have to be prepared!
   • Third, when we write an offer for purchasing a home, we can include several approval letters which position my buyer above others. Put yourself in a home seller’s position. Would you want to open escrow and take your Pasadena home off the market for a buyer that is approved with multiple lenders or an unknown entity?
2. Write a letter to the seller. Explain why you love their house. Given a choice and comparable offers, most sellers will pick a home buyer that they feel will love their home as much as they do. A letter never hurts. It can only help.
3. Terms DO matter! By terms, I mean, escrow period, loan and appraisal contingencies, inspection periods. You need to strategically position your offer over the others that are coming in. All real estate contracts are not equal. Real estate agents might have a California Association of Realtors template for a contract, but how it is completed positions you to secure or lose that home that you fell in love with.
4. PRICE – please do your research with your Realtor. Look at the trends. How many homes sold in this area and how quickly did they sell? Do you see month to month change in the volume, pricing? Do the trends point to pricing going up? Are you seeing an influx of foreclosures? Discuss this with your Pasadena Realtor. The listing price of a home can be high or it can be low. Do not let it dictate your offer. It should only be a starting point. The actual data and anticipated trends should set the home price.

READ MORE:

Pasadena Real Estate Guide

Read 5 home buyer tips for getting more home for your $.

9 Stupid Things Buyers do to Mess Up their Home Purchase

Questions? Opinions? Would love to hear from you!