This post is about the age old battle between how much of something and the quality. In this case, I am talking about the number of photographs on a listing and the quality of the photos. Not so long ago most MLS’s increased the allowable number of photos that can be posted up to 30-35 for each listing. Some franchisers have required that listings contain an exact number of listings such as 21. Often times bad photos are used to bulk up the count leading to faster viewer fatigue.

Posting an exact number of photos or trying to post the maximum allowable on each listing is a waste of time and may also chase away prospective buyers. I’ve often started skipping rapidly through pictures after looking at listings for a period of time even though I am interested in the photography itself more than the property. Buyers also start losing interest in large collections of  photos that lose differentiation from home to home. Too few pictures may leave out views that will interest particular buyers. 21 photos is likely to be too many for most single family homes and too few for estates with several outbuildings. Getting the balance right is something that I can help with.

On listings with large numbers of photos, the theme always shifts to closeups of the current owner’s possessions. The next problem is the proliferation of duplicate photos or ones that are nearly the same. 12 photos of a kitchen each from a slightly different angle doesn’t add value to the marketing. If a buyer is patient enough to slog through 84 pictures of a double-wide, they are looking for the flaws that have led to the low price on the listing and it’s the price that has generated the interest.