ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LISTING PHOTOS FOR MURDER STAINS, CREEPY DOLLS (I'M NOT KIDDING!)

Before you hire a real estate agent, be sure to ask to see sample photos from their past listings. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand warnings. (See 8 terrible photos here!)

When you’re thinking about hiring an agent to help you market and sell your home, it’s probably a good idea to ask to see listing photos of homes they’ve represented in the past.

A true real estate professional will go the extra mile to make sure there are plenty of high-quality, detailed photos to help market your home online.

At the minimum, the photos should be well-lit, the homes should be tastefully presented, and the photographs should appear to be taken by a professional. Less than that, and you might want to consider looking for a new agent.

There are, of course, major red flags you’ll want to look for in sample listing photos. Consider some of the following:

- No owners sunbathing in the pool in Speedos.

- No attic rooms cluttered with personal massagers and ashes/dust.

- No master bedrooms with lingerie models lounging in a red velvet four-poster bed.

- No bathroom shots in which the photographer appears in her bra in the mirror.

- No pics featuring the owners engaged in questionable activities in the background.

- No creepy dolls by the fire place.

- Seriously, no creepy dolls anywhere, not even in the living room!

- No stains of murdered bodies on the bare floors.

Now, it may sound like I’m joking, but I’m being 100% honest when I say these are flaws seen in actual listing photos represented by real agents. What’s more, I can prove it.

See every single one of the above listing photo disasters in this slide show:

http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2012/03/05/what-not-to-do-when-selling-terrible-listing-photos/

Incredible, isn’t it?

Please, whatever you do, be sure to hire an agent who takes their listing photos seriously. After all, you home is your largest investment! I’d be glad to treat it with the respect it deserves. Let me help you market your home the right way: email me at valerie@valeriemcconville.com

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