Looking at Sequim homes online is so much different than looking at the same homes in person. Many of my clients have told me while looking at Sequim homes that some were not what they thought they would be based on the MLS photos. Hotels.com has a series of humorous commercials, and in one the Captain in his bright red decorated uniform says, “Here’s one for you (referring to an online hotel review), ‘It’s worse in person'”
Sequim Homes Online
How well Sequim homes are represented online depends almost entirely on the quality and selection of photos. I’ve written elsewhere that in my estimation nearly 85% of MLS photos online are either poor, inadequate, or missing. It’s not hard to understand why. Real estate agents are not trained to be photographers. In fact, very few agents take photography classes or attend seminars on how to become better photographers. I know this because photography was one of my special interests long ago in college, and I was fortunate to learn from a master of International photography, Jimmy Bedford. I later became a professional sports photographer, because two of my sons became professional athletes. My photographic career was limited to my own sons’ careers, and I did not interrupt my real estate law career or my real estate brokerage career. My point in sharing this is that I recognize good photos, and I recognize poor photos. Buyers tell me all the time that Sequim homes online do not always get well represented by the photos.
Sequim Homes in Person
Of course, there’s nothing like seeing Sequim homes in person. Case in point. I recently showed clients homes over a two day period, and one of the last homes we viewed was almost not on the list. The primary photo in the MLS was very boring. There wasn’t anything exciting or even interesting about the main photo. Naturally, the majority of buyers filtering through Sequim homes online will judge Sequim homes based on the primary photo, which is a thumbnail photo when you look at a page of listings.
We reluctantly decided to look at this home, and it was what I call “a pleasant surprise.” It was precisely what my buyers really were hoping to find, and they bought it. The lesson here is that searching for that perfect home may sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but realize that photos are not always representative of the homes, and sometimes you need to expand your search to look at Sequim homes you might not have looked at because of poor photos.
Last Updated on September 23, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
