Have you ever really looked to see how others see you?  Take a look at your image.  By image I mean your photo and marketing look.  Would you want to purchase a home from the person in your picture?  Do they look trustworthy?  Does your photo look professional?  Does your listing have good pictures and do you have a polished look?

As I surf through Active Rain and my local MLS, I can’t help but wonder what some people were thinking when they posted their photos.  I see blurry photos, unprofessional locations and overall unappealing photos.  Now let’s be clear, I am not Mr. GQ but I did take the time and effort to have a professional photo taken.  Why?  Because I know that is the first impression my marketing will make.  I also know that in my listings, I need to present my properties in the best possible light.  Do you see magazine ads with blurry and dark photos?  As for image, do you think being on the phone makes you look “cool”.  I wish you could see what people are saying behind your back.  How many times have you skipped a listing because the home photos were dark or blurry or in some cases non existent?

Image means in lot in our business.  We are hired to market homes and sell them.  If you want to attract better buyers and sellers, you might want to start with your image and marketing look.  Ask yourself, does my marketing and image attract the right buyer?  Would I hire myself to make my property look attractive to buyers?  What IS my image to others?  May I make a suggestion?  Ask others around you to look at one of your listings online and evaluate it. Compare it to others around you.  Do you stand up to your competition?  If you don’t, take the time to make it right and watch your business change.

On a side note, I hesitated to post photos of other agents from Activerain to make my point, but I stopped.  Did you know you can go to just about any department store and get a professional photo for about 20 bucks?  What message do you send when you put out low quality marketing?  I can tell you what the message is.  The message is “I don’t care and I won’t spend money to market your home”.  Result?  Customers and business lost! 

Well, that’s me piece for today.  Hope I did not offend, I just thought I would say what I know a lot of us are thinking as we read posts from our fellow agents!  Now please, take a look at your image and make it great!  You will be glad you did!