10 Listing Faux Pas That Drive Agents (And Their Buyers) up the Wall

Listing a home is an art form… or at least it should be. But sometimes, the “masterpieces” you see feel more like finger-painting.

Online real estate listings are often a buyer’s first impression of a home, which makes it crucial for listing agents to nail every photo and word. The goal? Creating an image so perfect that buyers can’t help but picture themselves living there.

While many listing agents take great pride in crafting polished, professional listings, some leave other agents (and their buyers!) shaking their heads and asking, “What were they thinking?”

Here are 10 things listing agents sometimes do that make other agents cringe—and even catch the eye of an untrained buyer:

1) When they “phone it in”…

Cell phone cameras have come a long way, and (in the right hands) can take some pretty amazing pictures. Alas, some listing agents may think their hands are the right ones, when they’d have been better off handing their phone over to their 5-year old neighbor to take listing photos. Or, better yet, hire a professional photographer to take them if you don’t have the skills!

2) When they frame their photo with a car window…

Literally the first impression of first impressions is the photo of the front of a house in most cases. Yet some agents don’t even bother to get out of their car to take their best shot. Heck, some don’t even appear to have stopped the car as they took the picture!

3) When they showcase the toilet…

Truth be told, it’s difficult to take pictures of a bathroom due to the fact that it’s often a tight space. (Yet another reason to hire a pro photographer!) But nothing drives other agents more crazy than seeing a listing which includes a picture of a toilet. Well, except for one with the toilet seat up!

4) When they showcase themselves…

It’s also tricky to take a picture of a bathroom, or any other room that has a mirror, without catching your own reflection. (Ahem… reason #3 to hire a pro photographer!) And hiding behind the shower curtain so only your hand and phone show doesn’t cut the mustard.

5) When faking it isn’t making it any better…

When virtual staging is done well, and is fully disclosed, it can truly help people envision what the home could be like with a few polishing touches or just the right furniture and decor. But when floating couches and pixelated plants take center stage, you’re probably better off letting buyers use their own imagination.

6) When it looks like a winter wonderland… in July

Outdated photos are like showing up to a summer BBQ in a parka. Buyers expect current visuals, not snow-covered roofs when it’s 85 degrees outside. Look, if your listing doesn’t sell before the seasons drastically change, it’s worth taking a new set of pictures.

7) When they sound like Shakespeare…

Shakespeare certainly wrote many timeless classics, but the language he used is difficult for many people to read since nobody talks like that anymore! Not that an agent needs to write their listing descriptions in the latest lingo using Urban Dictionary as a guide, but they can certainly stop using words like “boasts” or “nestled.” It might sound fancy, but no one actually talks like that. Keep it conversational—this isn’t an English Lit class.

8) When it’s obvious they used AI to write their listing…

AI can be a handy tool, but that doesn’t mean an agent should just cut and paste a generic listing description generated by an algorithm. And no, throwing in a couple of “boasts” or “nestled” into the blurb doesn’t count as adding the perfect amount of human touch to it.

9) When a picture is worth a thousand questions…

One exterior photo used to be all you could expect back in the day. But now that the internet makes it possible to share images of the inside of a house, it’s pretty much unacceptable to only have one picture of the outside, no matter what the condition of the house!

10) When they include too many pictures…

On the other hand, there are agents who upload a picture of every single angle, of every single room, and will even include detailed pictures of a doorknob. There’s no need to photo dump like you just came back from a European vacation, and your listing is a prime example of classic architecture.