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CATHERINE REAGOR REAL ESTATE
Shifting focus to the sellers
T Photographing the front of a house from an angle can show more energy and excitement than a generic straight-on shot. PHOTOS BY LEIF SWANSON
Click magnets
Right online pictures can bring in buyers Gremlyn Waddell Special for The Republic
In his 16-year career as a Valley real-estate agent, Leif Swanson has seen some less-thanmemorable images on online house listings. There are depressing photos of dirty, cluttered spaces; the classic raised-toilet-seat-inthe-bathroom shots; and his pet peeve, the ones with a photographer’s reflection in the mirror. Those kinds of photos, along with the ones featuring a cat’s litter box, a weed-filled yard or children mugging for the camera, astound the Realty One Group agent. He knows nearly 100 percent of today’s homebuyers look at online listings before they even call a real-estate office. So a seller may have only one chance — through attractive photos — to get a potential See PICTURES, Page R3
Window light affects a photo; it creates a glare, as shown here. Lowering the blinds and using a fill flash or waiting until the sunlight isn’t as bright can produce better results.
he housing market often centers on what homebuyers want, what they can afford and where they want to live. But there’s a movement among the nation’s top real-estate agents to focus more on sellers. After all, it’s the homeowners who typically are paying the commissions for sales. At Inman’s Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco last week, a group of experts talked about what sellers really want from realestate agents now. Panelists provided tips for real-estate agents, as well as the qualities homesellers should look for in agents. Some of the old traditional techniques of real-estate agents — good data, daily contact, smart consulting — remain the top tips. Although the most recent data from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business shows the number of homes for sale in metro Phoenix fell in May, real-estate analyst Mike Orr believes the buyers are coming back. So, potential Valley homesellers, these tips are for you, too. Marsha Kotlyar, a real-estate agent with Berkshare Hathaway in Santa Barbara, Calif., uses data and trend information for client presentations, then always follows up a meeting by sending the homeowners a plant. “Selling a home is still a people business,” she said. “Old-school real-estate tradition still works.” F. Ron Smith of the Los Angeles-based Leverage Global Partners sells his services as being a consultant and negotiator for a homeseller. He promises to ease the stress involved in selling. Homeowners are interested in negotiating commissions in good and bad times for the real-estate market. In Arizona, the typical commission has been 3 percent for the buyer’s See REAGOR, Page R3
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