I was in Panera Bread in Northern Virginia this weekend and ran into a Realtor from another Brokerage. We began talking and she asked me if I knew about Facebook. I said of course, it’s one of the big, if not biggest social networking websites on the internet. She then asked if I use the site to advertise my business. I said no and I’ll explain why later. She then proceeded to tell me about her debacle she had with them recently. An email was sent from the Facebook Admin explaining to her that she needed to take down her listings or her account would be suspended. Of course she immediately checked to see if she had violated any of the terms and compared her ads to other real estate listings on Facebook. Apparently, she did nothing to violate the terms and her listings nothing out of the ordinary from the others. It was a back and forth battle with really no concrete reason as to why she needed to take them down. She conceded and removed her listings. They then told her that she could use Facebook Ads which have a price.

I will explain my reasoning of why it’s not a good idea to promote your real estate listings on Facebook. If you didn’t already know, about 1 year ago, Facebook was only accessible to those who had a college email address(.edu). Not until recently did Facebook become public and available to everyone. The target audience was 18-25 year old college coeds who could care less about what home is for sale. Since, applications were created, a news feed came along, and privacy was thrown out the window. The problem with promoting real estate listings is that the majority of the users just don’t care about that kind of stuff. The majority still use Facebook to post pictures up of what happened over the weekend, write comments on each others wall to flirt or say what’s happening on campus or life, and tell others a little about themselves. I don’t see Facebook becoming a place to promote real estate listings or any other business that doesn’t relate to the majority of the users anytime in the near future.

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Edgeio, the online listings marketplace has taken a dive into the deep abyss. The company, which accumulated and incorporated classified listings including real estate, offered the service for free. These guys burned through $5 million of investors pockets faster than Fred Flintstone moved his legs.

They had the idea of challenging Trulia and Realtor.com to become one of the biggest names in the real estate/classifieds industry.

The reason for the debacle is unknown but I can guess that some other popular sites had something to do with it.

I guess the CEO won’t be wining and dining with these big wigs anymore.

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As I was looking for homes the other day I came across a picture in the MLS that blew me away. It was the main picture of the home. I had not seen anything like this before and was flabbergasted by it. I mean, the Realtor that is selling this house must have no idea what gossip must be going on about this peculiar photo. If the owner of the house has not seen this photo yet, they are going to be thrilled.

This is the perfect example of what NOT to do. This is not your ideal featured picture for your home. First of all, a big yellow Penske truck blocking half of the house is a big no no! At least make it a U-Haul.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” especially, when you’re trying to sell your home. You have the opportunity for thousands of homebuyers to see your home. You want it to look spectacular. The aforementioned photo is like wearing jeans and a t-shirt to Prom, you look awkward and everyone is going to laugh at you, unless of course you’re Jesse Katsopolis (Full House).

Curb appeal makes the difference between a prospective buyer stopping for a look, or moving on. Clear the front and back yard of toys, bikes, sports equipment and anything else that could be a distraction. Also be sure that shrubs are trimmed, weeds and past-their-prime annuals are removed, and the lawn mowed. If your car is usually parked in the driveway, park it along the street, away from your home, while photographing. Vehicles parked in the driveway block part of the view and detract from your homes overall visual impact.

A slightly overcast day provides optimum shooting conditions for exterior photography, as bright sunlight causes high-contrast light and shadowed areas on portions of your home and yard, and creates glare off of windows and metal trim. Should the weather not cooperate, stand within photo-taking distance of your home at different times of day to establish the best light conditions.

When photographing the exterior, position yourself to take the shot on a slight angle. You can also get down on one knee to take the picture at a slightly upward angle. Photographing from these positions will make the home appear larger and better show its character than a straight-on photo taken from a standing position, which tends to produce an image that looks “flat” and uninteresting.

“Say Cheese!”

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