What to Look for in Arizona Real Estate Listings

It's often taken for granted, but remarkably, someone can browse the internet for real estate listings from their phone at a Starbucks. They get to view photos of a property along with a street and aerial view, as well as read a thorough description of the property and learn information on school ratings and other information in their hands. According to this oft-quoted statistic, 90% of purchasers now look for properties over the internet.
All of this unrestricted access to data on houses is advantageous to both buyers and sellers. But do you know whether a home is worth speed dialing your realtor about or gulping down your coffee to do a drive-by based on what you see on the internet?
Nothing compares to seeing a home in person; however, reading between the lines of online property listings about whether it is a bargain or an over-hyped dud can give you a good indication. Some houses may be considerably better than the online listing indicates because the seller was advised to save money on a professional photographer, or the listing agent neglected to hire one.

Questions to ask yourself when looking at real estate photos

A photograph may be worth a thousand words, and for real estate advertisements, competent pictures might be worth thousands of dollars. Most purchasers will check out the images without reading the description first.
Photos may provide you with a lot of information about the home by explicitly displaying something while not including images for certain areas. This raises questions; for example, a property may claim to have a huge basement, but there might be no picture of it in the listing.

Does the number of photos match the property?

For example, the ad stated the home had 4 bedrooms with 1 living room, but there are only 2 bedrooms shown in the photos. It is not always necessary to display all of the bedrooms in a home with many rooms. Except for the master bedroom, most bedrooms aren't particularly interesting.
However, if there is no living room photo, this might cause concerns. The listing agent may be cheap and lazy or hesitant to show you the rest of the rooms if they have some problems.

What is the quality of the property photos?

Even if the images appear professional, that does not guarantee that the property is ready and beautiful. Bad listing pictures do not imply that a home is worthless or unappealing.

What is the ratio of inside and outside property photos?

It's not a requirement that the property is in tip-top shape to sell, but it's an advantage. Prospective buyers will see photos of your home from all angles before visiting it for the first time, so make sure they're convincing and show off its best features.
A good sequence of photographs might start with two exterior aspects before drawing the buyer into the home's interior. If the first ten pictures of a home are all of the outsides, it usually implies that the inside is not going to be very appealing and that the outside of the house is probably its finest feature.

Does the photo have a strange perspective, or has it been taken with a wide-angle lens?

You might see the listing where the home's main exterior photo was taken at a perpendicular angle or is vertical when all of the other photos are horizontal. There may be a lot of reasons, but it's more likely that a listing agent will try to conceal an eyesore, such as a gas station, a 7/11 store, or a substantial new construction home that dwarfs the property.
Wide-angle lenses can transform a 1-bed condo's living room into a palace. Yes, you will occasionally see amateur fishbowl images in which the photo's edges curl and distort. However, professional photographers with pricey lenses and competent Photoshop skills can produce "wonders".

And last but not least, do the listing photos match the property description?

The kitchen is described as being "upgraded", but it's just a new granite countertop set on 30- year-old cabinets. You may want to take the listing description with a pinch of salt if you see this.

Conclusion

In conclusion, don't take everything you read or see at face value. Remember that you live in a digital world, where anything is just a click or two away. Read the online description in full, and utilize all of the resources available to you. A thorough reading of the listing may help you better prepare for the property examination and define the possible pitfalls.
On the other hand, when you're ready to market your home but aren't quite sure how to write a good listing description, it is a good idea to find a professional real estate agent who understands what potential buyers are searching for and can offer suggestions on how to make the property more appealing.