Freddie: MLS Photo

[jay trotta]

Do a lot of rural stuff and have always combined; real time drive by - along with MLS for years.

A couple of things come to mind; 1) if your not driving the neighborhood and changes are taking place as of that date of the report, You will Lose ! 2) when requested to "photo shop" certain items in photo's, nope; had someone actually try to lay it off as a Fair Housing issue.....hmmmm

 

[Cob]

It still doesn't change the requirement to view the comparable from the street. So I don't know how allowing MLS photos makes anything more efficient.

I have driven by Comps on a Sat or Sun and the entire family is playing in the yard, washing the car, palying with the dog, etc., I keep driving and use an MLS photo, I "viewed" the property from the street, I just didn't take a picture.

 

[Cob]

I think this is one of the things that is still the way it is, just because that's the way it's always been. I mean in say 1980 or even 1990, I could undertand why the bank or lender wanted an original picture, they needed to see what you were comparing the subject property to, they didn't have any access besides sending someone themselves to look to verify. But in this day and age of clear MLS photos, Zillow, Trulia, Google earth, etc., ANY client AMC etc. can see what the subject property and ALL the comps look like from the street in a matter of seconds.

 

[Michigan CG]

I think this is one of the things that is still the way it is, just because that's the way it's always been. I mean in say 1980 or even 1990, I could undertand why the bank or lender wanted an original picture, they needed to see what you were comparing the subject property to, they didn't have any access besides sending someone themselves to look to verify. But in this day and age of clear MLS photos, Zillow, Trulia, Google earth, etc., ANY client AMC etc. can see what the subject property and ALL the comps look like from the street in a matter of seconds.

Realtors are in the business of selling houses. The MLS photos will never show something about the house that is bad. I have learned many things from actually stopping my car and inspecting the comps from the street. Last year one really stood out. The third layer of roof was terrible and the home needed a complete removal. You will never seen that severe oxidation of the aluminum siding from the MLS. You will never seen the SW side of the barn that is one big piece of chipping wood.

 

[Non Sequitur]

Realtors are in the business of selling houses. The MLS photos will never show something about the house that is bad. I have learned many things from actually stopping my car and inspecting the comps from the street. Last year one really stood out. The third layer of roof was terrible and the home needed a complete removal. You will never seen that severe oxidation of the aluminum siding from the MLS. You will never seen the SW side of the barn that is one big piece of chipping wood.

Bonnie High Heels would never photoshop an MLS photo.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I keep driving and use an MLS photo, I "viewed" the property from the street, I just didn't take a picture.

But do you take a picture when there are no children or people? And why not?

You will never seen that severe oxidation of the aluminum siding from the MLS.

Ditto, some years ago but an FHA sale yet the roof was in shambles...wondered how it passed FHA. I decided not to use it. And again, you can say you drove by and I can't prove you didn't when you borrow a pix from the MLS...I just saw several properties - vacant land listings - that had pix...all identical pictures of several small land tracts.

 

[Non Sequitur]

If this is your best comp, or if you're looking for a comp with a similar external influence, what would you do?

 

[hastalavista]

I have driven by Comps on a Sat or Sun and the entire family is playing in the yard, washing the car, palying with the dog, etc., I keep driving and use an MLS photo, I "viewed" the property from the street, I just didn't take a picture.

I'll keep driving as well but I'll usually turn-around and take a photo of the street (not of the house) and then use the MLS photo in the report, describing why I did what I did and putting both photos into the report.

 

[Cob]

View attachment 33190 If this is your best comp, or if you're looking for a comp with a similar external influence, what would you do?

It would take a bank or lender about 20 seconds to pull up a property on Google earth and see the water tower......

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

similar external influence, what would you do?

ID water towers, cell towers and look for comps back 2-3 years using Matrix mapping function.X marks tower on high ground.