No more MLS Photos

[Delta85]

That says it all!!

As for you, unless you can honestly state you go above and beyond to see the comp and get the photo EVERY SINGLE TIME then you are also being a hypocrit in this thread.

So you are gonna tell us EVERY time you run into a long driveway or gated community you persist until you get the photo?

So you are gonna tell us EVERY time there are people in front of the home, especially kids, you get out of your car and ask them to step aside so you can take a photo?

So you are gonna tell us EVERY time you are in a high crime area and there are people standing and loitering around the front of the home you get out of your car and ask them to please step aside so you can take a photo?

Unless you honestly state you do this EVERY time you are being a hypocrit.

And if you say you do these things EVERY time I simply don't believe you.

 

[Calvin the Airedale]

I've said before that one should only do what they feel comfortable in doing safely in regards to these matters. Nor have I advocated doing anything that's illegal. You're the one who seems to think photography without permission is a criminal act.

How does any of this make me a hypocrite?

The irony here is that the one making the argument on behalf of cowering inaction weighs 225 lbs and can benchpress 450 lbs!

 

[Mile High Trout]

Why was my initial post removed?

Probably because I expressed concern about how difficult these threads are to read when posters make multiple posts in a row. That or I posted a memory game picture to illustrate my point. Just remove the pic next time, striking the whole post is a bit too much.

An appraiser is only limited in their development options by how much time they have to spend.

Stating everyone else did it is not a viable excuse.

OP, great points. In CO it's been agent upload for some time.

If agents are concerned with their photos they have easy ways of maintaining that proprietary aspect. They can watermark, haze, or border their photos before upload.

It's just good form to always snap comp pictures or speak with the Realtors to verify the data from the pictures if they are not obtainable in person.

To trust MLS pics is to place implicit trust in the data, and data sources. You must really trust that all Realtors are really attentive and they have stellar assistants, to trust MLS data pics regularly. You're trusting those pictures with your license and financial consequences.

I've seen first hand how MLS pics can be jumbled and re jumbled again. I've seen a somewhat newer construction area that had one mess of jumbled inaccurate pics. Online sources draw from data sets, and data sets draw from online sources. One single mistaken upload can roll on indefinitely as an incorrect picture for guidance. Simply lazy worksmanship can cause these online pictures to be in MLS databases without proper verification. As online data sources grow and become interconnected, so does the potential for errant data.

It's a no brainer to call a Realtor and grab a quick run down to attain additional insight and verification of an otherwise unobtainable picture. If you're not doing that, I guess you trust the Realtor that much.

This thread brings up an unnecessary debate continually re experienced with the forum. Although vital topics are dealt with, the judgment against other appraisers in other places is a longshot at best. Each appraisers approach will be determined largely by the nature of their stomping grounds. If you're, in the city snap the pic. If you're in the country, call the Realtor. What's the problem with doing your job as thoroughly as possible? There is no middle ground. Either you take the time to do it, or you don't. That's a core consideration of quality. You take the time, or you don't.

 

[Delta85]

Nor have I advocated doing anything that's illegal. You're the one who seems to think photography without permission is a criminal act.

Photography without permission.............on private property........... is illegal or at least so borderline illegal why would you take the chance just to view a comp?

You said earlier in the thread you would drive up a long driveway and knock on the door of an owner of a comp. Technically this is fine. You then said if nobody was home you would snap the photo anyways. This puts you in a trickier situation IMO. Are you still within your rights to do this? I don't know I'm not a lawyer or cop. But why take the chance in the first place?

As I mentioned earlier just because nobody answers the door does not mean they are not home. They may be choosing not to answer but, watching you snap a pic of their house and attempt to leave, they may charge out of their house fully enraged or call the police. Either way why take that chance just for a comp? In addition, a neighbor could see and call the police. A million things can happen once you choose to go onto private property.

 

[Delta85]

How does any of this make me a hypocrite?

Unless you can tell me you've NEVER opted NOT to take the photo due to visibility or safety reasons you are being a hypocrit. So answer me, do you get the comp photo EVERY time without question?

 

[Delta85]

The irony here is that the one making the argument on behalf of cowering inaction weighs 225 lbs and can benchpress 450 lbs!

Maybe because this is not high school. You must not get out much huh?

What you call cowering I call making a judgement call putting safety first. I'm convinced you do not appraise in rough areas based on your casual dismissal of real violence and safety issues at times. You imply there is NEVER a time when getting out of your car is NOT ok and that is simply ignorant of the reality of many areas.

And to correct you the weight is 235 pounds and the benchpress is 435 and I'd bet my life if you and I walked through some of the areas I appraise you'd be the first to begin "cowering."

 

[BRCJR]

Know the complexity of your assignment, such as comp in gated community, and charge accordingly, for the degree of difficulty, for your assignment.

If the client does not want the job done properly I do not want that client.

So skippy gets the assignment, puts the wrong picture in the report from the MLS, goes to the state board, pays a fine, takes extra educational classes, has increased insurance, and has to raise their fees to pay for all of this.

I see this as a win-win as their increased fee supports my C&R, now.

 

[Delta85]

Know the complexity of your assignment, such as comp in gated community, and charge accordingly, for the degree of difficulty, for your assignment.

That's not a bad idea, although it can be difficult determining a property is not visible from the street prior to being out in the field. Even if you knew ahead of time a property was gated or up a long driveway what do you do then having charged extra? Attempt to arrange permission to get the photo? How long/difficult a process will that be? And if you can't get permission do you discard the comp even though it might be a fantastic comparable?

It's also tough to predict when people will be out in front of the home.

 

[Pittsburgh Pete]

To quote the great Chuck Noll: "Whatever it takes."

Delta--take that extra "e" you keep using in judgement (sic) and put it on the end of hypocrite. Just thought you'd like to know.

 

[BRCJR]

That's not a bad idea, although it can be difficult determining a property is not visible from the street prior to being out in the field. Even if you knew ahead of time a property was gated or up a long driveway what do you do then having charged extra? Attempt to arrange permission to get the photo? How long/difficult a process will that be? And if you can't get permission do you discard the comp even though it might be a fantastic comparable?

It's also tough to predict when people will be out in front of the home.

I give up. You keep on keeping on and I will keep on getting those difficult to get comp photographs.