Pics of Agents

Having now lived in the UK for a few years and gotten used to Rightmove and other sites like that, does anyone else find it weird that back in the states, the Estate Agents plaster their photo on the listing?

Does anyone actually care what these people look like?

Well, it is nice to know what the person looks like before getting to the place and discovering that the person who "showed the house" was really an axe murderer or something heinous.  Yes, I am paranoid in those ways.

We found our new flat through ReMax, and they show photos of their agents on their listings. I remember noticing it at the time because it stuck out here, and wondered if it's because ReMax is an American company (not sure - is it?)

I've always found it weird! And they seem to plaster on the makeup and hairspray for the photos as well, as if anyone cares how attractive the realtor is...

... wondered if it's because ReMax is an American company (not sure - is it?)

I'm not sure if its American or not, but they definitely advertise in the states.   

Maybe they do it for trustworthiness factor. Or to give that feeling of a persona touch. You're not dealing with a big faceless corporation, but with a realtor-next-door so to speak.

Ha!  I never thought twice about it before, but that is weird!  What are they, running for office or something?

Why is Annette Bening in "American Beauty" coming to mind?     

Why is Annette Bening in "American Beauty" coming to mind?     

I! Will sell! This house! Today!

Believe it or not looks play a HUGE roll in the ability to sell a house. It's proven that women (this would apply to men especially young men but mostly applies to women) who are well put together (clothes, makeup, hair, age, weight...etc) sell houses easier and also sell more expensive houses.

Believe it or not looks play a HUGE roll in the ability to sell a house. It's proven that women (this would apply to men especially young men but mostly applies to women) who are well put together (clothes, makeup, hair, age, weight...etc) sell houses easier and also sell more expensive houses.

But that is pretty much universal isn't it? Well put-together, attractive people (men or women) tend to do better than slobby unattractive ones in almost every kind of business and the difference is quite marked.

But that is pretty much universal isn't it? Well put-together, attractive people (men or women) tend to do better than slobby unattractive ones in almost every kind of business and the difference is quite marked.

Yes, I was just saying that it was true. I saw a report on it on either 20/20 or some other show like that.

Hi!

I think it's a good thing - to me and from a business owner perspective, it implies Customer Service. Buying a home is still the single most biggest expense most people will go through in their lives, it makes perfect sense to provide as best a customer experience as possible. Having a pic on the real estate listing helps for that. It's a sales tactic and like any marketing is designed to appeal subconciously.

Another angle is that Customer service is much more prevalent and visible in the USA than compared to the UK - in general! (plenty of topics here on this site about that!) and Estate Agents in the UK have a pretty bad reputation overall, as well as the house buying process is different in that it's all pretty much done through the solicitors and usually can be done by post! - so the goalposts are different here.

I like the way alot of information is usually provided by USA real estate listings on the big websites, things like Square footage, county information, previous years taxes amounts, ground fees and the like, those thing's don't seem to be prevalent in UK listings.

ReMax was started in Denver Colorado in 1973 - it's a USA company

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!