The internet has revolutionized many facets of our life. It’s made many things easier, quicker, and more efficient – shopping included. Buying clothes and electronics can be done easily online with a click of a button. Photos and online reviews can help the buyer make a decision without even having to step foot in a store. Typically the products that are marketed the best, sell the best. But if you take the time to venture into a store, sometimes you can walk away with a good deal. It’s no surprise that this parallels shopping for real estate.

When real estate buyers go shopping, many make the decision to see a property (or not) based solely on the MLS photos. On one side of the spectrum, you have the listing agents who will provide professional photos of perfectly staged rooms with flattering angles, giving a property that show home appearance. They are doing what they should be doing but will often generate a lot more interest, and consequently more offers and higher selling prices. You are unlikely to find a deal here. On the other side of the spectrum, you have the listing agents who include really unflattering photos of the unit or no photos at all. This is where deals are found!

Here’s an example of an investment property I purchased. When I go deal hunting, I look for listings that include photos like this (Yes, these were the photos from the MLS listing, the only 2 that were posted – I kid you not):

I wouldn’t blame anyone for skipping this unit. In my early days, it was a quick “next’ for me.

However, I’ve learned to never judge a book by its cover and to put the effort into my due diligence. You never know what a unit actually looks like until you see it in person. More often than not, places look better in person! And due to the lack of showings from its terrible online presence, I often secure first-bidding rights, avoid bidding wars and am able to negotiate the price down. 

I secured the property, furnished it, and took some professional photos. I performed zero renovations, just a nice deep clean. I spent less than $4000 to furnish the unit.

Here are some photos of the same unit (from above) with better lighting, photography angles, and modern decor. 

Not bad, right? I’m certain with these 4 photos alone, the interest generated would have been vastly different. Instead, I negotiated the seller down way below market price, had no competition, and came away with a steal. The listing agent couldn’t understand why his listing wasn’t getting any showings since the condo was located so centrally downtown and was a beautiful unit with 10 Feet ceilings.

Me neither….can’t wait for his next listing.