patrick.net

StoutFiles says

Why, oh why, is there NEVER a floor plan for anything but new houses?

Can't say I ever thought about it. Next time I sell my house, I'll serious consider having the floor plan as one of the photos I post. While it will certainly hurt some houses that have crappy floor plans, it can only help houses with good floor plans.

PockyClipsNow says

you are dreaming.
if you put up a homemade floor plan it will NEVER match the real floor plan. In order to match it you would have to hire a pro and pay him 5k.

I think I can draw a pretty good floor plan just from memory, the dimensions might be off, the the basic layout would be correct. This is something I draw in 5 minutes, It only lacks the stairs leading up the 2nd floor from the bottom opening in the drawing and the stairs under it from the kitchen to the basement. Give me an couple of hours and I'll post something far better.

TechGromit says

I think I can draw a pretty good floor plan just from memory, the dimensions might be off, the the basic layout would be correct. This is something I draw in 5 minutes, It only lacks the stairs leading up the 2nd floor from the bottom opening in the drawing

That diagram there would be extremely useful for prospective buyers, but some people are convinced you'd get sued for it. Even if you'd told the buyers it was a sketch, even if you labeled it as a sketch, even though other pictures are not necessarily accurate over time, even though listed sq. ft. numbers are always debatable, even though apartments list floor plans and they aren't 100% accurate, etc.

My stance remains the same...if you've got a good layout and want your house sold, flaunt the floor plan! Or, just take some pictures of room corners and waste everyone's time.

StoutFiles says

This piece of crap took me three minutes. Just a random bad layout I threw together.

The "3-minite floorplan" tells me there is no bathroom in the Master Bedroom. A deal-breaker for me. On to the next house.

Here another attempt. I don't see how I could be sued for an advertisement. If I included the Sketch during the closing that might be a different issue.

PockyClipsNow says

then the lawsuits start right after the sale for fraud, mis representation, etc.

I really don't see a different between this than say McDonald's advertising one of there burgers. They use the best bun, lettuce, etc to make the optimal photo of there burger, when you get it in restaurant, it certainly doesn't look like that.

StoutFiles says

It's not like I'm asking for the blueprints, just the location of rooms and their area.

I actually have the original blueprints from when the house was built. If I had a scanner large enough, i could scan them in and post them in an real estate ad.

Warren2 says

StoutFiles says

This piece of crap took me three minutes. Just a random bad layout I threw together.

The "3-minite floorplan" tells me there is no bathroom in the Master Bedroom. A deal-breaker for me. On to the next house.

Good, that would prevent you from coming to see this hypothetical house and wasting your time as well as mine. Win-win. If there are instant deal-breakers in room layouts, wouldn't it be better to know them right away?

DennisN says

I think you answered your own question. It would take an hour to draw one in MS paint. But it only takes a couple of minutes to walk around the house with a camera and take a dozen shots. For the photos no preparation is needed:

I agree with the above.

TechGromit says

StoutFiles says

It's not like I'm asking for the blueprints, just the location of rooms and their area.

I actually have the original blueprints from when the house was built. If I had a scanner large enough, i could scan them in and post them in an real estate ad.

Digital camera should be sufficient.

zzyzzx says

TechGromit says

StoutFiles says

It's not like I'm asking for the blueprints, just the location of rooms and their area.

I actually have the original blueprints from when the house was built. If I had a scanner large enough, i could scan them in and post them in an real estate ad.

Digital camera should be sufficient.

If the homeowner isn't insulted by your offer...you didn't bid low enough!!!

But Warren JUST said a bathroom not next to the master bedroom was a deal breaker. Pictures of room corners doesn't let him know not to waste his or my time. Pictures arent enough.

When it comes to running a business, what you're spending money on, and what value you get for that purchase, is frequently as important as how much you're spending on it.

A nice looking floor plan isn't a cheap thing to purchase, and offers little return on investment, as I can rent/sell just as much without paying for that floor plan as I can if I had paid for it.

With a good digital camera, and a cheap video camera, I can show you anything you want to know about a property without spending any money, and post it to my weblog, hosted for free by google, and then drive traffic to my weblog through free craigslist and backpage ads.

That's why many of us don't provide floor plans. Our businesses depend on providing our clients with as much value for their dollar as possible, and we get very little value from buying floor plans compared to the other options that are available.

Done! says

There's no dimensions? what good is it?

It's a good crude approximation.

propmgrjay says

When it comes to running a business, what you're spending money on, and what value you get for that purchase, is frequently as important as how much you're spending on it.

A nice looking floor plan isn't a cheap thing to purchase, and offers little return on investment, as I can rent/sell just as much without paying for that floor plan as I can if I had paid for it.

With a good digital camera, and a cheap video camera, I can show you anything you want to know about a property without spending any money, and post it to my weblog, hosted for free by google, and then drive traffic to my weblog through free craigslist and backpage ads.

That's why many of us don't provide floor plans. Our businesses depend on providing our clients with as much value for their dollar as possible, and we get very little value from buying floor plans compared to the other options that are available.

Who said anything about a professional floorplan? The main thing I want to know is where rooms are located in the house. I want to know if the bedrooms are grouped together, bathroom locations, etc. This can be done in less than 30 minutes in MS Paint.

I have said before that video would be excellent, but the way real estate sites are set up, it would need to be hosted off-site, so a little more challenging. A floorplan could be uploaded as a house picture and requires less extra work. I'm talking maximum return for little effort.

StoutFiles says

This can be done in less than 30 minutes in MS Paint.

I have tried many times to create a floor plan on my own using many different programs, including MS Paint. I've never been able to create one that looked decent. I've decided that I am not able to create a decent looking one on my own. That is why only a professionally made floor plan is an option, and for reasons I specified earlier, that's out of the question also.

I can take good photos though, and I can shoot adequate videos, so I use photos and videos instead.

That is why I do not provide floor plans, and I suspect it's why many other realtors don't as well. You asked, I answered. I can't help it if you don't like the answer.

TechGromit says

I really don't see a different between this than say McDonald's advertising one of there burgers.

The difference is McDonalds advertisements aren't regulated by the DRE, they aren't scrutinized by real estate attorneys, they are not usually litigated, and they are not usually investigated by the Fair Employment and Housing Authorities. Real estate ads and marketing materials frequently are.