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An Antidote to Corporate Media
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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.
propmgrjay
2011 Dec 17, 9:12am
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.
propmgrjay
2011 Dec 17, 9:19am
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.
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It's frustrating to view 10-20 pictures online and try to piece together the layout of a house, especially when most pictures are literally the corner of a room. Don't waste my time! There are only a few pictures I care about initially.
1. Floor plan
2. Front of house
3. Back of house
4. Kitchen
Why, oh why, is there NEVER a floor plan for anything but new houses? Is it some sort of safety precaution? Is it because no one wants to take 1 hour to draw one in MS Paint if they don't have it? Is it because no one wants to sell their house?
I think I speak for most people that if a house isn't laid out a certain way, I don't want to waste my time. Putting the floor plan online attracts buyers who are interested in the house layout, and wastes less item on both ends of the transaction.