No, there hasn’t been an upswing in crime in the Gatlinburg area. It’s as safe to live here in the pastoral mountains of East Tennessee as it always has been. The type of drive-by shooting I’m referring to here has nothing to do with a gun and nobody ever gets physically injured although the financial damage can be considerable. The drive-by shooting I am writing about is when a real estate agent photographs a new listing with absolutely no regard to what it will look like in the MLS or on various websites. Some agents don’t even get out of their vehicle – They simply slow down, lean out the window, and take a picture (hence my term “drive-by shooting”). Often, a poor quality digital camera is used and the results of this minimal effort are horrible indeed. The innocent blood that is shed is that of the seller whose property is overlooked by potential buyers who aren’t interested in unattractive homes with dark rooms.
The primary picture of a property that is listed for sale is of paramount importance. This is why we have invested thousands of dollars in photography equipment and take a considerable amount of time to insure that our photos are the very best that we can obtain. After the pictures are taken we spend even more time using Photoshop to edit the photos to make every scene look as attractive as possible. While we won’t take a negative factor (like power lines) out, we can make sure that the photos convey the property in its best legitimate light. Here is a great sample of a recent drive-by shooting I found:
That the seller’s home hasn’t sold isn’t all that unusual in our current market conditions. What is a shame is that this is the agent’s primary photo of the house. Is it any wonder that there hasn’t been much activity or any offers? If you are looking to sell real estate in the Sevier County area, make sure that your home gets the best treatment possible – Don’t be a drive-by shooting victim!