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Scott
You have always been somewhat fair. I really don’t think you should turn down a VIP Member that wants to pay the money and list his house. I do think he owes you an apology but he has the right to ask what he wants. Now you have set a presidence that you have screened every FSBO house and have givin it you stamp of approval. Have some faith in the VIP members. What ever happened to the idea that if we paid extra we could have an advance sneak preview? You could always charge a seller and extra $100 to be added to the advance list.
Have a great Day!
Stan Putra
BBEI have just realized that you are probably referring to the Luxury Means More Than Just Price article at [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1488.cfm ] – Is that correct?
“Turn down a VIP Member” who wants to pay for a listing in my FSBO section? I have indeed done that in the past for very good reasons – which I have every right to do.
Quality is important.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comSome folks just don’t get IT and never will. While the photos of this place were quite honest they were also quite horrible. If you are trying to sell something you make sure you present it in the best possible way. However, in this case, the photos are also an example of the seller’s idea of “quality”.
If the seller had hired a professional photographer they would have picked the best views, asked for things like the toilet seat be closed and the curtains straitened (beds made) then waited for the best light and framed the most possible flattering photos. Just squaring up the camera or cropping the images true makes a HUGE difference! Really good photos avoiding the bad MIGHT have gotten by. It PAYS to pay a pro.
I have web clients that insist on taking their own photos. They have no eye for it and after 10 years I have given up and just charge more than a good photographer to make the bad images look good. However, it is such a pain that I have offered to take the photos for FREE to avoid the rework. . I have better things to do.
I responded to the poll with a “wouldn’t take it if you gave it to me.”. Why? Well, when construction looks this bad on the SURFACE the important details like foundation, roof, drainage, electric are probably just as bad or worse. I’m sure the fellow spent a LOT of money having this shoddy work done. If you let Tico construction workers do it on their own they will make it just like their own home. This is what happens when you don’t take the good advice of folks like Scott and make sure someone with skills oversees every step of the design and construction. It is also why most banks will not loan money to DIY builders. . . Given this property for free there might not ever be enough money to ever make it worth half a million (dollars). Is the lot worth what it would cost to have the structure removed? Free might not be a good deal. . .
I’m also sure that Scott suggested taking new photos and the seller didn’t get the point. He thought HE was personally being criticized and as Scott noted he was rather rude. However, the photos are the same quality as the construction which is the same quality as the house design . . . and they are probably all one person’s idea of quality and beauty. The poll results tell the tale.
I’m on Scott’s side. The guy should have just politely taken the criticism and gone somewhere else to advertise. But by being insulting and rude to someone in a position of power he got an expose’, for free. I would have done the same.
Edited on Jul 12, 2008 09:08
Thanks for the wonderful laugh Scott! Looking at the pictures of that $600,000 mansion had me rolling on the floor! But I have to disagree that the problem was the photographer…. the place is a MESS! Even someone good with a camera couldn’t save this one!
Designed all wrong, Kitchen is a mess… Stove hanging into the next room… no fridge that I can see… perhaps it’s up against a wall in the living room (seen it many times… must save on the commute time from the sofa for another beer)…. bathroom plumbing exposed, cheap fixtures… and the list goes on! The “project” was a Tico castle gone wrong! I’ve looked at many houses in Costa Rica… and this one is typical of the poor planning of many! The tip off is usually the kitchen… I’m not one to spend hours there cooking, but a functional layout is usually a good indicator or the overall quailty and design of the house.
I remember looking at a listing on line of a nice looking home in CR… and the pictures of the kitchen didn’t look all that bad… but for one thing… a can of Raid insect spray sitting on the table… very visible in several shots… kind of killed the tickle I had to look at the place! That’s where a good photographer can help…
Edited on Jul 12, 2008 10:50
Take a look at the stove…. is it wired directly to ICE with the wire headed into the next room?
I almost forgot… looking at the exposed plumbing in the bath would seem to indicate the place doesn’t have running hot water (Sink or shower)… but perhaps I’m wrong! Oh the value… $600k and cold showers…. paradise living at it’s best!
Edited on Jul 12, 2008 10:53
My wife and I just wet ourselves laughing at this guy. Reading between the lines, your conversation must have been quite colourful. Oh, to have been a fly on that wall.
Sorry I didn’t realize FSBO had rules. Just like this forum . Tell that guy that lost only $10K so far in CR to come back after he lost $100K. Thats almost as silly as the guy that has a trained eagle that he straps a camera to. He outlines your property with red balloons and the Eagle will take aireal photos of a property.
StanYou gotta be kidding me! $600,000? Did he add one zero too many to that price? I particularly like how the swimming pool is right outside the front door. Whose idea was that? This guy needed to have that house “staged” — but seriously, as a chef, I’d have fired the architect who designed THAT kitchen. As for the rest of it, well, it kind of looks like the house where those Stargate people (you know the ones I mean) lived.
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