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This Real Estate Photo Is So Cute You’ll Cry—Can You See Why?

How do you get more eyeballs on your real estate listing? Easy: Add a toddler to your photos. At least, that’s what one family learned when their 3-year-old photo-bombed a snapshot, vaulting them into the international spotlight.

The backstory: Jenny and Halit McAdam were having listing photos taken of their house in the neighborhood of Glen Harrow Park in Belgrave, Australia. And while both parents and their real estate agent were struggling to keep little Henry out of the shots, even shutting him in the laundry room, he was determined to have his moment in the spotlight.

“I just don’t understand it, because he usually refuses to have his photo taken,” Jenny told Metro UK. “But he loves doing whatever he’s told not to do … so I guess that’s why he was so keen to get out of the laundry and see what the photographer was up to.”

The result? Henry managed to peek around a doorway right when a photo was snapped of the kitchen. It was such a stealth photo-bomb, the parents didn’t even notice until the pics were up, and family friend Lorelei Vashti pointed him out.

Vashti posted the image on Instagram, saying, “I am literally obsessed with this kid who snuck into his family’s professional ‘house for sale’ photo shoot.”

The photo was liked and shared hundreds of times, and the story was picked up by news outlets in Australia and abroad. Real estate publisher Inman even took note, with an article titled “If You Want Your Real Estate Listing to Go Viral … Add a Toddler?”

Little Henry’s cameo certainly boosted this listing’s exposure level. So should we all be casting cute toddlers like Henry in our real estate photo shoots, too?

Is it ever OK to feature kids in real estate photos?

Although it’s hard not to love this particular photo, real estate agents still insist on keeping people and pets out of your listing pics. In fact, many multiple listing services have policies to this effect—and for good reason.

“No matter how adorable the kid or pet may be, there are safety issues—particularly with including children in photos that replicate to several hundred websites. Listings photos continue to stay on the internet long after a home has sold, so you have to also consider whether you’d want images of your loved ones plastered all over the internet for years to come,” says Florida real estate agent Cara Ameer.

Privacy issues aside, “including a person or pet in a listings photo distracts the eye from the home’s features,” says Michael Shaffer, owner of Reason Real Estate. Buyers will look, comment on the cute puppy, and miss the beautiful hardwood flooring under the puppy.

And to contradict another classic rule, not all publicity is good publicity.

“The only views a homeowner should care about are the ones that will help sell the property,” Shaffer explains. “Maybe now we’re about to see a rash of cute inclusions of kids in listing pictures. Rest assured, none of them will help sell the house.”

When (and how) to include kids and pets in real estate photos

OK, OK, there are some exceptions where some outright cuteness can help.

“Utilizing people or pets may be appropriate in real estate videos where you’re trying to tell a story and captivate the lifestyle that the home and area conveys,” Ameer concedes. For instance, if a home has a fabulous entertaining space or a great yard for kids, you might want footage of happy children and adults enjoying these amenities to liven up what could otherwise be dull, static shots.

And when it comes to social media marketing, shots of cuddly little ones could cut through the clutter. Whatever you do, don’t force it. As Shaffer puts it, “This toddler pic went viral because it was a cute error.”

In other words, Henry’s photo-bomb is one of a kind.

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Source: Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com » Real Estate News