This may sound ridiculous to you, yet to me I do not understand it.

What is the Logic of putting your mug shot on everything RE agents do?

Why not prove how many home you have sold this quarter?

Also why all the Glamour shots, If you put a picture up of you looking as good as you will ever get, when you meet with your prospect they will ask. What happened to your face?

Seriously, I believe the mug shots are a waste of time. Then again I have never had a mind like the others. I hated that about me in my youth. Now I love it.

Seriously, is there a higher occipation and turn over in the world than an RE agent? How many quit after 1 year and never return? So why do the same as everyone else.

It is an old-school technique. Agents used their face on their marketing because they used to walk the neighborhood, go to events, and be part of the community. I haven't had an agent knock on my door in YEARS.

With the death of doorknocking went the death of the need for this marketing, IMO.

Why do we all have profile pictures then?

Profile photos here and on every other social network are so people can feel like they are dealing with an actual person. The internet is a cold place . . . profile pics make it a little friendlier.

I believe Joshua has the winning answer. Agents use their picture as a way to put a face to a name. Just as a profile picture makes the post a little freindlier it does the same with marketing material.

Since the prospect of selling your home is so personal, the photo is a way of humanizing the whole thing. I agree that some the those "glamor" shots are rather off-putting, and 25 year-old photos. I'm in L.A., you can only imagine! When I stop looking half decent, I am going to stop with the photos. Scaring your prospects away is counter productive.

I have been an agent for years, have never put my face on anything, and often wondered why others do. Thank you for asking the question so that others like me can hear the answers.

I'm with Summerhomes...I don't put my picture on anything. IMO, it's really lame.

I just added my photo last night so I thought I would post here to expose my mug.

I hate using my photo in advertising but it is one of the recommended things an agent should do. Kind of like wearing a T shirt that says "I Buy Houses" may get you a deal in the grocery.

Of course when you are fat, bald and ugly like I am it really makes it hard to see the point. Some buyers may contact a certain agent solely because of their looks. The difference between the advertised agent photo and reality is often...scary. And if the agent is deceptive in the headshot they use, what else are they deceptive about?

Mark - You look like a very pleasant looking hammer :mrgreen:

I think my rental properties look better then my mug.
If you want to see my picture you will have to go to the post office. :)

What drives me nuts is, when realtors in my area take pics with their pets. We have many agents use this type of marketing. Another one is when the "family" pic is used. On this one, it drives me crazy when the entire family is wearing blue shirts and brown pants.

Now, I do live in a thoroughbred driven community. So farm agents taking pics with horses does not really bother me.

Just my opinion.

Using your photo can help in building your brand. This is especially important if what you are selling is you. RE agents are selling themselves and services provided directly by them?

Whether you like it or not, how many of you instantly recognize picures of certain agents in your market because they have built their own brand by keeping their image on all their marketing.

It helps their clients feel like they "know" them. I'm far from pretty, but because of my videos, my prospective tenants and buyers already feel a connection even before we meet.

To follow up on Jon's comment, the only real branding most agents have is themselves. While leveraging the brand of the firm you work for is nice, there is no guarentee you will be with the same firm a few years in the future.

It has been taken to a new level by most agent with the glamor shots and crap like that but it was originally started to get your face out there so people could put a face with a name and maybe build some rapport.

Brian Haskins

I feel that sometimes in certain communities it could definitely help an agent attract buyers/sellers.

I will never do it; at least not in the generic shoulders-up way that all other agents do it. If you see a picture of me in would be in social media or on my website in an about me section or something.

@crosswind...some kid that does rentals in boston poses in a suit with his dog with a serious look and slaps it on all his craigslist.org rental ads...tool alert!