Not everyone is a born salesperson. This doesn’t surprise me. However, when you are selling the most valuable asset you will ever own, I would think you would put at least 12 seconds of thought into it. I honestly believe that is all it would take to realize that you shouldn’t leave a pile of dirty dishes in the sink when you are taking pictures of your kitchen for display on the internet. My wife and I are looking at houses and we have been astounded by how little people do to prepare their homes for sale.

Before you think this post is all about home sales, allow me to make this point. We all sell. We sell products, services or ideas at work. We sell suggestions to our significant others and our kids. We are always selling.

All I’m suggesting is that before you take a picture of your home or start explaining a request to your kid, you should take 12 seconds to think about the sale. I encountered five pictures in particular that could not possibly have been considered for 12 seconds.

1. I already told you about the sink piled high with dishes.
2. A picture so blurry I couldn’t tell if it was a living room or a water buffalo.
3. A closeup of a toilet. No kidding. Nothing else in the picture but the inside of the bowl.
4. A close up of a flower. Now I’m not an expert on these things, but what exactly is supposed to happen when I see a picture of a flower? Should I forget that the owner neglected to include pictures of the kitchen?
5. And this one is truly remarkable. A photo of water damage.

I’m just asking for 12 seconds. Is that so much to ask?