Yes, sales volume is back to 2003 levels, but many agents are not doing their job, based upon a quick run through the MLS offerings recently.

Take photos! I find it hard to believe that agents in today’s internet world actually have listings in the database with NO photos. The figures are astounding when you compare the number of “clicks” a listing gets with photos compared with listings with no photos; so how can you properly represent the property with NO photos in the MLS database, especially when their MLS sends your listings to a variety of internet websites such as AlohaLiving.com, Cyberhomes, AOL, Yahoo!, GoogleBase, Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, Frontdoor (Homes and Garden), and more to come.

Add captions to your photos! If the view is from the lanai, say so. The captions are an advertising opportunity that many agents are not taking advantage of. If your client sees that all other photos have great captions outlining the features of the property, and your photos have no captions, what will your response be when the client calls wondering why there are no captions on the photos of his or her property?

It all starts with good data entry. You should be completing as many fields as possible during the data entry process. If the property is not oceanfront but has an ocean view, check the box that says it has an ocean view — otherwise, your unit will not show up in a search asking for units with an ocean view. Garbage in, garbage out. It all starts with good data entry.