What listing photos do not show out-of-area buyers

The twelve things

1. How steep the street and driveway are

Lake Havasu City climbs away from the lake. Some driveways are flat. Some are steep enough that a trailer tongue or a low car touches where the driveway meets the street. A wide lens makes every driveway look gentle.

2. How much of the lot you can use

The listing gives total square feet. It does not say how much is level. On a hillside lot, part of that number may be a slope you look at and never stand on.

3. What is behind the house

It could be another home. It could be a desert wash, a vacant lot waiting to be built on, a road, or a commercial property. Each changes privacy, noise and what the view will be in five years.

4. What the neighbors keep in their yards

Much of the city has no HOA. That freedom is why you can keep a boat at home. It also applies next door. Photos are framed to leave the neighbors out.

5. The view from where you would sit

A view photo may be taken from the roof, a ladder, an upstairs window or a drone. What matters is what you see from the patio chairs and the kitchen sink.

6. Who can see into the yard

On a slope, the house uphill may look straight down at your pool. The house downhill may be looking at your roof. Neither shows in a listing.

7. Where the afternoon sun lands

A west-facing patio is lovely in January and very hot in July. Photos are usually shot in soft morning or evening light. Ask which way the backyard faces and what shades it at 4 p.m.

8. The garage's real dimensions

"RV garage" and "boat deep" are descriptions, not measurements. Door opening height, clear depth and the lowest point of the ceiling are what count. See the guides to RV garages and boat garages.

9. Side-yard width and the gate

A side yard is only as wide as its narrowest point. That is often the gate, the air conditioner or the gas meter.

10. Sound

Highway traffic. A neighbor's pool pump. Dogs. Boats on trailers leaving at dawn on a Saturday. A photo is silent.

11. Condition up close

Photos are small and bright. Up close you see hairline stucco cracks, worn roof edges, sun-faded garage doors, old air conditioning units and tired pool decking. None of these have to be deal-breakers. All of them belong in your budget.

12. The drive

How long it takes to reach the ramp with a trailer. How the street handles a truck and a boat. Whether cars line the block on a holiday weekend. You only learn this by driving it.

How to get these checked when you are not here

This is the core of what Paige does for out-of-area buyers. For a home you are serious about, she can:

• Film the approach from the driver's seat, then the driveway on foot
• Measure the garage door, the clear depth and the lowest ceiling point
• Measure the side yard and gate at the tightest spot
• Photograph the view from the patio, the main bedroom and the kitchen
• Film a slow turn in the backyard with no talking, so you can hear it
• Look over each wall and show you what is there
• Go back at a different time of day if sun or noise is a concern
• Look up what is behind the lot and whether it can be built on

The full remote process is in buying Lake Havasu real estate from out of state.

Questions to ask about any listing

• Where was the view photo taken from?
• Which way does the backyard face?
• What are the garage door height, width and clear depth?
• Is there an HOA? If so, what are the parking rules?
• What is behind the lot?
• How old are the roof, the air conditioning units and the pool equipment?
• Can the seller share 12 months of electric bills?
• Has any photo been virtually staged or edited beyond lighting?

What photos are good for

They are still useful. Photos tell you the floor plan, the style, the kitchen and bath finishes, and whether the home has been updated. Use them to build a list. Use someone on the ground to cut it down.

When you are ready to come see the finalists yourself, read how to plan a house-hunting trip to Lake Havasu.

Questions buyers ask

Can I trust the garage size in a listing?

Treat it as a starting point. Listing figures are often rounded, taken from plans, or measured wall to wall instead of clear usable space. Ask for the door opening height and width and the clear depth, measured on site.

How can I tell how steep a driveway is from photos?

You usually cannot. Wide-angle lenses flatten slopes. A street-level map view helps a little. A video filmed from the driver's seat while pulling in helps much more.

Are listing photos edited?

Often, in ordinary ways: brighter exposure, bluer sky, greener plants, and sometimes virtual furniture, which should be disclosed. The bigger issue is what is not photographed at all.