What Sellers Actually Want From Their Agent (According to Zillow's Own Data)
78% of sellers say they're more likely to hire an agent who offers hi-res photography. Here's what Zillow's own 2025 survey says agents should actually be prioritizing.
Every agent knows visuals matter. Almost none of them have a real number to point to when a seller asks why it's worth paying for.
That's the actual gap. Not whether photos and video matter, everyone already agrees on that, but whether you've got something to back it up when a seller pushes back. So we skipped the vendor blogs this time and went straight to Zillow's 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents. Thousands of real buyers and sellers, surveyed directly.
"My photos are fine. Why do I need more?"
Here's the number that ends that conversation. 78% of sellers say they're more likely to hire an agent who offers hi-res photography. 71% say the same about agents who provide virtual tours or interactive floor plans.
That's not a nice-to-have anymore. Most of your potential clients are filtering agents before the first call even happens.
Buyers confirm it from the other side too. In 2024, 86% said they were more likely to view a home if the listing had a floor plan they liked. Visuals aren't decoration on a listing. They're the filter buyers use before they click in at all.
The Generational Gap Nobody's Pricing In
51% of millennials say they're more likely to hire an agent who's active on social media. Among Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, that number is 18%.
Not a small gap. A different set of rules depending on who's buying. If your pipeline skews younger, or you want it to, showing up with strong visuals isn't branding anymore. It's whether you get considered at all.
One more thing worth flagging: 7% of buyers who used an agent say they first found that agent on social media. Small slice right now. Getting bigger every year younger buyers take up more of the market.
Where You Work Changes What Matters
The report splits this by region too. In the West, sellers care most about agents offering high-resolution photography. In the Northeast, buyers care most about agents active on social media.
Same underlying data. Different lever depending on your market.
Why Most Listings Still Go Out Without Video
None of this comes down to agents not knowing visuals matter. It's time. A crew day makes sense for a $2M listing. It's a lot harder to justify for a $250,000 starter home. So that's the one that goes out with nothing but static photos.
- Traditional workflow: Shoot listing photos → schedule a videographer → film the property → wait on editing → upload