Spotlight on Real Estate Photography
The Importance of Real Estate Photos
Selling a home comes with a lot of important days.
The day you decide to sell
The day you choose your agent
The day of your open house
The day you accept an offer
The day you close
But there's one day you may not have realized was so important and that's the day of your photo shoot. Did you know that 95% of all buyers use the internet to shop for homes and 44% of them look online as their first step in the home buying process – before they contact an agent or think about financing. What that means is the first impression most potential buyers have of your home is the pictures they see online on Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia and all the other real estate sites.
While real estate agents still play a very important role in the sale of most homes, statistics suggest your buyer may form an opinion of your house long before they come see it - if they come see it at all. They will have searched their favorite real estate site for listings in a particular area with the right price, the right size and all the right features. Then there your home will be with all the other similar houses in your neighborhood. If the photo they see doesn't present your property in the best possible way, then the perfect buyer for your house may never even bother to come see it.
Staging for Showing vs. Staging for Photography
If you've chosen a good real estate agent, one of the first things they discussed with you was staging your home for showings and open houses. This is an important step, from creating curb appeal with seasonal flowers and freshly painted doors, to removing clutter, personal items and irreplaceable treasures. Many of those steps are also important for good photographic images, but for the best results we suggest you go the extra mile.
When your agent holds an open house, you will have many people come through your rooms, but it won't even be a fraction of the number of people see your home online. Online there will be no freshly baked cookies, no air freshener and no agent there to answer any concerns - just someone clicking through pictures of front elevation shots, and if you're lucky, maybe they'll even look at a few rooms.
Over the coming weeks, we'll be talking about things to consider when your agent schedules a photographer to come to your home. Some of the suggestions we make will be things you've heard over and over, from your agent, websites, magazines, blogs and even social media, but at the risk of sounding repetitive, we want to underline their importance. However, some of the suggestions we make might surprise you. In fact, we may tell you a few things your agent would be afraid to mention. We'll even ask you to step out of your own shoes and see your home from the eyes of a potential buyer. So keep coming back to see us. We'll help you get that house sold.