Spotlight on Real Estate Photography
You Can't Please Everyone
Let's face it! While you can stage your home to target a large number of people, you will never be able to please everyone. The very things which will catch the interest of some potential buyers are exactly the ones which will turn off others.
Take pets for example. According to a recent survey by the American Pet Products Association, sixty-eight percent of American homes have pets in them. That means most of the people who see your home online will be looking for a house to accommodate their furry or scaled or feathered friend. If you have a pet, that's good news - right? So what's the bad news?
Part of the bad news is thirty-two percent of the homes in the US don't have pets. For some, a move to your home might mean they will finally have room for a pet they've been wishing for, but for the rest of the pet-less, your kitty, puppy, fish, bird or rodent might be a real turn off. Consider these facts:
So, how do you stage your home around your pet python when fifty-six percent of the people in the US won't even want to come into your home if they know it has a snake in it? And what about Fluffy? Some people are so allergic to cats that just walking into a house where a cat once lived is enough to set them off.
And to be honest, even people who have their own pets may have a slight prejudice against other pets. Plenty of people with dogs, don't like cats and visa versa. Dog owners may have a concern about other people's dogs, because some breeds shed more than others and while all pets can have an accident, someone might worry about how fastidious you've been about cleaning up those accidents. Puppies and kittens are cute, but they can be tiny terrors, too.
Here's another factoid which may surprise you. In the last census it was discovered only sixty-six percent of the homes in America have children in them. That means more household have pets than kids! Talk about accidents on the carpet! Hiding your pet python is one thing, but how do you disguise the fact that you have kids?
Stage for Your Best
I have good news for you. You don't have to get rid of your kids or your pet python. All you need to do is minimize the visual impact of your family. The easiest place to do that is in your online photos. When we show up, we'll only be their for an hour or so, depending on the size of your home. For an hour, Fido and his gnawed bones can hang out in the garage. Your appointment can be scheduled so you and the kids are out having a fun time. The trick is to make everything which is seen in the photos neat, clean and tidy.
What can't be tidied can be hidden - for an hour or so, but don't hide the stuff in the closet. Neat closets can be an asset in your photographs. And forget under the bed or the sofa. While we do light staging to enhance the shots, housecleaning is not in our contract. You don't have to become someone you are not to sell your home, but for a couple of hours you can make your home a little more universal in its appeal.