Gone are the days of looking through the newspaper or real estate books and driving around neighborhoods to get a first impression of a house. Instead, the first glimpse buyers get of a home is online through the pictures uploaded to the MLS.
Buyers are busy and have limited time to search through hundreds of listings, and they will quickly move on or skip listings if there is only one photo (or no photos) or if the photos are of poor quality.
If you’re thinking of selling, look through some listings online and ask yourself:
Do the photos make you want to visit the home? Do they look like they are pulled from a home design magazine? These are the kinds of pictures that will appeal to prospective buyers. Buyers want to be impressed.
Too few pictures, low quality pictures, or homes that do not have pictures of the important rooms lead buyers to question what is wrong with the property. Buyers will move on and most likely not come back to view these listings. The first several pictures in the listing are the most important, and should feature an eye-catching exterior front photo, and photos of the main living area, kitchen, owner’s bedroom and bathroom, as well as other attractive features (e.g., deck, patio).
Don’t have photos of the property yet? Don’t list the home until you do. The best photos are those with natural light, so make sure the photographer takes the photos during those times of the day. Properly lit, high resolution photos are a must! In addition, maximize the number of photos uploaded to the various websites. Make sure there are no people (or parts of people) in the photos. Avoid reflections in mirrors or flash feedback in windows or mirrors.
The Wendy Slaughter Team uses a professional photographer to photograph all of our listings because we understand how important this step of the marketing process is to selling your home. Call us to learn more about our awesome marketing services can help you sell your home. (PS: Did you know in 2013, the county average “days on market” was 54 and The Wendy Slaughter Team’s “days on market” was just 16 days! Our sellers hug us a lot.)
