Every day I am amazed at the listing photos I see that are supposed to be marketing a home to sell, but these perfectly nice homes look like the ugly stepsister (that’s probably not pc anymore is it?).
I guess it wasn’t such a big deal in the old days for real estate when home listings were only available to listing agents and were published in a phone book sized listing book, one small photo per house in black and white. But that is obviously not the case anymore and it’s becoming increasingly important that your home for sale shine online. So, I ask you…have you seen what your home looks like online?
This isn’t just a theory, mind you. I see it over and over as I list homes that were listed before and didn’t sell. The house hasn’t changed but when I take photos that actually showcase the home and Voila! the house sells. At first I thought, hmmm… coincidence? But it’s happened too many times to think that any more.
Here are a couple examples:
The original listing photo looked something like this~
The photo I took to market this property~
There’s nothing really “wrong” with the first photo. It just doesn’t attract your attention and it was taken on a dismal day. It’s not going to catch the eye of a buyer sitting at their computer looking at hundreds if not thousands of homes for sale just like it. So, your home HAS to stand out over all the rest of the homes for sale!
Or how bout this one.
It looked something like this in the listing that expired ~
And, the photo I took to market this home ~
Same beautiful home , but you wouldn’t know it was beautiful by the first photo. Difference? Marketing photos with light and angles that attract buyers and this home that was listed for several months previously, was under contract in 42 days.
Bottom line. If your home’s photos online aren’t jumping off the screen yelling “You KNOW you want me!” , there’s a good chance the home is going to expire…and that would be very sad.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Amy, great input! I’ve found that the sharper the photos are, the more traffic the listing gets. Your listings need to stand out! Here’s a site that shows what NOT to do: http://uglyhousephotos.com/
-Chris
http://www.realaz.com
Thanks for sharing this very interesting article..!!Yeah you are absolutely right,it really attracts the buyers and its really important that the photos are presentable and awesome of course…!!