How important are the photos, anyway? VERY!

I was reminded of the importance of listing photos yesterday by two buyers who came through my open house. It was pretty sparsely attended since we had gone under contract earlier in the weekend, but I had done some advertising, so I held it open anyway.

This gave me more of a chance to talk one-on-one to the potential buyers (or neighbors,as we like to call them). Both of them complimented me on the quality and quantity of photos available on  my listing.

I know there are agents that don't take this aspect of listing as seriously as I do. Maybe their listings are at a lower price point, and they can't justify hiring a professional. Maybe they have never invested in a really good camera. Maybe they don't have software that allows them to crop stuff from the neighbors yard out of the picture. If you find yourself agreeing with any of those sentiments, I respectfully suggest you rethink your position.

After all, listing photos are the most important thing that most buyers see on your listing. They MIGHT click on the Virtual Tour, they MIGHT read your eloquent description, but I guarantee that they ALWAYS look at the pictures. There are cost effective ways to get good photos--barter for services, engage a friend who takes photos as a hobby, borrow a relatives camera, hire a college kid, etc.-- and you should make sure you find a way to get good photos for your listings.

There have been some pretty funny posts over the years about things that have made it into listing photos (personal hygiene items on the back of open toilets, bottles of booze in the background, etc.), and this is not that kind of post.

The point of this post is to let you remind you that consumers really ARE looking at your photos. They are checking them for quality, thoroughness and representation of the property. They are noting if you, as a listing agent, take the on-line presentation of their home seriously.

If you have taken the easy way out with photos and either not worried so much about quality or not posted as many as you can, or should, (even a small house listing can include some great community shots), I urge you to re-think your approach.

The consumers are watching!