"A picture is worth a thousand words" is how the old saying goes. So what do the words say? My wife and I recently relocated from Connecticut to South Carolina to be nearer my son. Like more than 85% of people looking for a home, we began our search online. I spoke to several very professional and very competant real estate agents. We looked at dozens of properties online and as a professional photographer I was struck by the quality of most of the images we viewed. To put it simply, the images were just not very flattering to the property they were meant to promote.
If I was selling a home, I would never try and do it myself without the help of a professional for all of the obvious reasons. I respectfully submit, that agents or individuals listing a home should take the same appraoch when it comes to photography. I have studied photography intensly for almost 7 years now, and still I am learning new techniques that can improve my ability.
When you list a property for sale or rent, your objective is traffic, leads, inquiries, and ultamlately sales. Take some time and browse through the listings in your area and compare the images. I think you will agree that most are about the same and not as flattering to the property as they could be. The images should give the viewer a good feel and perspective of what the home really looks like. So many times they are dark or not level or are of just a small portion of the room.
I use an ultra wide angle 10mm professional lens and a professional camera, which will capture nearly the entire room in one shot. In addition I use HD HDR (high dynamic range) photography,because this gives you as close to what the eye sees as possible. If you want your listings to stand out from the crowd, then you should be using a professional photographer to make the images.
So how much is a picture really worth? Well it could certainly make the difference in making a sale if it can drive more traffic to you. So, in that case a picture can be worth thousands of dollars.
Making effective dynamic images is a skill and should not be taken lightly. The investment is so reasonable, that you might even feel silly for not taking advantage of this service. I can make HD HDR images formatted for both internet and print delivered electronically for as low as $54.50. How much does it cost to advertise? How much is a magazine ad? $54.50 is very little compared to other costs associated with listing a property. In fact think of how much it costs you to make your own images. How much is your time worth?
The question you should answer is....Do you want your listings to be just one in the crowd?...or do you want them to stand out in a big way?
Give me a call and let's discuss how i can help you. My guarantee is very simple. If you are not thrilled with my work, then you owe me nothing. So what do you have to lose?
Call me today at 843-321-3682
Take a look at some of my work at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/koda57/
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