If you're thinking of selling your Long Beach home and trying to choose an agent, there are a number of factors to consider. Track record, experience, and communication skills are important. But so is the agent's marketing plan and the quality of their marketing - particularly the photos.
Most home buyers begin their home search on the Internet and the first exposure they will probably have to your home is the pictures that the agent provides to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). It's very important that there be lots of pictures -- and that the pictures are of good quality.
In the age of digital cameras, some agents will still enter listings into the MLS without any photos, indicating that photos will be coming later. What that means is that for many buyers, the first exposure to the home is without any photos. Many home buyers won't even consider your home if there are no phtos. The buyers assume there are no photos because the house is ugly or the seller doesn't want them to see it.
Sometimes there are very few photos. Again, buyers assume that's because the house doesn't have any features worth showing.
If you're interviewing agents, ask them who will be taking photos of your home and how many photos there will be. More is better.
Quality also matters. Look at the photos the agent uses in their printed marketing (flyers and postcards) as well as the MLS. Is this the way you want your home to presented?
Check out this photo that was just posted in the MLS for a Long Beach home priced at just under $1 million.
The description makes this home sound lovely. The photo makes it look dark and outdated.
Is that because the home is dark and outdated? Hard to say.
Here's another photo of the same house:
Ideally, the photos would be well lit, crisp and clear. A virtual tour or multiple views of the same space from different angle also appeal to buyers.
Check out the photos of the kitchen of a Long Beach home I currently have listed:
Note that buyers can get a good sense of the space with these kitchen shots -- not only how it relates to the rest of the home, but also how it relates to the space outside it. The shots are well lit and inviting.
Who you hire to sell your Long Beach home really does matter. Make sure that whoever you choose will represent you and your home as well as possible.
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