Kristine offers up some great ideas, suggestions, and samples for MLS photos to promote and market your sellers homes.  The photos of a home are critical and the most important part of marketing any property.  It's the photos that capture serious and legitimate prospects and sell more houses online than any other tool. 

Why do so many allow crappy or NO photos of their listings on the MLS? If you were searching and buying a car online, would you even consider it without seeing a photo first? Have you seen homes for sale with no photos available, or images that were so bad you passed it up immediately?

I have, and I see them every day on sites all over the web.

I think and vote that every MLS in the Country should mandate a new standard for listings and professional looking photos. Representing the seller and their "home" is really up to each agent and the standards they work and live by making it difficult to enforce a "minimum of quality" in this area of marketing. But seriously, how can anyone expect to get calls or inquiries from homes on the market or the Internet with bad or even worse, no photos?

Via Kristine Ginsberg Morris County, NJ Stager (Morris County, NJ: Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC):

The Importance of Professional MLS Photos

NAR (National Association of Realtors) report that 90% of home buyers start thier home seach online before ever stepping out with their Realtor. Regardless of how great your home looks, if you don’t capture it with top quality MLS photos you lose potential buyers right out of the gate. Every day new buyers log onto the Internet searching for the latest homes to come on the market. This is your chance to WOW buyers, driving more foot traffic to your door. Morris County's Elite Staging and Redesign prides ourselves on delivering the highest quality MLS photos, showcasing your home in its best possible light.

Taking Outdoor MLS Photos in all Kinds of Weather

Whether (pardon the pun) the sun is shining or you’re dealing with inclement weather you can capture stunning MLS photos…..if you know what you’re doing. The following are tricks and tips capturing great MLS photos during varying weather conditions with excellent results.

Sunny Days

Sunny days are great if you plan the timing of the sun’s position in relation to the exterior of the home. You always want the sun at your back. If there are a lot of trees on the property noontime yields the least shadows. I took this MLS photo on a sunny day around noon...

Inclement Weather

I staged this home on a dark, dreary day. I had planned to return the next sunny day but decided to snap a few pictures to see how the weather translated in the photos. In this case, the stormy clouds gave the photos a beautiful, unique quality and I was able to bring up the colors without bleaching out the photos because I wasn’t working with bright sunlight…   

Try Different Vantage Points

Take several photos from different angles because the camera always views objects different than the naked eye.  While the obvious MLS exterior shot was standing in the driveway close to the home it became apparent after taking several shots that further away captured the home’s beautiful landscaping yielding a much better photo.  Moreover, with 25 available MLS photos you can add two front yard angles, especially when you have a large as pictured...

No Sun

Dark, overcast days lend themselves to increasing the colors, vicbrancy and contrast without bleaching out the photo due to too much sunlight. Most people don't realize you can't increase the colors on a sunny day because you increase the white bleaching out the photo. These two photos, both taken on overcast days worked great...

 

Think Outside The Box

I noticed this shade garden in the far backyard and snaped a photo looking back at the home. It was an extra if the Realtor wanted to use it and with 25 availble MLS photos she did include it to show how large the property was and all its differnt features...

Always Edit Your MLS Photos

Taking the photos is only half the job. For each staging job I shot over 200 photos to get the best 25 MLS with at least 5 alternate as options for the Realtors I work with. Then I edit them bringing up the colors, vibrancy, contrast and in some cases darken a bleached out shot.  Moreover crooked photos can always be salvaged using the straighten or cropping tool.  Whatever you do don’t just snap one photo and move on. 

If you live in the Morris, Union, Bergen County area and want beautiful, professional MLS photos Call me, Kristine Ginsberg of Elite Staging and Redesign at (201-602-2562) for more information on how I can make your home stand out from the competition.

 If you enjoyed this post click:   Thank You! 

Elite Staging and Redesign - Kristine Ginsberg - 201 602 2562

 

Home Staging Morris County - Staged to Sell, Designed to Live!

You have 90 seconds to make a great first impression once your home goes on the market. Consult a Morris County professional home stager serving Union, Essex, Sussex Counties for that competitive edge so your home stands out from the competition, selling faster and for top dollar!  

Elite Staging and Redesign offers home staging services to North Jersey homeowners, real estate agents, banks, builders, and investors in preparing homes to stand out in today’s real estate market. For a consultation on vacant staging, lived in homes or interior redesign projects call Elite Staging and Redesign at 201-602-2562.

Morris County Home Staging Website: Elite Staging and Redesign

Morris County Staging: Portfolio

Email: Kris@elitestagingandredesign.com

 

           

 

 

          

 

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Tools | Websites


Download the ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for Your Browser
ActiveRain HELP Browser Toolbar

 

 
Post is included in group: Photography
Post is included in group: ActiveRainPhotoBlogger
Post is included in group: The Lounge at Active Rain
Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: Almost Anything Goes

15 Comments on The Importance of Professional MLS photos

JUN
14
1,093,899 Points 7 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Great Photo's make all the difference when it comes to selling a home.  Thank you for the post!
7:41am • #1
191,894 Points 2 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

With our local MLS we are required to have at least one photo up within two days of posting the listing.
7:46am • #2
152,624 Points 7 Featured Posts

I took photos for our local MLS for a short time, and learned a lot about how to take good pics, and how not to take bad pics. Now, when looking at the MLS I simply ignore listings without a photo. I can't believe that a Realtor has met their fiduciary responsibility by entering a listing with no photos or bad photos. Very good post.
10:43am • #3
345,510 Points 5 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Great photos I agree depending on the picture you are taking not all the pictures come out great on a sunny day.
10:44am • #4
565,773 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I cannot tell you how many realtors don't even realize that by only putting 1 pic on their listing and it is the public record photo, how badly they are hurting their shot at getting this home sold.

We generally feel if the realtor is too lazy to visit the listing and take photos, there must be nothing worth seeing inside.
6:45pm • #5
JUN
15
4 Featured Posts

Right on Brad!
11:52am • #6
JUN
18
101,863 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

I can't agree more.  In fact I will pay a professional to take my listing photos to make sure they are done well.  The downside of putting out great photos is hearing buyer's complain that the house looked better in the photos! 
5:30am • #7
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Wayne - they not only make all the difference, they make all the sales!  :-)
8:03am • #8
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Lynda - I think other MLS's should follow that example, maybe even mandate a minimum of 3 photos before the listing can be viewed publicly.  I think if it were easier to do for agent and the format were simplified, everyone would do it.
8:05am • #9
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Thanks Dale - when my wife and I moved back to the mainland from Hawaii, we obviously could only preview and consider homes to purchase that had photos. We were seperated by hundreds of miles of ocean so we did the same thing. We scrolled right over every house on the web that had no photos available.

What a diservice to the seller, and to us as potential buyers for those homes.
8:09am • #10
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Ritu - good point.  My suggestion is take 20 and use the best 10.  :-)
8:10am • #11
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Kevin - what's even worse is when they get calls from people/contacts asking to see more photos and they call those prospects crappy leads. This happened just last week with a property found on Zillow with a single photo of the front yard.

A visitor called the agent directly and asked for more photos and the agents broker had to explain why the contact was not a crappy lead and that the agent should have included some interior photos too.  I only know this story because the broker lets me use a desk in their office when I'm in the area. He pulled me aside and said "you're not going to believe this..." then I showed him this post.  lol~  "I believe it!" I replied....

"The power of property photos goes deeper than meets the eye!"  Sounds like a great title for a blog post! :-)
8:18am • #12
681,595 Points 316 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Mike - now that's a great photographer!  I need them to come take a photo of me!!! 
8:19am • #13
JUN
19
109,194 Points Outside Blog

Brad thank you for sharing such an informative post. I always have the max amount of photo allowed. What I have see done more than once is an agent copy the same crapy photo in the listing so it goes onto the web sites. I don't get it..if they have the time to something like that why not just take more photos??? 

 
8:05am • #14
JUN
20
565,773 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Absolutely amazing photos.  You have a magical eye for great detail and positiion.  Great job.
8:37pm • #15

Login or register to leave a comment
 
Image4-1 Ambassador_large

Brad Andersohn

ActiveBrad

Fairfield, CA

More about me…

Zillow - Natl Outreach Mgr & Dir of Zillow Academy

Address: I am always Mobile, but right now I'm in, Fairfield, CA, 94534

Office Phone: Zillow.com

Cell Phone: (707) 646-1876

Email Me


Serving Industry Since 1986
_________________________

Subscribe Here To
Get Email Updates

Created By:Brad Andersohn
"The Internetarian & Web Concierge"

_________________________

Top 10 Bloggers

The Official Zillow Blog for Pros

_________________________

AGENT GOAL PLANNER


Goals and Financial Planner

_________________________


Visit Real Estate 411

Brad Andersohn on Zillow

Check Out My Digs on Zillow

_________________________

STORM DRAIN OVERFLOW
REAL ESTATE APPLICATION
YOUR EDGE in REAL ESTATE
FREE TRAINING & SUPPORT
REAL ESTATE TOOLBOX
REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY
REAL ESTATE VLOG
THE REAL ESTATE SCOOP
REAL ESTATE WIDGETIZED
MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT
BAY AREA DANCE BAND
AMERICA'S GOT TALENT
WINE MUSINGS & REVIEWS

Produce 1000's of contacts every month

_________________________

Locations of visitors to this page

web tracker
TwitterCounter for @BradAndersohn

All Networks

_________________________



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog