If you are trying to sell your home, listen up. Buyers choose their home online. Period. You could argue that they choose a home when they walk through at a showing. You would be correct. But first, you have to get them to want to schedule a showing of your home. If the pictures suck, that won’t happen.
Listing photos are so important. We have become such a visual, instant society. If your listing photos don't capture their attention in the first few seconds, they move on.
In the 2012National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 90% of buyers used the internet to find their home. Buyers spend hours online finding homes, then they call their Realtor and let them know which ones they want to see. How do they choose? Listing photos. I do the same thing as a Realtor. I go through the MLS and pull listings to show my clients. And guess what? If your listing has bad photos, no photos or just a couple – I’m not showing it.
Sounds harsh, but here’s why.
- No photos – the outside must be a dump
- A couple photos of the exterior – what are you hiding inside?
- Bad photos – You must have a lazy agent, and if he/she can’t take the time to get some good photos, then that speaks to me about how they will work (or not) during the transaction.
Why would I waste my time and my clients time when there are plenty of other listings that show us exactly what to expect?
I hire a photographer to photograph my listings. And quite frankly that should be expected of any Realtor these days. As a seller, you cannot afford to alienate potential buyers before they even see your home. (Remember that 90% of buyers who find their home online?) Listing photos are the most important marketing tool in real estate. (well, second most important, after price!) If your Realtor posts crappy pictures of your home online, fire them. They work for you – not the other way around. This should not even be a conversation, but I see it all the time! Here are just a few photos I found on my MLS this morning.
This is the front of a $529,000 home. In my market, average sales price is $178,000 so this is a luxury home. You can't tell me there was no way to shoot around these trees using another angle!
This is the front of a $649,000 home. Are you kidding me?! 
Eat-in kitchen of a $795,000 home.
Living room of a $1,000,000 home
Seriously- are these sellers even looking at their listing online? Aren't they even curious? How would you feel if this was how your home was being marketed?! For 6% of sales price!
I would never represent a client in this way - and as a seller, you should NEVER accept this.
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