Photos are the First Showing

Photos are the first showing isn't some slick marketing slogan; it's an absolute fact. And, it's a fact that real estate agents and property owners will either benefit from using them, or will become the victims of poor sales response, if they don't.

In today's residential real estate world, the very first place where most prospective buyers start to look for their next home are Internet websites like Zillow.com, Realtor.com​ and a long list of the dozens of other home search websites.

And, when they start looking, the very first - AND MOST INFLUENTIAL thing they see, are photos of the homes being offered.

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This isn't just my opinion.

In fact, according the National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2016 report, "online websites were seen as the most useful at 86%" and a whopping "89% of buyers found photos very useful".

What should be even more interesting, especially to agents and homeowners, is the information in an article published by the real estate industry trade magazine, Inman News, entitled, 6 Reasons Why a Professional Home Photographer is Worth the Price, which it says, "Did you know that listings with professional photos sell for more money? Not only that, but they sell quicker."

It should be clearly understood, that just because you pay someone with a camera to take photos of your home, doesn't mean you're going to get high-quality photographic results.

Photography is a combination of art and science. A great real estate photo is as much about the way the property is displayed on an emotional level, as it is about the technical aspect of the photographic techno-quality.

After all, buying a home​ is a very emotional event for most people. And, if the photos can't generate an emotional response in the buyer, you've just wasted money on a useless product; which brings me to the next important point . . .

Although, there are now a bunch of people running around calling themselves "professional photographers" who are trying to capitalize on the need for professional real estate photographers, only a handful have both the photographic knowledge and the real estate marketing experience to create high-quality photos that will generate buyer action. (And, with over 45 years of both photography and award-winning real estate marketing experience, I'm one of those few. Sorry. Couldn't pass up the opportunity for a plug.)

In the end . . .

Photos are unquestionably the first showing of a home to about 90% of the prospective buyer pool.

So, you can either "get with the program" to get your home viewed favorably by prospective buyers, or you can sit around for a few months and wait for the stray to ride by and see your "for sale" sign.​

Don't forget . . .

The best real estate photos are those of the required techno-quality to show off your home, as well as being able to trigger an emotional response to motivate prospective buyers to call.

I look forward to your thoughts and comment, and also hope you'll contact me for your next real estate photo needs.

Take a look at my gallery, check out my services and pricing, and I'll be looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Kenneth J. Jones, ASA, SCGREA, SRES, SFR

Licensed Real Estate Broker

RE/MAX at Barnegat Bay