The #1 problem with real-estate photos? (Not having any...)

Welcome and thanks for reading my first blog posting! I'm looking forward to sharing my photographic and technological knowledge and experience with everyone in future postings.

I find it amazing that when it seems like every cell phone, laptop, and PDA is equipped with a camera, there are still some real-estate agents who do not post A SINGLE photo of their properties with their MLS listings and/or on other real-estate websites! (Craigslist, etc.) Currently about 85% or more of prospective buyers start their home search on the Internet and do you know what was the #1 factor that made them decide to contact an agent about a listing? Yup - it was the pictures! This means that if your listings don't have any pictures, you're missing 85% of prospective buyers. When you think about all the transactions in your area, it's a lot of buyers, isn't it?

For example, in my small neighborhood (Hampstead, in case you're interested) there are currently 60 listings - 7 of which have NO photos whatsoever! That's about 12% of the total listings (several of which are for homes $1 million and higher) that prospective buyers will skip over because the agent couldn't be bothered to take and/or post just one picture!!!

While I recommend using a professional real-estate photographer to shoot a listing, even taking a few pictures yourself may make all the difference between getting noticed and being completely passed by. (You can always shoot a few photos yourself initially and then bring in a professional photographer later for other marketing collateral.) Here's what I consider the absolute minimum set of photos you should have for any listing:

• A photo of the front of the home, showing the view from the street.
• At least one shot of the kitchen, showing the layout of the kitchen as well as any appliances whether they are inclusions or not.
• At least one photo of the master bedroom, including closet space if possible.
• One shot of a bathroom, preferably showing the location of the bath, shower, sink and toilet.

That's 4 pictures, minimum...doesn't sound like much, does it? Considering how much time you've already spent just to get to the point where you're ready to list the property, spend the extra 20-30 minutes to take at least these 4 pictures. This time may be the key difference between selling the property or losing it to your competitor!