Let's just assume you've priced your home or listing correctly for its condition, location, and the market forces in your area. Beyond that most important factor, why the heck isn't it selling, or even getting showings? Think of yourself as a consumer who is ready, willing and able to buy a home. She gets up every morning, grabs a cup of coffee, and starts perusing the listings on line, or the ones sent to her from her Realtor. She looks at the first photo of the listing on her computer. What does she see too often? Bad photos.
- An exterior photo without a blue sky.
- Too much driveway, and not enough house.
- A crooked composition that makes the house look like it's falling off its foundation.
- A rear view mirror in the forefront, because the photographer was too lazy to get out of the car to take the photo.
- A photo that's so dark that you can't make out the house.
- A photo that's so bright that you can't make out the house.
- Garbage cans and recycling bins in the front of the house.
- Cars in the driveway.
- Cars parked on the front lawn.
- Overgrown landscaping.
- Christmas decorations or snow on a house being marketed in July.
- A photo that shows too much ceiling and not enough of the room.
Get the picture? Come on people, it's the first thing the consumer sees. Homeowners and Realtors need to take the time to make that first photo the best photo! If it's not the best photo of the bunch, the consumer doesn't even bother to click through to the listing. There is nothing more of a turn-off than an ugly exterior photo. At the very least, make sure you take a photo with a blue sky. It is worth every minute of your time to get that photo as perfect as it can be.
So let's say you got that first photo right, what about the rest of the photos? Have you ever gone on Realtor.com only to see black holes for photos of the living room, kitchen, etc.? What are these people thinking? How does it help the listing to have dark photos, or photos of blank walls, or worse, photos of toilets? Think about the composition of the photo and what you are emphasizing in the photo. If you don't have a high quality camera, invest in one. It will make the difference of selling a home or not. If the room is so small that all you get is a wall or toilet, don't use that photo! If you do not have photography skills, take a class. This is the most important skill a Realtor needs, because this is how homes are sold. No one would buy a magazine that has poor photos, and no one will even look at a house that has poor photos.
We've all had listings that were outdated and just plain ugly. If we can't get the homeowner to do some simple updating, the next best thing is to get the house de-cluttered. When a home needs updating, a consumer will better be able to see beyond that if the home is void of clutter. Get rid of the Precious Moments collections, the hundreds of family photos, the toys, the overcrowded book shelves, the bathroom counters filled with toiletries, the kitchen counters filled with blenders-bowls-toasters-utensils. Tell the homeowner they are allowed to have only one thing on every flat surface, and nothing more. This includes coffee tables, end tables, dressers, etc.
In a tough real estate market, homes have a better chance of selling if they are marketed in the best possible light. Take the time to take beautiful photos and your chances of selling will increase dramatically!
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