The importance of great photos (and plenty of ‘em) in selling your home.

No doubt you’re familiar with the cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words”. When it comes to marketing your home for sale, the right pictures could mean thousands of dollars in your pocket!

It is estimated that eighty percent of home buyers begin their search on the internet, forming a first impression based on what they see. Photos do more than just show a potential buyer what your home looks like, they create desire. A desirable presentation of your home helps it stand out from the crowd and can generate a “buzz” in the market. When you create this buzz early in the marketing cycle you stand a better chance of receiving multiple offers for the purchase of your home. And multiple offers are the best insurance against price reductions and sale fall-through.

REALTOR’S® are required to provide a basic set of information when entering a home into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), but anyone who has searched for homes knows that the quantity and quality of photos can vary greatly. To ensure that your home is presented so as to fetch the highest potential sale price, consider the following:

• Choose a savvy Realtor – one who uses professional photography to support a diversified marketing strategy that presents your home in the best possible light.
• Clean house - thoroughly tidy your home and yard before the photo shoot to minimize clutter. Clear the counters, store excess furniture, mow the lawn, rake the leaves, put away the garden hose, etc. For the ultimate advantage, use professional staging
• Let the light in – open the blinds and turn on all the lights. Your photographer can provide additional lighting for dark areas like kitchens and bedrooms.
• Flaunt what you’ve got - get enough photos to satisfy potential buyers and motivate them to request a showing of your home. This means one photo of each room, more for larger rooms or special features, a great photo of the front exterior showing curb appeal (this is usually the money shot!) and at least one of the backyard.
• Put it in motion – Virtual tours, panoramas, and video help to put the buyer in your home before they actually cross the threshold, and are great for highlighting features that make your home desirable.
• Get it out there – the MLS listing and front lawn flyer box are just the starting point. A good realtor will not only market your home’s virtual brochure on their company website, but proliferate it to the best of numerous online real estate sites such as Craigslist and Zillow, getting your pictures in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

It's true that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Put the best face on your listing with plenty of engaging photos and you'll increase your chances of selling your home in a timely manner and for the best possible price.