For this week's tip, I want to talk about the importance of good photography when trying to sell your home. It seems like something so simple but yet when looking at listings on MRIS (the Multiple Listing Service for the D.C. Metro Area), majority of the listings contain poor quality photos that scare away buyers instead of beckoning them to come preview the home. Besides the price of a home, the quality/type of pictures that are taken, is the largest factor in how quickly the house sells in my opinion. If you have ever actively looked at homes, you know what I am talking about. It drives me crazy that the real estate agent did not take enough time or spend money to take quality pictures. Here are some some examples of good photography vs bad photography.
The first picture was taken by a professional photography service vs the second was taken with a phone. To take a good picture, certain aspects need to be present. First, pictures need to be taken with a wide angle lens to capture the entire room and make the room seem large. Second, the lightning in a room plays such a critical role in taking quality pictures. There needs to be a uniform light source and the photographer needs to eliminate unnecessary light sources that are creating contrasting colors. Finally, every room that is photographed needs to be thoroughly cleaned. You have to create an environment that buyers can imagine living in. Of these two photos, which one would you rather live in?
Since most listing appointments are in the evening, you will see a lot of pictures taken in the night time because the agent does not take the time to come back and take them with proper lighting. The result are dark, fuzzy photos taken on the agent's phone that scare buyers/renters away. Of the below two pictures, which seems like a more inviting entrance? I'll let you decide.
You might have a really nice place that buyers would love to live in, but because your listing pictures are horrible, no one comes to see it. Whenever I am looking for homes for clients and see a listing with bad pictures, I'm too embarrassed to send the listing to them because I know they are going to think, why did he send us this one? Another mistake is when there is only one picture for the listing and it is of the outside of the house or when there are only pictures of the exterior or surrounding area of the home. It screams trouble. Real estate agents also sometimes include pictures that do a terrible job of showcasing a certain room. Look at this picture that shows a quarter of the bathroom. Doesn't that just make you want to get in your car and check it out?? No way!
So when interviewing potential Realtors to sell your house, make sure they plan to hire a professional photography service. Without quality pictures, your lovely home will sit on the market for a long time. For more advice in regards to selling your home, click here.
*All pictures shown belong to MRIS