Picturing real estate

Have you ever scrolled through property listing on a real estate site and eliminated choices based on photos of the property? Or been sorely disappointed by going to see a home after seeing the appealing pictures online, only to find out it’s a dump? If so, you are not alone. In today’s digital world, photos of your home are one of the most important marketing tools you can use.

When your home is listed for sale, the photographs should accurately portray your home in the best possible light. For many folks, the pictures are all they will see of your home. If they don’t like what they see online, they will likely never set foot inside. So, how do you go about making sure your photos will turn shoppers into buyers?

First of all, your Realtor should, if at all possible, use a professional photographer to shoot your home. The Realtor and a photographer specifically experienced photographing a home know all the best angles and lighting, and they know how to highlight your home’s best features, while minimizing any shortcomings.

If a professional photographer is simply not in the budget for you or your Realtor, make sure that the pictures are taken with a high-quality digital camera and be sure to pay attention to details, such as lighting and camera angles. Washed out or dark photos won’t do your home justice. Make sure everything in the home is neat and clean – for instance, remove clutter from countertops. Remember, these need to entice people into coming to see your home. There’s nothing more unappealing than seeing pictures of a home where there is junk strewn around, or worse yet – with the lid up on toilets!

Obviously, you’ll want to emphasize the best parts of your home – if you have a killer kitchen or a backyard paradise, make sure to feature those prominently. While it’s not necessary to get a picture of every single room (small baths are often hard to photograph), it helps to have a picture of at least the main rooms of the house and the yard. If you’re scrolling through pictures of a listing, and there are no pictures of the kitchen at all, for example, you’re going to assume that it’s awful. Even if it’s not your home’s best asset, you can take a creative photo that at least gives people an idea of what it looks like – and what it could be with some TLC.

As a potential buyer, there are things to consider as well. While most sellers have caught on to how important pictures are in a listing, there are some who have not. Try not to let the pictures be your only criteria for choosing to see a home or not. I have sold homes to many happy purchasers who at first didn’t want to go in a home based on the pictures. That’s where having a Realtor working for you can help.

If I’ve seen a home, and know that the pictures don’t tell the whole story, I’ll advise my clients not to pass it by. On the other hand, they will often send me listings of homes where the pictures look fantastic, but there’s something they can’t tell by looking at them – it’s on a busy street or it backs up to a highway.

So, as you can see (punny), pictures are of utmost importance in the buying and selling of homes today, and it’s to your advantage to make the most of that, whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home.