Maybe that question should read, “How important are great photos when I sell my house?”
On a scale of 1 – 10, the answer is 20!
Any images portraying your home or property for sale need to be a true representation of the property and be attractive to buyers.
Clear, crisp, uncluttered… however home sellers and some agents, are still uploading photos that just don’t cut it and turn buyers off.
Now that almost all buyer research is done online, photos, videos and floorplans are what buyers look for first.
A picture tells a thousand words – and you want those words to get buyers interested, not scrolling to the next property.
Recently a client who had made the decision to sell her own home asked me why, after 12 months, she could not sell the property.
It took me only 3 .7 seconds to find out why.
Her photos were dark. The home was untidy. Humans found their way into every second photo (including the cardinal sin of the ‘photographer’ being seen in the bathroom mirror).
“Does your home look like the photos you have used in the marketing?”
“Yes.”
“I rest my case – tidy the place up and get a pro to do them.”
Sadly, she has not seen fit not to take this advice onboard and the property remains for sale.
I say it time and time again – prepare, clean, tidy and unclutter your home then HIRE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!
Simply Google ‘Property Photographers (your town/suburb)’. For about $200-$250 you should get around 12-15 professional shots and possibly a floor plan.
A small investment for a bigger reward wouldn’t you agree?
Or, if you feel that you or your 17 year old niece, who is studying photography at TAFE, are capable of getting the job done, here are a few tips to ensure your images are ‘buyer friendly’.
- Let there be light. Open all blinds and curtains, turn on the lights to any room you may consider as dull. Buyers are attracted to light filled homes.
- You may have already ‘presented the home’ as best you can, but make sure it looks not good, but great. The more pristine it looks, the more buyers will like it.
- Use a camera with a good wide-angle lens. A picture tells a thousand words and buyers like to see space and depth and study a photo more closely if they are getting more interested in your property as they look.
- Make sure the images are in landscape format NOT portrait.
- Photograph your home front to back. Start with shots of the front (that is the first thing that buyers see when they come for an inspection).
- Photograph each individual room aiming for the best depiction of light and space.
- Kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces are the real visual ‘attractors’ of any home. Not the birdbath next to the gardenia bush.
- Take multiple shots of each room and angles and pick the best. Ask the opinion of your family or trusted friends and do not be offended if your favourite is not theirs. You are photographing your home to attract buyers, not to please yourself!
- Always pick your top 3 or 4. These are the shots that buyers will see first up on any of the major websites. If they like the look and value of your home, they will search deeper on your listing and see the rest.
- Get the ‘money shot’ right. This is your main photo. The one that buyers see as they are scrolling on a page. This is the one you want to make them stop and look at. ALWAYS REMEMBER, you have got about 4-7 seconds to make a buyer consider and look further into your home.
In short, DO NOT leave your photos/images to chance.
You get one opportunity to make a good first impression!
