Listing your House and Seeing it Shine

I love picture day. It’s when the listing is the cleanest, most beautiful, and full of optimism. On the flip side, when working with buyers, nothing is more annoying than terrible photos. I’ve watched them pass by potential fits because the images were dark, poor quality, and taken with a cellphone.

Photography has become far and away one of the very best marketing tools for your home. Making sure your home is photographed by a trained professional is one of the best ways to ensure you will receive top dollar by attracting the most buyers. Today’s buyers are much more likely to see your home online first and then decide whether it warrants an in-person look. Take these recent buyer stats from the National Association of REALTORS® 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers for instance:

98%

Of those who used the internet indicated that photos were valuable in their home search.

50%

Reported finding the home they purchased online.

93%

Used the internet as an information source in their home search.

44%

Looked online for properties for sale as a first step in the home buying process.

The bottom line is if your home isn’t standing out online, chances are buyers will spend their time actually in properties they feel made the cut. Here are some technical aspects to keep in mind:

Lighting – A trained professional is going to take some time in each room, making sure the light is just right. This may include lights already in the room, daylight, or additional lights brought in as-needed.

Features – Your home’s best features should be photographed. That might include a wide view of a room filled with natural light, a dusk shot of your lit-up home, or an up-close shot of your high-end cabinet hardware. It does not include detailed shots of your furniture or artistic shots.

Employing the NWMLS – Our MLS allows for 25 photos per listing. But all-to-often, I see listings input with only a few photos which is not serving the seller well! A listing agent should use as many photos as possible to give potential buyers a clear picture of your property’s potential.

Using the Photos as a Guide To Tell Your Home’s Story – The photos are just the first part. It can be confusing and difficult to determine the flow of your home without some direction from the labels that are available in our NWMLS.

There is no substitute for professional photography and for the details that put that photography to good use. I have a portfolio of past listings that I would be happy to share with you when you are thinking about listing your home as well as an outline of what you can expect when you work with me. Please reach out to learn more about my proven home photography system.