Each day when I get to work, I pull up the MLS (multiple listing service) to check on the market. I want to see which new homes have hit the market, which have gone under contract, and generally just to watch the trends. I also enjoy checking out the photography of the houses that have just been listed.
Today, that check was particularly painful as I saw ALL four of the biggest faux pas when it comes to real estate photography. Please, read the following and make sure you’re never guilty of committing one!
1-NO PHOTOS- There are currently 2,300 active homes for sale in our area and you need to STAND OUT. I promise you that you will only stand out as something to skip over if you don’t post photos. You get one chance at a first impression. List your home with photos!
2-CELL PHONE PICTURES- Yes, I know cell phone cameras have come a long way- but the quality of photos from a real camera and a talented photographer are leaps and bounds better than the best cell phone picture you could ever snap.
3-BAD ANGLES- ESPECIALLY with the first photo you post, make sure to use the best, most flattering angles for your home. Today, I found a house where there was a detached garage on the far side- something I only discovered after searching through several photos, as the main photo was snapped at such an angle that you couldn’t see the garage at all! Someone searching for a garage would have gone right past that home, even though it had what they wanted!
4-USING GOOGLE IMAGES- While wondering what could possibly be worse than cell phone pictures, I came across a home that had simply uploaded the Google image of their property. A grainy, pixelated, cheap looking photo in almost gray tones.
Homes sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. 92% of home buyers find their future home online before they ever set foot in the door. They will form their first opinion of your home almost instantaneously by the photos you post of it. Surely the sale of a product THAT expensive merits a few dollars shelled out for professional photos to impress that 92% of people?
Of course, I provide professional photos to each of my clients at no additional charge because I know that they can make all the difference in the sale of their homes!
