Laura Roskelly

How photographs impact real estate sales on the Internet

We've long been believers in the power of the Internet to sell a home.  And for just as long we've heard our clients tell us that they pass right by the homes that they view on the Internet that have no photos or worse yet BAD PHOTOS.  Even if it's not a true impression of the house, it's the only impression the customer is going to see.  

I recently viewed a home that was gorgeous, spacious, and staged to a "T".  I knew the minute I finished touring that this was the perfect home for my buyer.  I quickly e-mailed them the MLS link and asked if they could see it the next day.   They e-mailed me back a "no thanks".  I was shocked!   When I phoned they let me know that they had viewed the on-line photos and were sure this wasn't a good choice for them.  So I took a look myself and sure enough, the lights were off, the angles were bad. the photos were obviously taken before the home was prepared, and there wasn't a single shot that made it look appealing.   

Well we saw the house the next day only because of my insistence and low and behold it was the perfect house for them.  But for me being a little pushy, those homeowners who had prepared their home so carefully would have lost out on a great buyer simply because the agent took really bad photos.  Good for me in that there were no other offers on the house and no competition, but bad for the seller because they should have had a LOT more interest in their home and probably could have sold for more money.

I personally have climbed on ladders and chairs, laid on the floor and crawled on counter tops to get just the right shot to show off a home I'm listing.  I make sure that the photos are in a logical order to really walk prospective home buyers through it on-line.  I also invested in a really great SLR 35 mm digital camera so that my client's homes look their very best and they have the best chance of tapping in to the 90% of home buyers who begin their search for a home on the Internet.

Here's my list of personal "No No's" when it comes to real estate photographs

1.  Turn on all of the lights - always every time without fail. 
2.  Take exterior pictures on a sunny day - it's a bit of a pain to work this in some times but it's worth the effort to give your client's home the blue sky background.
3.  Put a little effort into it.  If a room has a fireplace and a French door, move around until you can get them both in the shot.
4.  Be sure to include the best features of a room not just the part that happens to jump in front of your lens when you raise the camera.
5.  Remove clutter, remove clutter, remove clutter.  I actually saw some pictures in MLS recently where the remnants of the owners McDonald's lunch bag and all was sitting on the formal dining room table, dirty dishes in sink, kids toys everywhere etc.

Savvy homeowners need to know that the pictures of the home are everything.  Ask your real estate agent how many photos they will be preparing for your home.  Ask to see photos of past homes that the agent has represented.  If they can't come up with them then you'll come up short and you need to continue interviewing until you get a photo savvy, Internet savvy agent.

I came across the article below that addressed this issue and threw out some really interesting statistics. 

"The Successful Combination of Photography and Real Estate"
RISMedia (04/01/08) ; Benedict, Gar

"Photographs that accompany home listings on the Web or in brochures, newspaper advertisements, flyers, magazine articles, and other marketing materials play a significant role in attracting buyers. These images serve as the first impression, and buyers often decide whether or not to see a home in person based on their quality and presentation. Research reveals that the more photos a listing has, the quicker it sells and the more it sells for! 

Property photos versus days on market (DOM) for a home listing
1 photo = average 70 days on the market
6 photos = average 40 days on the market
16 - 19 photos = average 36 days on the market
20+ photos =  32 days on the market

Property photos and list price to sale price ratios for home listings
1 photo  91.2 percent of the original price
6 photos or more sold for 95 percent of the original price

The photography question is just one of the many that home sellers need to ask when choosing an agent to market their home.  Here's my personal short list.

1.  Can this agent tell me what I need to hear instead of what I want to hear on how to prepare my home for sale? Do they understand home staging?
2.  Has this agent prepared for the 90% of consumers who begin their search for a home on-line by investing heavily in good Internet marketing?
3.  Will I be provided a detailed market analysis that gives me an apples to apples comparison of my home and recently sold homes or will they give me the price I want to hear?
4.  Has this agent sold in my county, city, neighborhood before?
5.  Will this agent provide me with a complete resume of homes they have sold to date that outlines the days on market and list price to sale price ratio they've been achieving?
6.  Will this agent protect me and my family by investing in the safest and most secure lock box for my home? Never use COMBO lock boxes!!!
7.  Does this agent have the equipment, finances, marketing plan and staff to provide me with the best on-line & print ads?  (note:  a yard sign and MLS listing IS NOT a marketing plan)
8.  Will this agent pro actively provide me with current market data so that I can act to keep my house competitive in a quickly changing market?
9.  Is this agent really invested with me in selling my home and reaching my goals?
10.  Is this agent a proven leader in the Industry and area that I feel whole heartedly that I can trust to protect my best interests?

And back to the photographs....make 'em great every time and enjoy the profits!

The Roskelly Team
Laura Roskelly, Realtor ABR, ASR, E-Pro
Accredited Home Staging Professional (ASP)
Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI)
Proudly Serving Anne Arundel County since 1999
Visit us on-line at:
www.TheRoskellyTeam.com or
www.FortMeadeHomes.com

Published Wednesday, April 02, 2008 7:18 PM by Laura Roskelly