With the rise of online property portals, buyers can check out real estate auctions and view properties for sale from the comfort of their own home. This means buyers are able to discount unsuitable properties without ever having seen them in the flesh. For a real estate agent, this makes life more difficult. After all, if you cannot persuade a prospective buyer through the door, you have even less chance of selling the property.
Redmove, a British real estate agent based in the historic city of York, England, claims that prospective buyers take less than two seconds to make up their mind about a property. If they love the photos, they click through to the main listing, but if the photos don’t do it for them, they move on to the next property on the list. As a result, they have hired their own in-house photographer to take photos of properties for sale.
Poor Quality Photos Impact on Views
Previously the agency has used freelance photographers, but they claim photo quality was somewhat variable. The poor quality of some of the photos commissioned affected click-through rates, which affected sales. Now the agency has placed a much greater emphasis on better imagery for its property listings, they have noticed an increase in the number of online viewers and click rates.
Professional interiors photographer, Harry Lim, agrees. He has posted many before and after shots to show people what a difference the right angle and lighting makes to a photograph. He says simple things, like basic composition and balancing ambient light with flash, will show off your rooms to their best advantage.
What Puts a Buyer Off?
Nobody wants to buy a home where the rooms look small and dark. Nor will they be interested in a property with bedrooms piled high with furniture or random people lurking in the background. What they want to see is a property that looks spacious, inviting and attractive.
The best way to create amazing photos of your property is to hire a real estate agent who uses a professional photographer, but you can help yourself too.
Prepare Your Property
Clean the house from top to bottom and de-clutter it so it looks both tidy and spacious. Buyers don’t want to see your pets and kids’ toys in the background. They want to be able to imagine themselves sitting on the sofa or preparing meals in the kitchen. Think about how one room flows into another and how lighting affects the space.
Exterior photography is also important when selling a home. A blue sky makes all the difference when taking shots of the property’s exterior, so try and tie in photographs when the weather forecast is fortuitous.
Poor photos will turn off many viewers and make it a lot harder to sell your property. If your property listing doesn’t sit well against its rivals, consider moving to a different agent that better understands the importance of good photography.
