Nowhere is this truer than on the web, where most home buying searches take place: “web appeal” is the new “outside appeal,” the lure that attracts buyers. Today’s potential buyers are used to quality images found in other marketing venues. Attractive photos will grab the prospect’s attention, while houses with regular photos may pass them by.
When selling your home, you hire a real estate agent to do the best job of marketing your property. Agents are experts in the business aspects of the sales process; research, pricing, marketing, negotiation and closing. But is the centerpiece of your listing, the images, a photography expert taking them?
Grabbing a point-and-shoot and photographing a house seems like a reasonable option. Often one can get good shots just by being lucky. However, many aesthetic and technological difficulties must be overcome to get the consistent great photography needed in today’s multi-photo listings.
Internet viewing systems, known for displaying still photos, panoramic slideshows, and virtual tours, are another tool available to real estate agents. These products are only as good as the photography used on them. Use poor photos and you’ll end up with poor photography hosted in a slideshow or tour.
Photography is a highly specialized industry, not all photographers are the same. A good portrait photographer is not necessarily a good real estate photographer because the photographic challenges, and therefore the training, are different. Architectural photographers are not the best option because they charge a significantly higher fee which reduces your real estate agent’s bottom line. Professional real estate photographers give you similar results at a good price.
Top-of-the-line equipment aside, professional real estate photographers have more than just a keen eye. They know exactly where to put the camera and are experts at keeping it straight. Professional photographers have reliable experience in producing multiple, consistently good shots of each house. The exteriors are taken from the best angle and herald blue skies and puffy clouds. Interior shots are well composed, evenly lit, and clearly convey accurate visual information about the space you’re looking at.
Photos rarely come out of the camera ready to be displayed. They require post-shoot processing and this is where the professional Real Estate photographer excels. Large real estate photographs “pop” off the screen or page. They look and feel bright, light, open, and welcoming. When done right, the viewer doesn’t know why they like them, they just do!
Ask yourself which listing you’d rather be: You’re looking at two comparable listings, one with some photos that are a bit dark, feel cropped too close, and a bit blurry. The other listing has clear, detailed photographs of the outside environment and the main rooms of the house. It’s clear which one is going to generate more interest, exposure, and a potentially faster sale.
So what can you do to get the best photography for your ad?
Browse existing listings of your potential agents. Do you have great photos? Are there half a dozen or more images in the web listings? Professional real estate photography is done at the discretion of the agent. If the agent you choose doesn’t use professionals, insist that they do. Those who do see the results. And you too.
