Listing photography that will sell your home!

Presentation is everything when it comes to selling your home. What sets a better first impression than the photos! In this extremely competitive market it is so important that as agents and sellers we stress the importance of investing it great photography. With all the different outlets to view videos and pictures, it is so important when finding the right realtor you ask what their listing photo’s look like. The last thing as a seller you need is having a listing appointment where you agree to a 5 or 6% listing fee and your realtor shows up 1 week later with his cell phone to take pictures, with no advanced notice to you. Giving up any percentage of your homes sale price is hard enough but to feel like you got your money’s worth is key to a great experience.

Sellers I have worked with should be well notified on what needs to be cleaned, touched up with paint or rooms staged or rearranged with furniture. Key pictures that every listing should include would be.

1. Curb shot- This can give buyers the full view of the home from the street and what they should first expect when they drive up to view the home.
2. Exterior shot- If you have a well landscaped yard, pool, cabana, fire pit this is the time to accentuate your outdoor living and how great the home looks from the exterior.
3. Aerial shot- Giving a few Aerial shots can give buyers a birds eye view of what is around the home. This can be extremely beneficial to accentuate the neighborhood, prime cul-de-sac location or water views.
4. Entry shot, Kitchen, living area- The shots should flow as if you were walking through the home coming home from work to show how well laid out the home is. This would also be the time to show upgraded kitchen, beautiful fireplaces, and other desirable features in the home.
5. Bathrooms, bedrooms, garages, laundry, etc.- These should complement the rest of the home and up the value if areas have been upgraded recently.

The home in the pictures should look the best it has ever looked in its whole existence. Making the bed, throwing out the trash, cleaning the scuffs on the walls, washing the floors, and just declutter everything you have accumulated is a must to have the pictures look perfect. Photographers can only do so much, this should be a team effort. Photo-shopping the water bottle off the table can be avoided so please just remember to clean up and be thorough.

My personal favorite is having in addition to the photos a short 1-2 minute video to give the home some movement. Buyers can only get so much from pictures so I always go for the extra video. Video gets more people’s attention no matter what the topic is. The more eyes on the property the greater chance you have to get the home sold faster and for the best possible price.