House hunters typically begin their buying pursuits online. If the photos of your home aren’t up to par, you are likely to lose a potential buyer right out of the gate. In 2007, the National Association of Realtors surveyed homebuyers and the search features they utilized most. House photos were at the top. And the sheer absence of photos can be worse than bad ones; buyers may completely shut the door on the house, assuming that its appearance is so ugly, pictures are not merited.
Sellers who enlist the services of real estate agents should utilize broad marketing services, including professional photos, websites, and virtual tours, particularly for high-end properties. Those sellers who choose to go it alone can snap their own photos or hire a professional photographer who is experienced in capturing the best angles of a property.
Beyond photos, sellers should consider a custom website. Staci Roberts Beam, the director of Web communications at Northwestern University, says that a successful website must be user-friendly. “So in the case of a real estate site, make sure the architecture of the site tells you that even if it takes three or four clicks, you’ll eventually get to see an affordable house in a place where you might want to live.”
It’s all about possibility. The above photos, shown in The New York Times, are a before and after shot of a luxury home. The one on the left was snapped by a real estate agent, while the one on the right was taken by a pro. A great photo, in real estate marketing, is worth a thousand words.