Fancy Home Photos Can Help Make the Sale

Professional photography of a home can nab buyers’ attention online, and some home sellers are even crediting the fancy photos of their homes at getting their homes sold, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.

Ninety-eight percent of home buyers who search for homes online say property photos were among the most useful features available on a real estate Web site, according to research from the National Association of REALTORS®.

Listings that include photos get 61 percent more views than listings without photos, according to research conducted by Redfin.

“When people are searching for homes, they search by price range, location [and the numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms]. But then once they have the list, the visual piece becomes a larger and more important part of the decision,” Jani Strand, spokeswoman for Redfin, told The Wall Street Journal. “Photos are the first impression, and can generate interest and excitement, which leads to good offers.”

As such, more real estate professionals are ramping up their photo skills, investing in wide-angle lens cameras and tripods so they can learn the craft of professional photography themselves. Other real estate professionals are forming relationships with professional photographers to capture their listings.

Whichever the case, photo experts say it’s important to judge which photos you include carefully in a listing.

“Do the photos make you want to visit the home? Do they look like they are pulled from a home and garden magazine? Those are the kind of pictures that will appeal to prospective buyers,” The Wall Street Journal article notes.

Also, the first few photos you include on a listing are the most important and should include a photo of the exterior, main living area, kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom, and another attractive feature in the home.

Source: “Get a Picture-Perfect Home Sale,” The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 26, 2012)