Photo Quality Attracts Buyers
Posted on November 5, 2007
Filed Under Photography, Real Estate, Reviews
A recent article by Dana Mattioli at the Wall Street Journal’s Real Estate site offers tips for taking home photos that will draw buyers.” Mattioli introduces the idea of “pix appeal” that is fast replacing curb appeal in marketing real estate. Since most real estate buyers are beginning their search online, the quality of the property photos play an important role on whether the house is added to a person’s “favorites” list. If a house is not marked for later reference, it surely will not get seen in person and another sale may be lost.
“Without pictures I am much less likely to go see a house,” says house hunter Dan Dillbeck of Grand Rapids, Mich. In most cases — 85% of the time — online photos are his first view of a home, he says, adding that poor pictures tend to turn him away.
Mattioli offers six tips:
- Lighten Up: Photos of dark rooms will not encourage in-person showings.
- More is better: Online real estate searchers demand more information so they cn narrow down the choices.
- Get a clear shot: Clear the clutter. A photograph only reports what the camera sees - garbage in, garbage out.
- Go pro: We especially like this recommendation. Mattioli suggests, “If planning to use a real-estate agent, ask to see their photography first. Find out whether the agency uses professional photographers. Some companies use pros at no additional cost to the seller.”
- Give it your best shot: If you choose to DIY, do not use a cell phone camera, take pictures using the highest resolution and then optimize for the web, and use a tripod.
- Edit: With the advent of web-based photo editing apps like (our favorite) Picnk.com, there is no excuse for poor contrast or over/under exposed images or for not making your walls vertical (our biggest pet-peeve).
Stay tuned to Tour The Triad for reviews of sites like Picnik and more tips and tricks to improve your real estate marketing.
Click here to read the entire WSJ article.
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Dana Mattioli is absolutely right on her article how photo is very important to fish some potential buyers.
-Jan