Shopping online is a standard activity and these days it applies to buying homes as well as everything else.
Thanks to COVID and the high demand for property in Australia, some property sales are taking place without the buyer ever setting foot inside the home. They may rely on a buyer’s agent or simply bid from overseas so they have a place to move into when they arrive. This is why displaying a collection of good quality, appealing photos online is more important than ever.
Why images sell homes
Your buyer is looking for a place to call home. They want to be able to picture themselves settled somewhere and enjoying their lives.
Looking at impressive images is the first part of the buyer’s journey to purchase your property. They will immediately be able to imagine themselves sitting at the breakfast bar, relaxing in the garden and feeling a sense of pride as they come up the driveway.
When you share a dozen or more good quality photographs, you are giving your buyers extra incentive to fall in love with your home. The more time they spend looking at images, the more they form an attachment. By the time they show up to see the home in person, they may have even made up their mind about making an offer.
Images are also very practical. People want to know as much about the home as possible before they travel for an inspection or contact the real estate agent. Pictures can answer a lot of questions about the condition of the home and its layout.
What’s more, having no pictures suggests you are trying to keep something secret. If you have ever seen a listing with only an image of the front of a property, the backyard or the view, it is generally a warning bell that there isn’t much worth highlighting on the inside. Most buyers would choose other open homes in the area ahead of one without many photos, unless they were hunting for a bargain.
How to get those beautiful real estate photos
Now you have decided to include lots of quality photos, how do you make sure they are impressive and eye-catching?
It all comes down to professional experience. Real estate photographers use the right equipment and know how to take snaps from the best angles to make sure a room looks spacious and inviting.
To make things easier for your photographer, organise some help from a property stylist who can arrange furniture to optimise the space and appeal to your target buyer. This has been proven time and time again to boost a property’s final selling price so it is worth the investment.
Your home and garden should be clean and immaculately presented for the photography session. If possible, gurney the driveway, any outdoor steps and the front facade so the home looks spotless.
Once your photos have been taken, if there are any marks on the walls or piles of leaves on the ground, don’t panic. Your images will go to a professional retoucher who will add blue sky, update the colour balance so the lighting is ideal and remove any dirty marks.
Note that retouchers are not allowed to remove things like telephone poles, fences or walls in order to make the images more appealing but they can ‘clean’ and remove things that you could easily change yourself, for example a smear on a window.
What to photograph
Too many is never enough so make sure your real estate agent includes plenty of photographs as part of your property marketing packages. Most agents will ensure there are at least images of the kitchen, bathrooms, master bedroom and living areas, as well as exterior shots of the house and backyard.
Rooms like laundries and extra bedrooms can be left out if you don’t have the capacity to prepare your home in time for every space to be photographed, unless they have an unmissable wow factor.
Speak with your real estate agent before you sign a contract about how they plan to capture the home in its best light so your images attract as many buyers as possible.
Want to know more about selling your Mosman home? Take a look at other articles and insights from De Brennan Property.
