I read a great blog post the other day by a fellow Realtor about real estate photos. Here’s how she photographs her listings for the MLS and other marketing material:
1) Gather your camera, a towel, a cell phone and a blunt object.
2) Lay out towel on a hard surface.
3) Place camera on towel and wrap towel around camera.
3) Take blunt object and smash camera into tiny bits.
4) Use cell phone to call professional photographer.
I got a good laugh out of that but I’m telling you, it’s good advice. These days everyone in the real estate industry proclaims that 80% to 90% of home buyers and sellers use the internet to search for properties. I think this is definitely true, if not a higher percentage. Good pictures are key. They are the most important part of marketing a property.
If you don’t have good pictures of a property posted on line and in the MLS listing you are toast. You will be passed by other agents who are searching for properties for their clients. And you will definitely be passed by potential customers that are searching the web for homes for themselves. I’ve heard that the average online shopper decides if he will stay on a page within the first 2-3 seconds. If they don’t like what they see, they are gone.
A complete set of well composed, in focus and adjusted photos is essential for any real estate listing to get the right exposure online. They don’t have to be taken by a professional but they have to be decent. Buyers and sellers are looking for one thing when they get on the computer. They want to search the MLS for property listings. And, first and foremost, they want pictures. Sure they want detailed property information too, but the photos are what they are after. That and price, followed by bedrooms and bathrooms. But if they don’t like the pictures, everything else doesn’t matter.
I actually shoot a lot of my own pictures for my own listings. But, I always provide a complete set of solid, basic shots that look respectable and they show that I put some consideration into the photos. Sometimes, shooting pictures of a condo in Sun Valley, for example, can be tough due to space constraints but you can get creative to make the property stand out. Shoot the condo sign out front with flowers, the view from the deck, the tennis court & hot tub. Things like that.
Like the post said, hiring a professional photographer is awesome. I use pros on my higher end or unique listings and the difference is dramatic. I spend much more time looking at a listing with good, professional photos and I know buyers and sellers do too. My favorite local photographer is Tory Taglio. He shoots a ton of real estate photography all over Sun Valley and his work is exceptional. Check out his site at www.torytagliophotography.com You will see the difference.
Then, get in contact with me at www.sunvalleylife.com if you want to talk about the subject of those real estate photos…your property!
Real estate. It’s all about the web and the web is all about making a huge first impression. Get the picture?