3 Ways Professional Photos Sell Homes
The internet is one of the best tools for posting a real estate listing. With more than 80 percent of home buyers using the internet to search for a home and a stunning 93 percent of buyers younger than 36 years old finding their new home online, it’s important that the photos in your listing capture their attention and generate interest in your home.
One mistake made frequently by home sellers and real estate agents is the lack of quality, professionally-taken photos. Hiring a professional real estate photographer is an investment that will pay off by increasing the interest in your listing, selling the home faster, and putting more money in your pocket.
First Impressions are Everything
Photos are “the most important website feature . . . for nine in 10 buyers under the age of 62,” according to the National Association of Realtors. If your photos are grainy, blurry, or out-of-focus, you’re already putting off potential buyers of your property.
You only have one chance to make a first impression. According to Market Leader, “40 percent of all participants don’t even look at the agent remarks section.” If your photos don’t immediately capture the interest of someone viewing your listing, chances are they’re moving on—and not in to your property.
As a professional photographer, I understand how to utilize proper lighting to create the warm, inviting look of a room—as well as a uniform light not affected by burnt-out or discolored lights and fixtures. I also understand the proper angles to take photographs from, especially when it comes to rooms that are generally difficult to capture in a photo, such as a bathroom or other small spaces.
Professional photographers also process photos in post-production to ensure every photo is as true-to-life as possible. Our goal is to have a potential buyer visit a home and not be able to tell the difference between the photos they’ve seen online and what’s actually in front of them.
Professional Photos Sell Homes Faster
In general, it takes an average of 65 days to sell a home. Yet as with any sort of marketing or advertising, it’s all about getting as many eyeballs as possible to see the product—in this case, your house.
Professional photos create a better first impression than amateur or “cell phone” photos, which results in more clicks and views on your listing. As any salesman will tell you, sales is a numbers game—the more people reached, the more likely it is you’ll make a sale.
That’s true in the world of real estate photography, as well. A study by VHT Studios in the Chicago market demonstrated that listings with photos taken by professional real estate photographers “sold 32% faster.”
Professional Photos Put More Money in Your Pocket
When your home listing includes photos taken by a professional real estate photographer, you’re more likely to sell the home for close to—or even more than—the original asking price. In fact, a study by Redfin shows that listings that use professional photos sell “for $3,400 to $11,200 more relative to their list prices.”
Of course, you’ve got to pay the photographer, so that means you’re out some cash, right? True, but it’s an investment well worth making. In fact, according to Market Leader (and my own rates), “hiring a professional listing photographer costs 0.09% of the median U.S. home price,” or “1/10 of 1 percent of the list price.”
For a fraction of a fraction of the sale price of a home, you’ll average an extra $3,400 to $11,200 in your wallet.
Working With a Professional Real Estate Photographer
All forms of specialized photography are different and each type of photographer has skills specific to their area of expertise. A nature photographer may not be the best choice for shooting a wedding in the same way a photojournalist may not be the best option for taking photos of real estate.
Hiring a specialized real estate photographer is the smart choice when it comes to selling your home or property faster and for as close to or more than your listing price.
