Buyers today are shopping online, which means they are making a decision to see a property or not based on the pictures they see. So take a moment and look at your house through the eyes of a buyer. A realtor can load only nine photos to the MLS, so those will be the first impression.
If those photos hold interest, a buyer may take the next step and click on the virtual tour.
If your carpet is dark green, and you know it needs to be replaced, but you imagine you can offer the buyer a “carpet credit” rather than go through the hassle of doing it now, please reconsider. The green carpet will dominate the photo in every room. Buyers are not logical, they are quickly scanning through dozens of homes, and they will remember “the house with the green carpet.”
Instead of spending $3,000 to replace the carpet, you could lose tens of thousands in price reductions, until you find the bargain hunter buyer than can see past the green carpet.
As you imagine your home in photos, take a hard look at your kitchen. The “heart of the home” is the most important room to most buyers.
Considering replacing your kitchen appliances? This can be a great investment. A kitchen with new stainless appliances will be more photogenic that one with older white or black appliances.
A stager can help you make each room show its best—and the stager is always thinking about how a room will appear in photos.
Once your home is ready to photograph, it’s important to use a professional photographer. The professional will have the right equipment to light the home and capture your home's best angles.
I can’t stress enough how quickly a home can be eliminated from a buyer’s mind if the photos don’t sell the home. I remember once seeing a home that I thought was perfect for my clients, but when I mentioned it to them they said, “oh, no—the kitchen is too dark.” In fact, I convinced them to look at the house, and they were pleasantly surprised that the kitchen looked brighter in real life.
So as you are weeding through the long list of items that need to be done to prepare your home for the market, consider the photo shoot.
