Yesterday I showed five homes to a couple who are moving to San Francisco from Boston. Two days before the appointment, I had sent them online links to seven potential properties and they eliminated two of them, saying they were not interested. At the end of the showings, the wife told me that the home that she liked best was the one that had the least appealing pictures and the homes that she did not like were not as attractive as the online photos.
This experience highlights three facts:
- Consumers rely on images to decide which properties they will want to see. Good photos create a positive emotional response that will reinforce the buyer’s desire to take action. If the photos are unattractive or if there are no images at all, many buyers will eliminate the property.
- Photos can lie; they do not always depict a property accurately. The actual property may be better or worse than the photos.
- Just like online dating, there is no substitute for seeing the subject in person.
Without question, professional photography is one of the most important components in marketing a home.
For these reasons, I always hire a professional photographer to make beautiful images. All the elements that make a good picture need to be in place, including proper equipment lighting, staging and props. To appeal to a certain segment, I include floor plans to show relative room size and flow. Whenever possible, I use aerial photography to show where the home is situated and its surrounding amenities. For larger multi-level homes, I use 3D virtual tours, so that consumers that walk through the property online.
Moreover, I believe that photos should highlight the very best aspects of the property without misleading or exaggerating. We do not buyers to be disappointed when they come to see a home. The last thing that we want is to over-promise and under-deliver.
