Be Sure to Say it with Pictures!

The best photographs will have:

• An eye for the underlying beauty of the home's structure and spaces
• Specialized equipment and techniques  for lighting and perspective control
• Workflow processes for post-processing of the images for use on the Web and in publications 

They say a picture paints a thousand words. This is even more true when it comes to selling your home. You want those words to end with “sold.” It’s no secret that better-presented homes get more traffic and buyer interest. That means they sell faster. That’s why it is essential that you showcase your home through images in the best way possible.

According to the National Association of REALTORS, nearly 90% of all homebuyers begin shopping for homes online. They click through photos and send a list of those of interest to their agent. In fact, homes with few or no photos are often skipped simply for that reason, even if the home’s description matches a buyer’s ideal listing.

Many agents believe that apart from staging, no other marketing investment is as important as professional photography in marketing a property effectively. So to generate more buyer interest, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of professional real estate photographers in the past few years.

As much as we like to think we take great photos, a professional has an eye for seeing the best composition and lighting, plus has better equipment to make the photos bright, clear and sharp. A professional photographer will most likely use a wide-angle 10mm lens to capture up to 85% of a room.

The same holds true with taking video of your home to add to a website listing. An amateur can show what each room and yard looks like, but a video professional will make the strongest elements stand out and provide a much better video narrative of the home. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any shakiness or dullness that someone not that experienced with a video camera may give you.

Before bringing in someone to photograph or video your home, it’s essential that it is clean and de-cluttered so the pictures entice a buyer to want to see the home in person. You don’t want clothes, pets or anything else that could distract buyers. Homes showcased with great photographs and videos will attract more sellers and help speed the home-sale process.

Louis Stephan is the Broker/Owner of Prudential Ursula M. Stephan REALTORS®.

Prudential Ursula M. Stephan REALTORS®is a brokerage member of Prudential Real Estate, a network brand of HSF Affiliates LLC, of which HomeServices of America, Inc.TM is a majority owner. HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, is the second-largest, full-service residential brokerage firm and one of the largest providers of integrated real estate services in the U.S. HomeServices is comprised of many of the industry’s most respected real estate firms located across the nation, specializing in all areas including brokerage, mortgage, title and escrow services, insurance and relocation. For more information about HomeServices and its network of leading companies, visit www.homeservices.com.