Your House is UGLY
April 18, 2017
"Your house is ugly!" This is what many people are thinking as they look at your listings photos that just hit the market. "Whatttt? No they aren't!" is what you are probably thinking, but yes they are. Even though you put countless hours painting, cleaning and crying from fighting with your spouse. People are thinking that very thought, and it is not because of you; it is because of your Realtor and the photos that they took.
Most Realtors walk around haphazardly snapping photos with their iPhone or some other device, but they, we, I am not a professional photographer and cannot do what a professional photographer does with all of their Photoshop knowledge etc. You hired your Realtor to best portray your home to the public and potential buyers. You did not hire them to snap an awkward photo of themselves in the bathroom mirror. Which is why I hire a professional photographer for all of my clients at no expense to them.
By now, you are probably buying into the thought that you should have professional photos done or you are asking yourself "why didn't my Realtor have a professional come out to take the photos of our house?" If not let me give you a few statistics according to an article written by Brad Storck titled, "15 Surprising Real Estate Photography Facts You Need To Know".
In this article, Brad sites some interesting statics such as, "Buyers spend 60% of their time looking at listing photos, and only 20% each on the listing description and agent description. (The Wall Street Journal.)" He also sites, "Homes with high-quality photos receive 47% higher asking price per square foot. (cbsnews.com)", For the rest of the statics he gathered visit https://www.agentimpress.me/blog/15-suprising-real-estate-photography-facts-you-need-know
Just these few statistics are mind-boggling to think that people still don't do it just to save $100-$200 bucks on the front end and loose thousands of dollars on the back end.
In closing, some markets may be so hot (Nashville) that Realtors might say, "professional" pics are irrelevant because the home is going to sell the day after it hits the market. I would challenge that thinking by saying, "Regardless of what you think the market is, why not give your client the best and represent them as professionally as possible?"
So, if you would like for your home to sell faster and get more money for your home; I highly suggest requesting professional photos be taken for your homes listing. Even if you pay for them the statistics show that you will be far better off in the long run. Or, you could just higher me as your listing agent and you will be represented to the highest professional degree.