So you need to sell your home? Whether you need to sell fast or whether you just want to put your house on the market to see what happens, the most important feature of selling your home is PHOTOS!
The number one thing that brings a buyer to your doorstep is its online presentation. Yet, I continue to see houses listed for sale with only one exterior photo. Never let anyone tell you that photos don't matter or "the mystery will bring them to see it person." I'm a real estate agent, not a screenwriter for thrillers. This never works and here is why:
When I work with a buyer who has given me a basic search criteria, I sit at the computer and I pull up roughly 60 houses that meet their needs. Do I email them all 60? No, they are busy people and its my job to not waste their time. I'm going to go through and pick the best 5 houses and schedule showings for the week. They know that I'm not going to waste their time taking them through houses that don't meet her needs. So if your house is in that 60 and there are no photos, chances are it won't make the top 5 cut. We might only make it to that house if we've gone through the best 5, then the next best 5, and so on. Your house needs to be in the TOP 5!
A good house, when represented well on the internet, should cause your agent's phone to ring off the hook the first day. The first three or four evenings should be booked solid with showings. You are the new blood on the block! All the gophers are popping their heads up out of their holes and saying "What's that over there, I need to see that now!"
Ok so now you are saying "Well, Lora, my house is a fixer-up, nothing fancy to show here." It doesn't matter. Even if the walls are bare to the studs, a buyer, whether first time home buyer or investor, wants to be able to preview the house before they come over. They want to see the spacial flow of the house and get a basic idea before they hop in their cars and drive over.
When you work with an agent here are a list of things you need to make sure that your agent is doing to represent your home properly.
1. How many photos of the house are they going to put up on the MLS listing? I'm going to let you cheat here and give you the answer. 20. Their answer should be 20. You have 20 spots for photos on the MLS. No less. No More.
2. Are they paying attention to what they are taking pictures of? Nothing is worse than seeing your agent's reflection in the bathroom mirror, seeing the toilet seat up, or forgetting to take your bra off the doorknob. Your agent should give the room a thorough look through, move things out of the way that could be off-putting or land you on the "badMLSphotos" page on Facebook (and yes that's a thing).
3. Are they taking quality photos? Not every agent needs to use a professional photographer, but every agent should be skilled in manning a camera. Blurry photos are inexcusable.
4. Are they taking pictures of your house or of your furniture? I saw a picture once (one of many actually, but this one sticks out) Of nothing but a side table against a wall and the picture hanging above it. There was no description of it being an entryway, hallway, kitchen wall, nothing. It gave no clue as to the spacial orientation at all. Is the table being offered with the house? I'm not sure. Needless to say, it didn't make the top 5.
5. Will they send you a link to the online listing once it is available? Check their work. You are paying big bucks to have your home represented well and if they aren't, they need to! Make sure the photos aren't sideways, make sure the order of the photos flow as if buyers are walking through the house, and most importantly make sure they are full size photos (there is a resizing tool in the entry page, you don't need a fancy photo app). Do the photos have detailed descriptions? Does the overall look of the listing give you a great feeling about your home?
At the end of the day, if you have 20 beautiful photos uploaded of your home and you still aren't getting showings - Let's Talk.
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