What A Picture Is Worth
By: Sally Grenier, Broker/Owner
Metro Brokers / Grenier Real Estate
They say "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words", but in the Colorado Real Estate Market, a picture can be worth tens of thousands of dollars!
One of my biggest pet peeves are poor quality photos (or lack thereof). Even though we are in a hot seller's market and most homes are selling quickly, often with little or no effort, there IS value in paying for good quality, PROFESSIONAL photos.
And in some cases, if you're not willing to invest in decent photos, then it could cost you tens of thousands of dollars, and your home could sit on the market for months.
Let's take a look at this Longmont FSBO (for sale by owner) for $369,900.
It's been on the market for almost 100 days (which is considered a VERY long time in this market). It is priced okay, based on recent comps, although you could argue it's a little overpriced since the market is slowing down slightly. It's in a good neighborhood and has a decent amount of SF for the price. The description talks about an open floorplan, fresh paint & carpet, a front & back deck and a huge walk in master closet.
So what's wrong with it? It's actually a pretty nice listing. But look at the photos. First of all, there are only 6 photos and they are all terrible! There are no pictures of the living room or family room, no bedrooms and nothing showing the back yard or deck!
They say that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes, right? So what's wrong with the picture of this kitchen? First of all there is ONE photo of the kitchen, and it's dark and you really can't see the entire kitchen or where it's located within the house.
The master suite and main living areas are other key selling points of any home, yet there are zero pictures of those areas.
If you’re selling your home, be sure to hire a full service REALTOR. For all of my listings, I always hire a professional photographer, no matter the size, price range or condition of the property. I will always make sure the photos appear in an order that makes sense to the buyer. Buyers can be quick to pass on a listing if there are no photos or if the photos are poor quality and even if they can't get a feel for where certain rooms are in relation to other rooms. Is there a photo of the front entry? What do you see when you walk into the house? Where is the kitchen in relation to the family room or dining
room?
Here are some examples of homes I've sold recently and the fantastic photography by Tim Seibert at Flatirons Pro Media. (Thanks Tim!)
For free market analysis and custom marketing plan to get your home sold quickly, do not hesitate to contact me!