By now, you have heard it talked about over and over, and here it is again! Home buyers are using the Internet in their home search. Duh! When you boil it down, there are really only 2 things that are most important to buyers during their search:
Information – facts about the home including: location, size, age, price, amenities, etc. Nothing is more important than having ALL the necessary and detailed information available for them to view and search on. Without that, how will they find the home even if it has exactly the features they are looking for? It must be complete and accurate. I don't think many will argue with that.
Photos – The photos that appear along side the listing are the next most important deliverable. A look through the photos will be the buyer's first “walk thru the home”. It will turn them on or turn them off. So, it makes sense to present the listing in the best possible way... with high-quality, professional photography. You must grab their eye and hold it. I don't care how good you think your cell phone or point-and-shoot photos are, they will never compare to photos taken by an experienced real estate photographer (not talking about a wedding or sports photographer or your uncle who has a nice SLR camera). Just the fact that you are engaging a pro will show your seller that you respect them and their property enough to do the very best for them in your advertising.
NOTE – there is no mention of the real estate agent or brokerage. Sorry if it bruises your ego, but that only matters when choosing a buyer agent to assist with the transaction. Your head-shot photo and branding really have no impact.
Here's an excellent article that appeared in SPACEWISE on June 5, 2017.
In Berkshire County, MA, the adoption of professional real estate photography is slowly gaining recognition. Many of the higher-end homes are located in south county and agencies like Barnbrook Realty in Great Barrington, are “seeing the light” on what a difference high-quality photography can mean for their listings and to their sellers. Further north, top-producers with Bishop West Real Estate, Monarch Realty and RE/MAX Compass are also realizing the value of high-quality photos. It pleases the sellers and can serve as a great marketing tool to show to prospective clients during a listing presentation. Let them see how you will use the power of the Internet to showcase their property. It doesn't have to be limited to million $ properties, it should be done on all (well, maybe not run-down, flip homes) properties. So, save your smartphone for “selfies” and family vacation shots. Bring your listings to market with professionalism and class. Hire an experienced, qualified real estate photographer for your indoor and outdoor stills, videos and aerial shots.