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How Important Are Online Photos When Selling a Home?

When your home goes on the market, it's like getting the house dressed up for a blind date.

What's I really love about marketing homes today via the Internet is that we can say and show so much more than we could have in print.

With that said, that fact can be good and bad because what's put out for consumers to see might actually make buyers decide not to see a home.

Years ago, when my daughter began her photography career, she spent some time looking at listings to see examples of current photographs of homes that were listed. I still remember her gasping when she came upon a home that most definitely was photographed using someone's headlights to illuminate the house well enough to take the photos. Today, I still see photographs of unmade beds, kitchens with dishes in the sink, rooms with tons of clutter, etc.

What these photographs indicate to potential buyers, whether true or not, is that the house wasn't well cared for. So, buyers start deducting value in multiples of $10k at a pop.

When your home goes on the market, it's like getting the house dressed up for a blind date. You don't know who's going to look at it, but it will only take seconds for the viewer to decide whether they're interested or not.

For me, as a Realtor, I've had to take more training on photography. And...yes, my daughter does take many of our photos since she is now a professional photographer. In addition, I read up on newest trends all the time. As a Certified Residential Specialist, I have access to articles on how to improve different aspects of my business. Here is the latest article that came my way. I thought it might give you insight as to what should be done when selling on your own or should be done for you if you listed your home with a Realtor.

Have you shopped for a home on the internet? If so, I'd like to hear your thoughts! 

Donna Bruno is the Broker/Owner of Century 21 North Star Realty in Peekskill. She has been selling Real Estate locally for 28 years.

Scott Petricig July 30, 2012 at 06:09 pm
To me, what's most important is having LOTS of pictures of the home, showing every room, multiple angles of the outside, the yard, etc., etc. This makes the difference between actually keeping an apartment or house on my list to continue looking at. It's even more important if you are looking at homes that you can't look at in person immediately due to distance.
Thanks Scott. I agree! Do you like video too? We produce video tours on our listings so buyers can really see how the house really is. It's a lot of work to do that, so I'm curious whether it's beneficial.
Aidan July 31, 2012 at 11:00 am
Donna, you are so right. I ended up in my current "barn" because of a single photo among many. A shot of the living room ... walls coated in Tuscan red ... that accented the black and brass fireplace. I was in love in a snap. Saw other homes. Lots of 'em. But that snapshot became a brain-postcard.
I found other homes in somewhat better condition ... but none that whispered to me like that living room. The moment I saw it, I saw me there. My family there. I was a goner.

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Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 17, 2013 at 01:45 pm
Thanks for sharing this photo. We'd love to hear more from these groups; if you'd like to startRead More blogs on Patch, which archive your posts all together and give you a great landing page on the site, please email me at LisaB@Patch.com.
Joey Cirone June 11, 2013 at 01:45 pm
Correction: The Yorktown Leo's Club raised and is giving away $12,600 this year!!
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 13, 2013 at 09:13 am
That is fantastic! These are really nice photos - terrific young leaders at work. If you'd like toRead More set the Leo's up with a blog, they can document their service through brief write ups or photos throughout the year. Email me LisaB@Patch.com if you are interested.