Simple mistakes home sellers make – photography

An awful photo

A substantial number of home buyers today receive automated e-mail notifications from brokers of new listings that fit the parameters they’ve specified. Every major broker site offers this convenient feature to prospective buyers.

It’s a fairly safe bet that the buyers who subscribe to these notifications are actively in the market. The fact that, despite the current depressed market, some homes still sell almost immediately after being listed is an indication that some buyers are ready to pounce when the right deal comes along.

I’ve often seen buyers say that they simply skip over listings that don’t have multiple photographs. More often, I’ve seen homes listed in the MLS prior to the time when photos are available, almost guaranteeing that the home will be overlooked by buyers who focus on new listing notifications.

Home sellers should insist that photos be available at the time the home is listed in the MLS. And, they should demand that their real estate agent invest in quality photography that showcases the home at its best.

Most real estate photos today are simply awful, and make attractive homes look awful. Given the availability of companies such as VHT that shoot high-quality photos at low cost on tight deadlines, it’s inexcusable for agents to use bad photos.

Why isn’t your home selling? How does it look to prospective buyers in the listing photos? If your agent asks for a price reduction, demand good photos if you don’t already have them.

NOTE: The above photo of a beautiful kitchen was deliberately altered to make it look as if it were taken by a real estate agent.

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