An early lesson I recall when starting out to write this blog, was that if ever you feel that you need an inspiration for a blog post – just recall a recent conversation. The topic of the conversation is sure to be of benefit to share.
Well this post, although stimulated by a telephone conversation, was not originated through a dry spell of me searching for a topic – quite the opposite, there seems so much to write about real estate these days! However as you will see this issue is a pet issue for me. So here goes!
Why is it that so many properties featured on this website and in fact so many websites, showcase such poor photographs?!
This is a serious question, and it was asked of me by a professional photographer who was struggling to get his local real estate agents to take seriously his service. (as an aside I would like to point out this is not an advertorial for any particular photo service or photographer, this is simply something that I think is really important. In the spirit of openness and reciprocity the photo service he works for is Essential Images)
As we spoke and we discussed this issue, it struck me that whilst the real estate profession should be motivated to present the very best images for every property they market on the web, there is a sense that vendors should be far more demanding of this from agents. This seems so strange, after all where else do people begin searching for property these days? At the time of the last research nearly a year ago close to 80% of all buyers used online in the recent week to search for property; whilst traditional media such as newspapers and magazines languished at just 31% and 46% respectively. In the US the percentage is over 93% of all buyers using online search.
We all know the expression – a picture is worth a thousand words. Well in the same vein when it comes to advertising property online; 20 photos are probably worth a hundred time more than half a dozen photos; and a high quality photo set for a property is worth thousands!
Courtesy of the photographer I spoke to, here are some of his examples of the difference professional photos can make to a property presentation online.
The presentation of this lounge is considerably enhanced through the use of the right light balance to better show the relationship between indoors and outside.
Whilst the bathroom may not be the most appealing part of the house, good lighting makes all the difference; in this case bringing the room to life and show off the polished floor.
The all important exterior deck can be challenging to photograph right, without the expert eye. Whilst a bight cloudless day shows off the appeal of the deck; without the right skills the interior is left as a dark hole!
The web is a visual medium. The human eye can scan a page of images of property in a mere second or two. In that time your house (be that your house as the vendor, or as the appointed agent has to be seen and then clicked on to elicit interest and a further review.
At that stage the photos, and nowadays that selection of photos should be extensive (ie. more than 20) needs to captivate the interested buyer to engage them and hook them in, so they then go on to read the details and really consider the property for a physical inspection.
This all seems so logical. Why would you not get a professional photographer to undertake an extensive photo shoot? – yet so many properties on this website are poorly presented with barely a handful of images some of them taken with a camera phone.
If the answer is money – then think again. Most photographers charge much less than $500, many times less than $250. Yes; that has to be paid up front. But then if you are serious about selling you need to help sell the house, and in this cluttered and competitive market how else are you going to standout? – certainly not if you only have 5 average quality photos.
The median price of property across the country is $350,000; even in the cheapest region Southland the median price is $190,000. Why then would you not spend $250 to really help the sale of a $190,000 property – that amounts to just 0.13% of the sale price. Or think of it another way $250 is little more than a week’s mortgage payment. A well presented property is far more likely to sell faster and therefore save you more than a single week’s interest on the mortgage.
There have been regular articles and commentary throughout 2009 related to the merits or shortcomings of advertising property with a price or not; whether to market as an an auction, or to display no price “and let the market decide”!
Heading as we are to the end of the decade prompts me to wonder – what will be the “next big thing” for 2010 and beyond?
This opinion piece is written primarily to address a question that I seem to be hearing more and more from within the real estate industry.