Which home would you get most excited to show and sell (or purchase yourself)?  This one:

or this one?

Yes they are the same house but a different perspective and a week later.  The changes are night and day.  One looks vacant and unappealing and the other has awesome curb appeal that leads you to believe this home is stunning.

This listing came to be by way of a business contact I had (I spent LOTS of money in his home theatre store) and he allowed me to experiment with the listing for a week or two to test a theory I had.  I took the top photo as most agents do….whenever.  I don’t even know if I got out of the car.  But it zoomed out to fit the home into my viewfinder and up top is what resulted.  I ran it in a cheaper real estate publication for a month.  Below is the result.  I let them do the layout of the ad and I couldn’t have been more disappointed.  They even spelled my name wrong

So next month I ran the ad in a higher class publication and did the entire ad myself.  Is there any guess why I sold this home for top dollar well over the sellers expections?

When you market a home for sale, the worst thing your agent could do is place an ugly photo of a nice home on the internet or in the MLS.  Buyers on the internet are not looking for homes to buy but rather are exclusing homes they wouldn’t.  Therefore, placing an ugly photo will have you ending up on the exclude list.  Those who will see the home will no doubt have their expectations set low and are looking for flaws.  Buyers of good looking homes (that actually are) are focusing on the important aspects of the home rather than its flaws.  Any buyer’s agent who has been in this business full time would agree in my assessment of buyer psychology.

For agents, the key is to purchase the right equipment and to get comfortable with the features.  I used the same camera for both pictures - a 2.5 megapixel Sony Powershot that’s worth $30 on ebay currently.  I’ve since upgraded but this just shows what you can do with a very average camera.  Next, take a class in photo editing.  Back when I was in high school, I joined the yearbook club and learned how to use the very first edition of photoshop.  All throughout college, I continued using the program for all sorts of things and today use the latest version for photo editing.  Any community college or even some camera stores will offer classes on photo editing and photography that you should consider investing in.

Finally, pick up a copy of Arcsoft Panorama maker 4.  It performs the same function as visual tour’s photo stiching software but don’t have to get locked into a monthly contract.  This software ($40 online) will allow you to upload pictures like this:

This is the kitchen of a home I took with my average panasonic luminx digital camera and a $30 tripod (essential).  If I just showed you a picture of the kitchen in the MLS listing, you wouldn’t know that there is a keeping room off right across from it.  If I just shot the keeping room, you would think it was the family room since both have built-ins and fireplaces.  However, put together and you get a whole picture of this amazing kitchen.

I always say that a good picture is worth about $10,000.  What is your listing photo worth?

Charlotte NC Homes for Sale