This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Dim Photos in a Listing Usually Leads to Dimmer Results

The photos that make up your listing will be key to your home’s marketing effort. If that first impression is positive (or even if it only raises curiosity), those images will have helped you past the all-important first hurdle.

What makes a listing a visual triumph? I’m afraid that belongs in realm of art, so to a certain extent remains unclassifiable. But some factors that inevitably prevent a good listing shot are a lot easier to describe. Chief culprits:

We’ve all seen listing photos where you can barely make out what you’re supposed to be looking at — dim shots that make a house look grey and dirty. Since everyone is drawn to a home that’s brightly lit and inviting, when in doubt, turn on more lights! Bright photo highlights make a home look clean and sparkly, so help your agent plan the photo shoot at the time of day you know your house looks its brightest -- and if the weather doesn’t cooperate, be willing to re-schedule.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A listing that shows even a few rooms that haven’t been properly de-cluttered can end up alienating potential buyers. Serious buyers want to be able to envision how a house will look once they move in: hard to do when the floors, walls or shelves are packed with your belongings.

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook garbage cans, gardening equipment, or exterior décor touches that once looked nice (and now, let’s face it, don’t). Even though we’re in the midst of the winter doldrums — in a few weeks they will make it harder for buyers to envision what the property looks like any other time of year. If possible, photograph the house on a bright day with the sun behind you (but remember to keep your shadow out of frame).

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

My #1 pet peeve: Front elevation and back yard pictures laden with snow – sticking out like a sore thumb in non-winter months. How can potential Buyers “Think Spring” when your home for sale looks like winter tundra? These pictures should be re-taken and re-posted as soon as is practical.

Lastly, we all love our smart-phones and ipads with their newer lenses and built-in flashes. My personal opinion is they just don’t cut it when it comes to high-quality listing pictures – especially when seen on retina display devices (the newer iPads and MacBooks & MacPros), and quality printed listing brochures.

John Badalamenti is a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Luxury Collection Specialist with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® - serving the Philadelphia Main Line & Surrounding Suburban Philadelphia area.  John can be reached via email @ johnb@subphillyhomes.com or visit his website: www.MainLineHomeZone.com


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?