Are Professional Pictures and Videos for Listings Important? (Part 3)

Today I want to talk about the 3rd showing that is so very important - the physical tour of the home. If the professional photos and videos have done their job then your home made it past the online tour and the drive-by and the buyer is liking it enough to call their agent for a physical tour of the home.So far the buyer has only had video media to make judgements about the home. Now when they go in they are going to be able to take advantage of their other sense like touch and smell it. Don't ever under estimate the importance of how your home smells. I remember a showing where the buyer picked up on a smoke smell from the porch and before I could get the lockbox open she decided she didn't want to go in! Some people are just that turned off by it. I've seen buyers turned off by too much air freshener. They assume you are trying to cover something up. If you use air fresheners someone walking into the room should not notice them right away. It should be a subtle background fragrance that you don't really notice.Pet odor is another big turn off for buyers. Cats especially because it can be so hard to get it out. During their tour they will get to see things that didn't show up in the pictures. Things like those spider webs in the corner or the chipped place on the counter or that light switch that no longer works. It's not always the big items that kill a deal. The little things can make the difference. A buyer subconsciously adds up the little things as they walk through. If they get enough of them, then they want to move on to the next property. As markets tighten it becomes even more critical that everything looks in order and well maintained.At the end of the day great looking photos and a quality video can get them in the door but the house has to sell itself once they come in. I work with some of the best Realtors in the Dayton area and the general consensus is your home does better online if you go the extra mile. Reach out today if you have questions.

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Are Professional Pictures and Videos for Listings Important? (Part 2)

Today I want to touch on the second of three showings your home needs to be successful with to get to the closing table. The 'second' showing is the drive-by. If a buyer likes your home online they will often do a drive-by before calling their agent to take a look inside. Passing the curb appeal test will make the buyer want to look inside. When a home looks clean, well kept, updated and fresh on the outside, we naturally assume the inside matches. Things like a manicured lawn, fresh paint on the front door, rolling up the garden hose, store garbage cans, resealing a worn-looking or stained driveway, etc. will make all the difference.Next week Part 3 - the physical tour!

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Are Professional Pictures and Videos for Listings Important?

You bet they are! In this strong Seller's Market I see a lot of agents skipping the expense of a professional photographer in lieu of taking pictures with their phones. The rational is, "Why spend the money on a professional when the house will sell the first day anyway?". The problem with that is the house may not sell the first day. It might sit for a while. I can show you plenty of homes that have been on the market 30 plus days. You don't hear about these very often because everyone likes to talk about the quick sales. It is common for a house to have 3 'showings' and it's important for your house to look it's best in each of the 3.The first one is a virtual showing. That's the one that results from your house hitting the Dayton MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com and so on. You've got to look good online or you can blow your shot at the other two showings. If you've been house hunting online you've seen the poorly done photos with dark rooms, improper orientation where the phone was held vertically instead of horizontally, narrow photos that should have been taken with a wide angle lens, etc. I've even see photos loaded upside down, redundant photos and pictures out of focus! Bad photos that provide a poor representation of the home can and do turn buyers off and cause the home to fail to make the buyer's shortlist.Tune in to next week's tips when I discuss the other two showings that the best Realtors think are so important to the success of your sale.

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