The work has to show in the photos
You’ve had the consultation. You’ve moved the couch, taken some pictures off the wall, cleared the refrigerator, and put things where they need to be. The house looks fantastic. Now we need the photographs to show it that way.
The pictures are what buyers have in front of them when they’re deciding whether they want to come see your house. I take that seriously. Professional photography is something I invest in for my listings, and I pay for it myself.
I’ve had clients who weren’t happy with the pictures, and we hired another photographer. It is that important to me that the house looks good when it goes on the market.
What do we want the buyer to notice?
It’s unbelievable how often you can look at houses online and find dark cell-phone pictures, pictures of corners, toilets, and trash cans. Somebody has taken the pictures, but they haven’t taken the time to help the buyer see what’s good about the house.
I work with the photographer on what we want to show and which features should lead. The photographer brings the artistic and technical expertise. I bring what I know about the property and how we’re going to present it to buyers.
We need to think about the order of the pictures, too. What is the first thing somebody sees? What makes them want to look at the next picture? I want the strongest parts of your house to be easy to find, instead of hoping the buyer makes it through a long list of images to discover them.
“After we’ve helped you get the house looking fantastic, I want the photos to make it look fantastic.”
~Brian
Give them a reason to want this house
People love to talk about the things they bought and why theirs is better. It has this feature, it does that, or it lets them do something they couldn’t do before. You want to look at your house from that perspective and give the buyer something to be excited about.
That might be a kitchen they can picture using, a comfortable living room, or a view they want to come home to. The point is to show what the house offers, so they have a reason to want it beyond the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
When people decide what to offer, how they feel is influenced by what they see. We’ve already worked on how the house will feel in person. I want the photographs to help create that interest before they ever walk through the door.
The story behind the house
The photos are a big part of the first impression. Video and the description give us other ways to explain what makes your property special.
You know things about living in this house that somebody looking at the listing won’t know. I want to hear those things. What do you enjoy about it? Which features do you use? What would you want the next owner to understand? That information helps us decide what to show and what to talk about.
A video can tell the story of the home instead of simply moving from one room to the next. The description can explain details that don’t come across in a photograph. I don’t want to use that space just to repeat the same bedroom count and square footage the buyer can already see.
Before we put it in front of buyers
The preparation, the price, the photographs, the video, and the description have to work together. If we’ve done the work to get the house ready, I want the listing to show it.
I invest in the photography, video, and marketing because I’m trying to help you get the most money. We look at what the property needs and choose how to present it. A waterfront home may have a very different feature to lead with than a house with a beautiful kitchen or a great backyard.
I’d love the opportunity to look at your house, talk through your plans, and show you what I would do to help you sell it.