Picture This!

Denver Real Estate Photography is Critical to Successfully Marketing Your Home

When one sees a property go off the market because the listing has expired (YES, there are those in Denver) there are a couple of things that stand out. More often than not the price is too high, there is a description and verbal tour the home that is more a list of features (no benefits), and the pictures are poor quality. The lighting is poor, the composition is from Gullver's view, and there are just not enough of them. Color attracts the eye and we tend to linger on bright photos especially because we know the beautiful atmosphere we have here in Denver with white fluffy clouds on a blue sky!. Some of these "expired listings" that have failed to sell will be offered through discount brokers where photos might cost extra, so the home owner submits their own, and often not enough of them. They might even offer an actual walk out basement as an in ground basement yet the broker never visits the home. I have found over the years that if I invest in the high quality pictures that a professional can provide, we sell faster and for more than expected. Make sure to compare listing brokerage firms. And read on for more about photos...

Listing photos may be one of the most important marketing efforts that lead to a potential buyer.

Nearly, all buyers use the Internet during the home search process. They usually start looking at homes online before they contact an agent. It’s far more efficient to screen properties by looking at the pictures that have been posted than to make appointments with each homeowner, drive all over town and waste a lot of time looking at homes that would never meet a buyer’s criteria.

• There needs to be enough pictures of a property to adequately represent the home; most websites allow for at least 24 and more may be needed if it is a large home.
• Take horizontal shots to accommodate the format of most listing websites.
• The pictures should be well-lit so that it is easy to see all of the features of the room. Natural light is preferred over the limitations of flash.
• They should be taken with a wide-angle lens so that you can see the majority of the room in one picture.
• Large rooms can be taken from different angles to give the buyers a different perspective.
• Rooms should be set if not staged prior to taking the pictures so they will give the buyer an idea of what the room might look like with their own things in it.
• Arrange pictures in website to help buyers visualize the floorplan as if walking through it.
• Think about using a tripod; professionals do to absolutely hold the camera still.
• They should definitely not be “photoshopped” to modify factual elements like removing power lines.

Everyone occasionally takes a great picture but it doesn’t make them a photographer. Since the photography can be one of the most important marketing efforts, consider using a professional photographer to show the home to its best advantage.