Good property photos key to a quick sale
 

NEW YORK – Feb. 16, 2007 – A picture is worth 1,000 words, especially when it comes to selling a home. As more buyers shop for properties online, high-quality photos are more important than ever.

“Good photos will grab people’s attention and help you sell a home,” says Jacky Teplitzky, executive vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York. “Bad pictures will absolutely give you trouble because you won’t have any calls on it and nobody will come to see it.”

Being a good real estate professional doesn’t necessarily lead to being a good photographer, so it may be smart to hire a professional. Good photos are particularly important for virtual tours, which provide a 360-degree view of a room, says Meredith Maxfield a sales associate with the Briggs-Freeman Real Estate Brokerage in Dallas.

Whether you take the pictures or you hire an expert, here are some tips for making the home look its best on camera.

• Insist on good photography equipment so the photos are sharp and colors aren’t washed out.
• Get rid of clutter in the home so the focus can be on the property, not the furniture and personal items.
• Don’t shoot at night. Natural daylight makes the home look brighter.
• Use flowers; they add color to the photos.
• Wide-angle lens are good unless they distort the view. Making an average living room look like a ballroom will only disappoint a potential buyer when she sees the real thing.

Source: The New York Times, Vivian S. Toy (02/11/2007)

 
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