Pictures that are poor or less than flattering can turn buyers off, leading to fewer leads and offers. In the example above the photo's have been taken in the same house. One photo has been taken by the vendor/agent and the other by us. As you can see with your own eyes the results are astounding. In real estate, good pictures — the right pictures — are worth more than a thousand words — they can be worth thousands of dollars.
According to a survey of buyers and sellers in the US, 80% of the people across the country who purchased a new home in 2006 used the Internet while researching their purchase. These buyers rated photographs as the single most useful tool in their search. Agents say the photos buyers see online are often the first, and sometimes the only, chance they may get to make a good impression.
The photograph is almost always the first element in any advert that connects with the buyer. It is the handshake, the first impression, the thing that cuts through the visual clutter to capture the buyer's attention. Everything in the marketing campaign to sell a property relies on the quantity and quality of the photographs of your home. Photographs are needed for a website, brochures, flyers, photoboards, newspaper adverts, possible magazine articles, etc. Many times, buyers will decide if they will visit a property based on the strength (or weaknesses) of the photos accompanying a listing. Quality photos can and do make a difference, a big difference.
"Multiple photographs/Slideshows" continue to be the online feature with the highest rating among all online features, followed by "Map/Directions." Because of the nature of the Internet, more photos can be posted with your Web listing and on a home website than in any other medium and for a fraction of the cost. A study monitoring listings over a 30-day period which clearly showed that properties which feature just one photo generated approximately five views and 1.37 leads, while listings displaying 21 or more images received over 77 views and close to 11 leads. Clearly, the listings that added 20+ photos generated nearly 10 times the number of leads and over 15 times the number of views.
Another study relating to the number of photos a listing posts compares photos to the number of Days on Market (DOM). The findings show that listings with more photos sold faster. This is the shake down on the photos to Days on Market (DOM) analysis:
- 1 photo = 70 DOM
- 6 photos = 40 DOM
- 16-19 photos = 36 DOM
- 20 photos max = 32 DOM
And listings with fewer photos sold for less. The final price as a percentage of the Original Price also showed a direct correlation.
- 1 Photo = 91.2% of Original Price
- 6 or more = 95% of Original Price