Better Photos of Your Home = More Money. Period.
Tonight while I’m searching online for beach cottages for Spring Break I notice an interesting trend… my budget for the weekly rental keeps inching upward as I click through properties with a modern aesthetic and crisp, well-lit photos. Why do you suppose that is? Is the home with the dark, blurry photos really as dirty and scary as it seems? I don’t know, but I’m not taking that chance on my family vacation, and potential buyers won’t take that chance on your home either.
Above all else, I am thinking about what our experience will be like staying in these homes. On listings with poor photos I find myself questioning whether the owner has even done this before…do I trust them with my money? This is an important getaway for my family. It’s been a year since we left town for longer than the weekend. I want it to be perfect. Even more than that, I want it to be memorable. I want to look back and think about how much fun we had on that Spring Break Trip in 2014 when our boys were young.
The buyer for your home is thinking the exact same thing. This is likely the largest investment they have ever made. They will only go through this process a handful of times in their life. They cannot wait to find their new place, and then send out the link to ALL of their friends and family on Facebook. When they do, they expect tons and tons of likes, because “that home looks amazing!” and “I can totally see you living here” and “we used to live just down the street and I’ve always loved that house.” Are they willing to pay more for THAT home? You better believe it.
Not sure where to start in terms of sprucing the place up? Here are some quick & easy ways to improve curb appeal this weekend You can also embark on an HGTV/Pinterest marathon this upcoming weekend, or read about which home improvements items have the highest return.
A final, critical step: once you take the time to clean and do the updates and/or staging; please (please!) demand that your home be showcased online with lots of high quality photos (here’s our video on the elements of a good listing photo). Remember: Bad photos cost you money. Good photos invite potential buyers in…and convince them to stay. Good luck!
