So, you have finally decided that you want to sell your home. Obviously, now you will have to market and advertise your home. How should you go about doing this? Through online marketing of course.
The National Association of REALTORS®, 2013 survey of Home Buyers estimated that nearly 90% of potential homebuyers begin searching for a home online. Yes, that does mean you have to put your house up on the MLS, and when you do so, you will have to upload pictures as well. Fail to do this, and only limited buyers will show an interest. Ask any real estate agent, and they will tell you the same.
Pictures are really important in real estate marketing, but there is one problem, not just any picture will do. Your pictures must be absolutely incredible and must utilize good photographic techniques. Only then will buyers show an interest and make and get them closer to making an offer. And do not forget the fact that buyers visit a home only when they like the photos. So if your photos are not good, there are very limited chances that potential buyers will appear on your front door.
Good Photographic Technique is Essential
The National Association of REALTORS® also claims that nearly 98% of people who bought a home and looked online, stated photos to be the most useful feature of online websites that played a very important role in the decision-making process. In real estate marketing, photography is of prime importance because it can motivate the buyer to view your home, and possibly make an offer, that is, if it is good enough. Here are the main reasons why you should opt for a good photography when selling your house.
- Photos help you gain an edge in the market and attract more buyers.
- Today’s world is digitized. Buyers know how to make use of technology and they crave information. You can impress them if you get on the same page as them and provide them with good photos.
- Nearly all real estate websites allow you to upload pictures. If you do not, few if any buyers will show much interest.
- Visual aids form a better impression than just text descriptions about your house.
HDR Is An Advanced Photographic Technique
HDR or High Dynamic Range Imaging is a photography technique that adds more dynamic range to the photos. Dynamic range is actually the ratio of light and darkness. HDR techniques do not use just one photo, but instead, combine a number of them into a single image. All photos are taken at different exposures and can easily be combined with an image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or HDR PhotoStudio. This helps you in highlighting the best features of every photo and result in an image that appears more appealing to the eye.
Compared to traditional images, HDR images are better because they are based on radiance or luminance. Their dynamic ranges are greater and so higher quality and clear photographs can be produced. The lighting in an HDR image is just perfect and clearly highlights all the details. As such, all pictures of your house come out better and attract more buyers.
Let the Pros do the Work
Considering the advantages of HDR photography that have been mentioned above, you should use it when you take pictures of your home. As good as you may be with a camera, you should seek professional help and leave the job to them. They can do a far better job than you and produce better results.
Most REALTORS® will hire a professional photographer to take marketing photos of your home. If you decide to go it alone, make sure you do your research. Once you come across a name, view the portfolio, go through the customer reviews and consider the price. Needless to say, cheapest is not always the best. You may have to spend more than what you wanted but keep in mind that professional HDR photos can help you in getting a much better offer. Do not want to miss out on this, right? Hire a qualified photographer whose work is impressive enough.
Make Your Pictures Stand Out
HDR does make your photos look better, but there are other things as well, like staging and lighting. Combine the three and your photos will look absolutely perfect. Though your photographer and agent will guide you about this in detail, here is what you should do before the photographer starts clicking away.
- Though this is very obvious, it is still worth mentioning there are people who do not pay any attention to it. When pictures of your house are being taken, it should be clean and appear to be uncluttered.
- Your rooms should contain some of your belongings so that they appear livelier. This even makes it easier for the buyer to imagine their life there, allowing you tap into their emotional side.
- When the interior is being photographed, open the windows so that most of the sunlight can enter the room. Also turn on all the indoor lights.
- Light up the fireplace, move the chair out or make similar adjustments to make your house look cozier.
- Be sure to focus on strong areas of your house. Maybe your bathroom is completely modernized, your backyard looks stunning or you have a pool. If your home has features of these sorts, the photos should capture them well.
- When you are shooting the exterior of your house, timing is important. The dawn and dusk are the best hours of the day. No photographer is going to show up in wee hours of the morning, but try to photograph the exterior when the sun is setting down. And do not forget to turn on the interior lights through the windows. This makes your home looks more cheerful.
So hire a professional photographer or work with a REALTOR® that has one and avail their help to market your home. Hopefully, you will get an amazing offer on it. Good luck with selling your house.