Pre-Shoot Checklist: are you ready for photos?

If you've spent any amount of time window shopping for homes then you know that there are a lot of homes that are listed with TERRIBLE photos. It's so common that there are multiple websites dedicated to this topic (here, here, & here). I often wonder if home owners just don't look at the photos that have been taken of their property??

It's easy to make light of it but when it comes to your home there are a few things that you need to make sure that you understand & discuss with your Realtor. If you click on the links above you'll see photos that are very over the top & it's easy to assume that it's not really a problem.  But the photos below were easy to find & are from properties that are currently listed in RI right now: I spent LITERALLY three minutes in a search & found these examples of terrible photos:

Any day of the week I can skim through MLS & find examples that are identical to these photos. This is primarily true for listings priced under $300,000 but at the same time I can find other listings in that price range with photos that have been taken by a professional photographer & there is a stark difference. Likewise, there's a difference in quality between professionals---an agent needs to know what he/she is doing & have the best resources available to you. I have a current listing in Rehoboth & the first set of professional photos just didn't cut it for me so I hired a different company--yes, that meant that I had to pay for a second set of photos but I have an extremely high standard that I simply will not lower.

Here's my two cents:
All Realtors should offer free, professional photography. Period. Certainly some agents have taken courses & have learned how to take photos that would be considered professional quality, but Sellers should look at previous examples and decide if they are high quality.

It is a Realtor's job to help a Seller understand the current condition of the home & the impact that will have on the listing price. This takes experience & first-hand knowledge. 

Photos should be an accurate representation of the home-- you do not want photos that "make the house look bigger" or gloss over an obvious issue. I recently showed a house to a client & the kitchen was under construction but that was not shown in the photos or in the listing remarks/details about the house. And when I say "under construction" I mean that it's obvious the work was started months (or years) ago & that's as far as the work was going to go....No one likes to walk into a house & feel like someone isn't being forth-right, it makes people wonder what else is being hidden or not disclosed. Fish-eye lenses or wide angle lenses, for example, should not be used. 

Your Realtor should have industry partners that can assist you to maximize the value of your home.

Your Realtor is your home selling partner not a Wizard! There's work that Sellers must do to get their home ready if they want to maximize the value. I have a Pre-Shoot Checklist that I offer all of my Listing partners so that they have a plan in place to help get ready for great listing photos. Send me a message, I'd be happy to share it with you!