Say Cheese!  In today’s fast real estate market bad pictures can affect the sale of your property.

Curb appeal, decluttering, new paint and carpet won’t work if potential buyers skip property because of lousy pictures. According to NAR (National Association of Realtors®) approximately 90% of homebuyers start house hunting online.  A good picture can attract a buyer to look at more information about your property.

In the latest survey by the NAR, ..”As a result of an internet home search, buyers most often walked through the home that they viewed online. Buyers 51 years and younger saw the exterior of homes because of searching online for properties. The most important website feature was photos for nine in 10 buyers under the age of 62.”

So how do you get your property to “Say Cheese” and capture to capture the photographs?  Many Realtors® have invested in expensive camera gear or hired professionals to photograph properties.  But it’s the owner’s job to make sure everything is cleared out of the way and rooms look their best. 

Before the photos:

In order to showcase your home and not your “stuff” clear out toys, overcrowded countertops, and odds and ends left around the home.  Use your cell phone to photograph rooms and compare to pictures you see online.  If you don’t like what you see then figure out what else needs to be eliminated or moved.  Your agent may move some things for pictures but it’s not their job to clean your home.

Make sure light bulbs work and this might the right time to remove dated, light blocking draperies and maybe it’s time to get rid of the oversized lounge chair that you always hated.  Think about getting ready for school photos. Face scrubbed, teeth brushed, hair combed and no obnoxious colored clothing that will haunt you for years to come.

After the photos:

Agents and photographers try to use as much natural lighting as possible. There’s the possibility weather conditions may require reshooting a few rooms.  Your favorite room might not be the best picture to capture buyer’s attention.  If you’re a control freak discuss the order of pictures with your agent.  Remember sometimes, you only have a “one picture opportunity” to capture somebody’s attention. 

Say Cheese is the seller’s opportunity to put the best photo forward.  Making sure your home has a dazzling, clean smile helps buyers follow through on wanting to see your property.