One of the golden rules of property selling is not to skimp on photography. And you don’t have to take our word for it – look at the results of a recent survey of home buyers.*
A survey of 1,300 people who had purchased a property within the past six months revealed three critical things:
- Photography creates a powerful first impression (and we all know first impressions count). 93% of respondents said they formed an opinion of a home based on the imagery.
- Dodgy photos cost sellers money. 62% of buyers said they’d make an offer below the asking price if the pictures were poor.
- Good photos generate viewings. 94% of buyers were more inclined to view a property that was marketed with good photos and/or a video tour. Meanwhile, 78% said they’d be less likely to view a property if the photos were howlers.
Why quality pics matter
As most smartphones have decent cameras, you might assume that anyone could grab a few snaps of a property, and no one would be the wiser.
But most prospective buyers are sophisticated social media users and scroll through countless high-quality images online every day.
When buyers see dubious, poorly lit snaps they assume that the seller either doesn’t know what they’re doing or is desperate to offload (both options are likely to prompt a reduced offer).
Conversely, good-quality photos are a sure-fire recipe for attracting higher offers. Property photographers know all the lighting and perspective tricks to ensure a property looks light, bright and welcoming.
But wait, there’s more!
One issue that we’ve noticed in our agency, but didn’t come up in the survey, is that many buyers share the listing of a property with family and close friends before making an offer.
The buyer may be wobbling and want a second opinion or relying on the Bank of Mum and Dad for help with the deposit. So, it goes without saying that you want the images in the listing to be good quality.
We always use high-quality photography here at Martin & Co, as we know it gives sellers the edge. Get in touch with us to learn more about our comprehensive property marketing strategy.
* Survey by Giraffe360.
