A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

You’ve seen the listings on realtor.ca. The ones with photos that are dark, off-centre, fuzzy, maybe with dirty dishes in the sink…you know what I’m talking about! Some listings don’t have any photos at all!!! Check out Hooked on Houses for a variety of incredibly terrible MLS photos 🙂

You may think that if you don’t put pictures of your house online when you sell, more people will come because they’re curious. Don’t be deceived. This is old-world thinking. 10 years ago this was acceptable. Most buyers hired an agent first to find them a house. If you’re thinking about selling, you’re probably also going to buy another house. You’re probably on realtor.ca every day, maybe multiple times a day!

Pictures are so important when selling your home in this predominantly online market. Most buyers look online for months before even talking to a REALTOR! People are used to doing their own research and being in control before they ask a professional’s opinion. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something that you – the seller – has to be aware of. Now since November, in Barrie, we are allowed to post a total of 25 photos of a single property; this is an increase from the previous 7 photos! This is a direct result of the demand from you, the consumer, as well as us REALTORs.

We live in a visual society. We are on computers and cell phones almost constantly. Realtor.ca now has an app. This is the way of the future. Most buyers are looking at photos before they even check to see if there are enough bedrooms!

If your REALTOR is taking pictures to put online, make sure they take good ones. Anybody can edit photos by brightening up a room, or cropping out the cat. Ask to preview the photos before they go online! You have the right to do that. Better yet, hire a professional photographer. I hire Rowell Photography for my listings, and you will not believe the difference in the number of showings! They are incredible.

I’m not a photographer, nor do I pretend to be. Just like I’m not a mortgage agent or a real estate lawyer! I have a basic understanding of it, but in my opinion, leave the work to the professionals. They know what they’re doing, and chances are it will help sell your house sooner and for more money!