What does “curb appeal” mean in the digital age? Previously, potential home buyers might drive by a house they’re interested in to see how it looks in real life, at least from the outside.
Today, consumers go online to gain immediate access to all kinds of information about a property listing. Their first impressions often come not from a drive-by, but from the photographs posted by the real estate marketing companies.
So if you’re looking to make a good impression on potential home buyers, professional quality photographs can make all the difference. In fact, brokerage firm Redfin Corp. recently found that listing photographs taken with DSLR cameras routinely result in homes that are sold more quickly and at higher prices than those taken with point-and-shoot cameras or smartphone pictures.
Specifically, Redfin found that 64% of homes in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range photographed using DSLR sold within six months, compared to just 46% of those shot with point-and-shoots. For homes in the million-dollar range, 35% of the professionally-photographed ones sold in six months or less, versus just 30% of the point-and-shoots.
Additionally, homes between $200,000 and $1,000,000 shot with DSLR sold for $3,400 to $11,200 more than their relative list prices. And yet, Redfin says, less than 50% of all homes in the million-dollar-plus range are given the professional photo treatment.
Beyond quality equipment, professional photo retouching services can transform average pictures into amazing ones. The right lighting, contrast, and color balance can plant in potential home buyers’ minds a visual image of a property that is warm, beautiful, and welcoming, either before or after they’ve actually visited it in person.
Overall, online advertising, including the real estate market, is a $149 billion annual trade industry. Investing a small amount into photo retouching services to showcase your available listings is perhaps more valuable than any marketing campaign alone. Not only can it drive customers to your homes, but it can result in higher closing prices, faster sales, and a happier overall consumer experience.
When it comes to real estate photo editing, leave it to the professionals to increase your digital curb appeal. That way, you can focus on getting people in the door of the property itself.
To see all the ways that Picsera’s photo retouching services can transform your real estate listings, click on over to ourreal estate photo services page!
