We’ve all seen them. Yes, you know what we are talking about — cell phone photos being used to market a listing. They say a picture is worth 1.000 words. In real estate, a picture can be worth thousands of dollars.

Imagine this; you’re scrolling the internet and browsing your community’s listings to see which homes fit your needs the best. From these listings, you’re creating a list of homes that make the cut to see in person.

Suddenly, you come across a listing that seems to check a lot of boxes. However, the photos are dim, blurry, and make the house look really small. You can’t make much out of the photos and you immediately scroll to the next home. Because of this, you just missed out on the opportunity to own your perfect home!

Now more than ever, having exceptional listing photos is crucial to successfully marketing and selling your home in our technology driven society. We can’t say why some professionals choose to market with low quality photos. However, we can confidently inform and educate our community that professional listing photos matter.

The Internet: The vast majority of homebuyers (as many as 85 to 90%) start their search for a new home online. This means that they are all starting their search by looking at photos. These pictures are an important factor for a home buyer when deciding if they will see your listing in person. Pictures alone won’t sell your home, but they definitely make a huge difference.

First impressions are everything: The fact of the matter is, photos sell homes. According to the National Association of Realtors, the share of buyers who use the internet to search for homes increased to an all-time high of 97% in 2020. In a day and age when personal time is limited, buyers quickly move on if the photos don’t catch their attention.

Get the best price: Having abundant, high quality photos can be the difference between months on market and thousands of dollars in the sales price. Some studies have shown that homes that had photos taken professionally with a DSLR camera sold for significantly higher than those with a simple point-and-shoot camera or a cell phone.

A great photo can capture the true look and feel of a home, giving it emotional appeal. Let’s face it, many home purchases are not only based on finances but also on feelings. Home truly is where the heart is.

Trusting the Professional: We aren’t going to lie, today’s cell phone cameras can take pretty amazing photos! However, professional real estate photographers have advanced equipment and trained skills to take your listing photos to the next level.

To a professional real estate photographer, the details matter. For example; interior lighting, time of day, season, angles of a room, furniture placement, and design all matter and can drastically impact your photos. Having that expertise can mean the difference between average photos and eye-catching professional images that highlight your home’s best features.

A professional real estate photographer is also educated on how to stage a property so that buyers can envision themselves in the space. Shifting a vase of flowers from the dining room table to the kitchen island, removing or adjusting pieces of home decor, or decluttering a bookshelf – these are all small changes that can make all the difference in your final photos. For example, if your kitchen counters are completely bare, it can take the human element out of the room. However, if the right pieces are left out — maybe a nice looking toaster or blender — it can give a prospective buyer a sense that it is lived in and helps provide scale to the room.

Time is Money: Professional real estate photographers also provide amazing post production editing skills. Most people and real estate agents do not have the editing software needed to create high-quality images. A professional knows how to properly edit and brighten photos to make them come to life.

The bottom line is if you are planning on selling your home, make sure that it is showcased by a professional. Hiring a real estate broker that uses a professional photographer is truly a win-win for everyone. Generally, a homeowner can experience more prospective buyers, a potentially faster sale, and a better sales price, all while assuring that the home is being presented in the best way possible.