Every Picture Tells a Story!

Note to agent from seller: Sorry the house isn’t exactly ready for photos. My kids had 2 soccer games and 3 parties to attend over the weekend. Too much to do! I’m sure the buyers will understand. After all, we are selling the house, not the stuff, right?

Response to seller: Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller, Here’s the thing. If you don’t care about how your home looks, why should I? I’ll just take the photos with the toilet seats up and junk piled everywhere; you know, kind of an “HGTV Gone Wild” photo album. But before I broadcast your son’s BBDs and your dirty dishes worldwide, there are a few things you’ll want to consider. The market is hugely competitive. Your house should look like a magazine because, trust me, the competition will. Almost all buyers start their search online. They enlarge photos and study each one. They learn small details from the photos. So, the question is this: how are they going to study details if they can’t see them?

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Seller, you are right about one thing. The buyer will understand. They’ll understand that you are unrealistic and unmotivated. They’ll assume distress or problems with the property. They’ll be looking for problems. For instance, you know that small stain on the kitchen ceiling. Yep, I know you repaired the leak; the buyer doesn’t. I can put a note in the listing but even if the buyer reads it, this small issue will set the tone for showings. We want buyers to be excited about seeing the property. Unfortunately, your buyers will be trying to figure out what else you couldn’t afford to fix…and how low you will go.

Trust me, we are good friends so it’s not easy to be so honest with you. Truth is, I always hire a professional photographer. Remember me telling you about a home I listed after another agent had it for a year with rare showings and no offers. We prepped the home properly and received 2 offers over full price in a week! This is actually pretty common. Getting ready is a small investment that pays huge dividends. Our listings are syndicated all over the internet. If I take photos today, the main attraction will be the Victoria’s Secret underwear in the shower! Look, it’s your choice. You can either get ready to sell or you can get ready to take a beating on your bottom line. I love you, but I think I’ll save my marketing dollars for now. Call me after your listing expires. In the meantime, here’s a tip. Take digital photos of your own when you get home. See what the camera sees. There’s a story there because, after all, like the song says: every picture tells a story.