First impressions matter: 4 reasons why great property photos are essential

We say the photos have the biggest impact on the first impressions of your buyers and tenants, and for good reason (well, four actually). You’re about to find out why they matter so much… so buckle up.

1. Photos bring the buyer to the door

It wasn’t the write up or the chatter about the “good sized rooms” that drew me to view my first home – the one I went on to buy. It was a combination of two things; the location and the photos. I even remember complimenting Leigh, the agent, on the quality of the pics. He looked pretty chuffed.

Location is key, we all know that. Bad photos will get some people through the door to view a property in a top area. Excellent photos will get more people through the door to a property in any area.

This stat from Zoopla won’t surprise anyone, but bare in mind it’s implications:

• 82% of buyers begin the search for their dream home online*. That means your buyers can and will – at the glide of a finger – scroll over to your competitor’s listing if yours looks about as inspiring as a charity shop window.

2. Homes with better photos sell for more

One study done by Redfin (a major player in the US property market) showed that homes photographed with a Digital SLR camera sold for around 3% more compared to listings that were photographed with a regular point-and-shoot or smartphone camera.

Who’s going to argue against achieving a higher sale price? Certainly not your vendor, they will love you for it! And they will tell all their friends about what a great job you did.

3. Homes sell faster

Houses don’t hang around for long when they’re displayed online looking hot, hot, hot. In my case, I was in the door having a nose around the day after the property went on the market and I snapped it up. No way was I going to let it hang around, not with those original sash windows.

The same US study (sadly nobody has done a UK study yet… maybe we’ll do one… ) showed that homes with an average price equivalent to ₤270,000 sold (on average) three weeks faster if shot with a digital SLR camera compared to homes photographed with a basic point-and-shoot.

4. First impressions are lasting impressions

The first viewing isn’t the one where the buyer steps through the door, it’s the one where they first see the property images with their eyes – online. It’s the photos that create the first impression, and it’s that first impression that sticks – even after they’ve been to look around and sniffed the outdated carpet.

If the first thing they see is a bright, vibrant collection of well-taken photos then two things will happen:

1. They will scream ‘hallelujah’ and book a viewing
2. They will perceive the house to be desirable and of a higher value. Why do you think Apple make such an effort with their packaging? Nicely presented things command higher prices.

I can certainly vouch for all the above being true; find out what happened when I flipped my first buy-to-sell project to the first person to book a viewing (and for more than the asking price) here >

Want to learn the secrets to taking amazing shots?

So in light of this information, the question becomes – can you really afford not to take great photos when you’re in the property game? Rather handily, we have written a FREE guide called the Ultimate Guide to Property Photography to teach you how to photograph your properties like a pro – simply stuff, nothing complicated. Grab your copy today!

Also, before you go, we’d love you to check out our Image Enhancement service for FREE so here’s a promocode for you, enter BLOG7 when creating an account 🙂