Misleading Real Estate Photos Decrease Online Traffic

Last week I talked about "Buyer's Shock" (the negative affect that misleading real estate photos and write-ups have on home buyers).  I repeat myself so often that I get tired of hearing my own voice but here I go again...


IF and WHEN you decide to sell your home (whether privately or with agent assistance) MAKE SURE YOUR HOME IS PREPARED PROPERLY FROM CURB TO CELLAR! and then,...make sure your photos illustrate all that hard work!


I just read an article posted on LinkedIn by home stager Tessa Skeens titled "10 Ways to Turn Off A Home Buyer". In that article, real estate agent Chad Goldwasser states...
 "Much is made of curb appeal, and for good reason: It's your home's handshake, the critical first impression that lasts with most buyers."


I want to run a little test here. 


I am going to show you a "cover photo" of a listing and I want you to answer 2 questions; but in order to be fair, I want you to take note of the following details of that home before the big test:


- detached, family home
- 2 acres of property
- 1,500 sq ft. on the main floor
- 2 bathrooms


OK, got all that?  Now for the test questions....


#1) Based on your FIRST impression of this photo, would this house interest you enough to read more?


#2) What would you think the price of this home is, based on above info and the front/exterior photo?


Scroll down to see the photo

So, what do you think?  Consider that early spring is not the greatest time of year for exterior property pictures.  Here's my FIRST impression:






- This home looks "BLAND" 


I have other thoughts about this picture, but they don't relate to my first impression!  This is the photo the homeowner's have chosen as their "cover photo" and having had the opportunity to drive by the home, I can vouch for its authenticity in regards to what you see here is what you ACTUALLY see.  


Now if you'll stay with me just a bit longer, please have a look at the following pictures and answer the same questions as asked earlier...

#1) Based on your FIRST impression of this photo, would this house interest you enough to read more?


#2) What would you think the price is based on above info and this photo?


Here's my FIRST impression of this photo.....




Hokey stunningness, I think I'm in LOVE!






Now, that's  the kind of first impression people should have of your home!


I would definitely want to read more about this listing!  Especially if you consider that the kitchen is the most expensive room to update! Anyone can see that there is nothing to update here!  Wow!


Want to hear something interesting?


That exterior photo you looked at earlier is the same house in which you'll find this kitchen!  No kidding!  


Want to know something else?  There is NO rule that says you can't put an interior photo as your "cover photo"!  So what about misleading buyers with your photos?  There is absolutely nothing misleading about any of these photos, but the BEST photo should be chosen as your "cover photo".  You have to remember that over 90% of today's real estate shoppers are looking online first; GRAB their attention with your BEST photo, make them WANT to read more!  Get them EXCITED from the FIRST picture!  

To get back to the point of this posting, are these homeowner's misleading buyers with their photos?  Yes they are!  They are misleading buyers with a bland, exterior photo which tells NOTHING about the extensive updates that lie within!  Some free advice to these homeowner's would be to start with changing their cover photo with that kitchen shot!  They might also try rearranging their slideshow and see if that will help to increase traffic.  For interest sake, I have included a link to this listing.  I hope that in a short time there will be a big "SOLD" sticker slapped on that ComFree sign!  All the best!


For those of you who may be considering selling your home in the future, I invite you to check out my published articles on the ComFree Blog:


5 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

10 Steps to a Successful Open House

Pros and Cons of Selling a Vacant Home

5 Ways to Stage Your Master Bedroom

How to Home Stage a Bathroom

Buyer's Shock, It's REAL!

What is "Buyer's Shock"?  

Buyer's shock is an extreme feeling of disappointment, sadness, (and sometimes anger) that is experienced by a potential buyer during, or after, a viewing of a home. It is not contagious or infectious but it is REAL! 

http://recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.ca

When potential buyers see pictures of a listing, and they like what they see; an emotional attachment is formed.  The photos and accompanying description of the home, instill excitement and high expectations in the buyers. 

http://teachingtheology.org

As a SELLER, keep in mind that MORE than 90% of today's real estate shoppers search online FIRST, before making contact with a real estate professional or private seller.  Potential buyers scour the internet looking at HUNDREDS of pictures.  If you are selling your home, your pictures had better be good and they'd better be an ACCURATE representation of your listing! 

Don't mislead potential buyers with unrealistic photos and "too-good-to-be-true" descriptions of the home.  Whether you are listing your home with an agent, or you are selling your home privately, be REAL!  If a listing does not live up to it's pictures and description, it creates a lasting, negative  emotional response that WILL NOT get your home SOLD!

If your home is on the real estate market right now, hopefully you will be in the position of a "Buyer" soon!  Put yourself in the buyer's shoes.  It may be helpful to keep these tips in mind:

1) Buyers WILL predetermine a price range in which to begin their search. Do some homework, check out comparable homes in your locale and then STRATEGIZE! Will you get more viewings if you list at $500,000 or at $499,900?

2) Hire a home stylist/stager who will give you an honest, buyer's-eye opinion of your home!  Invest in preparing your home PRIOR to listing, it will NEVER cost you as much a your first price reduction! 

3) Don't be tempted to over-price your home with the thought that you can always lower your price later.  A "reduced price" sign tell buyers that your home was overpriced to begin with and they'll think they can get a bargain. 

4) When a Buyer develops an emotional attachment to a listing, they are more willing to pay the asking price instead of risking losing out to another buyer. 

Are you selling a home?  Which of these photos appeals to YOU!?

It Always Gets Worse Before it Gets Better!

Once upon a time, there were clients who hired a decorator.  On the day the decorator was scheduled to come, the clients got up; went through their usual morning routine; indulged in a brief discussion regarding the changes that were about to take place, and headed out the door to work.  They were very excited because Limelight Interiors was going to begin work on their... "Bathroom Makeover"!  

        

In eager expectation, they hoped the day would fly by....

After a long and tiring day, the only thing keeping them going was the anticipation of the changes they would see when they got home.   As soon as they arrived at home, they went straight to the bathroom for a look....










And what did they see?.........


  








YIKES!  Definitely NOT what they expected!

 
              
The moral of the story.....


IT ALWAYS GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER!!  


No matter how well you've prepared, no matter how much you plan ahead, no project ever goes exactly the way you want or expect it to!  


It wasn't difficult to remove the wallpaper (that was a pleasant surprise!)  However, we went into this space expecting that when we were done stripping the wallpaper, the painters could just come in, fill a few holes and paint away, NOT!  


Unbeknownst to anyone, lurking beneath that lovely, flowery outdated wallpaper was a lousy repair job!  

That was definitely not in the plan!  

Silicone caulking had been applied OVER portions of the wallpaper; several areas of drywall compound were left unsealed so they got soft when we wet the paper; the primer used was not actually primer at all so it nicely peeled off with the paper; and then there were the areas of exposed drywall paper now damp from our spraying!   However, let's play the glad game...there was no mold!   

So what does that mean for this particular bathroom makeover?  It'll take a little longer to do the job RIGHT, but other than that it's not a big deal. 

Whether you're staging your home to sell or decorating your home to stay, it pays to do the job RIGHT!  If removing wallpaper is in your plans, a very small investment will get you the tools you need to get a good start.  

These are the only tools we used for stripping the walls and we purchased all of them at a dollar store (along with a spray bottle that we forgot to put it in the pic, oh!  and a ladder, but we had that already! 

When this job is finished, these homeowners will know it was done right and the wait will be worth it! .... Stay tuned :)