Your Home’s Online Appeal Can Capture a Buyer’s Interest
The majority of homebuyers will shop for a house online. If your property makes a good impression on the internet, a buyer may schedule a tour. When listing your property online, make sure the house looks attractive and well-cared for. Take a look at your front entryway – the porch, door, walkway, and the landscaping at the front of the home – and make it tidy and welcoming.
Hire a Professional
To get the best results, hire a professional to take pictures of your home. A real estate photographer has the experience and knowledge to capture the property at the best time of day and in the best light. Ask your real estate agent if they have a recommendation for a photographer.
Look at the Home Through the Eyes of a Buyer
To help you see what a buyer will see, use your digital camera or cell phone to snap a picture of the front of the house. View your images objectively and consider where improvements could be made. Clear the kids’ toys off the front porch. Move the bicycles to the garage. If you have stacks of clay pots by the door, relocate them to the garden shed or go ahead and pack them away.
Take a drive around your neighborhood, imagining that you’re seeing your home for the first time. Looking at the house from a distance, you might see moss or algae growing on the roof or notice foliage that should be trimmed back.
Photos Should be Current
The online pictures of your home shouldn’t date the listing. For example, if you put your home on the market near Halloween and it’s still listed for sale in the spring, you don’t want images showing Halloween decorations on the front porch.
Make sure the decor of the yard and entryway is not seasonal. Before photographing the property, remove holiday ornaments, the inflatable kiddie pool, or the wreath of autumn leaves.
Boost Your Home’s Online Appeal with Flowers
Tidy garden beds and bright flowers make a home look well-cared for. Add mulch around plants, make sure the shrubbery is neatly trimmed, and plant annual-blooming flowers in the front of the house.
Brighten the Windows
Before photographing the property, clean the windows well. Dirty, dusty glass won’t reflect as much light and can make the home appear darker. As an extra pointer, remove any window screens for the photographs; they absorb some of the light and can make windows look dirty.
Also, take a look at your curtains from outside the home since they are often noticeable in photographs. Make sure the curtains match and look symmetrical and uniform. You can also opt to remove them before taking exterior pictures so the windows look more open.
Jamie Schaefer Professional Home Inspector provides home inspections in the New York Metropolitan area. If you’re putting your home on the market, contact us to request a pre-listing inspection.