Blog Series, Part 2: Those Precious Photos

Think of it as the gateway to your listing. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good photograph. If a homebuyer is entrusting you with the proper marketing of their home, it deserves to be displayed with maximum quality and clarity. They didn’t hire a professional to have snapshots taken with a camera phone at strange angles of odd spaces. The presence of a good picture is the proper representation of each of your listings and of you as an agent. It shows your commitment to properly marketing the home for your client, and the quality of service for potential buyers.And then there are those who actually invest in a DSLR thinking top-of-the-line equipment is all you need. Just having the right camera does not necessarily cut it. There are people who have made a career specifically out of real estate photography for a reason; they have the know-how to effectively showcase a home on film using optimum light, angles, and space. You know as well as we do that home buyers often scour the web looking for places of interest before doing a walk through; tacky and unprofessional photographs can potentially make what would have been an ideal home, forgettable and unappealing.And while we’re on the topic of photos, how about those self-portraits you’ve got up on your website, business cards, flyers, for-sale signs, billboards, back windshields, and other miscellaneous ads. Your picture is going to be plastered all over your marketing materials so whyyyy would you use a vintage pic from the 80’s as the best representation of you? (and trust us, we have seen these) We’re not quite sure what the logic is in using these old photos, maybe it was a time when your beard wasn’t so peppered with grey or you truly believe that sky-high hairdo was at your fashion peak. Or maybe it’s simply the cost of getting another one taken? Whatever the reason, it’s unacceptable and downright misleading. If you are going to invest in marketing, injecting an out-dated photo makes it harder to project an “I’m with the times and know what I’m doing” image. Believe us, your tight perm and flocked polyester shoulder pads do not tell potential clients that have any grasp of all the gadgets and gizmos that are the norm in this decade. So for your sake, and for the sake of anyone who you have hired to try and market your business, shell out the extra money to get a new photo taken. If you hire the right photographer they will make you look the best version of your [current] self.We’re clients of realtors and professional realtor marketers. So as clients we know what we’re looking for, and as marketers we definitely know what we’re talking about. A good photographer should be on speed dial. photo courtesy of jeanbaptisteparis