Eye-catching photographs generate 300% more portal enquiries
We all know that how a property is presented and marketed can have a direct impact on leads and indeed the price achieved.
However, did you know that in terms of property marketing, photographs are the number one most important thing in the eyes of your prospects and customers
Research conducted by Rightmove has shown that when it comes to buying a house, eye-catching photographs are essential to attract buyer attention, with a study on the portal revealing that eye-catching photos generated 300% more enquiries.*
Furthermore, the importance of photos is not restricted to the residential sales market. Research conducted with Landlords and Tenants during June 2014** revealed that they too put photographs as a priority.
Eye-catching photographs are also just as important for your printed property marketing as for your portal listings. Ravensworth designs and prints thousands of marketing materials for estate and letting agents every week and we see first-hand the impact that photographs have. We'd go a step further and say that the quality of your photographs has an impact not only on the effectiveness of your property marketing, but also on the perception of your brand. That is why our creative studio has provided a photo enhancement service for bespoke brochure clients for many years.
We also see lots of poorly edited photos and it was this, combined with our expertise and background in photography and creative design that convinced us to launch a photo enhancement service to a wider audience of agents.
Of course, for optimum results, it helps to take a good photo. Below are some hints and tips to help give your photos the edge.
Preparation
Advise the vendor on how to prepare their property in order to maximise interest. Peeling paint and overgrown gardens will affect kerb-side appeal and may even affect the property's value.
Even simple things such as ensuring that the dishes are done become important when preparing a property for sale - not taking care of the small things can be seen by the viewer as an indication of how they manage the important things, such as plumbing and wiring.
It can be a difficult subject to broach, so why not include a helpful printed check list in your vendor pack to de-personalise the message. You could even approach local tradespeople for discount offers based on referral to help make the cost of preparing the home easier and provide extra value at the same time. At the very least, ask the vendor to mow the lawn prior to taking photographs!
Outside
1. Move vehicles and other movable objects such as children's toys to give a clear view of the property.
2. Tidy gardens and cut lawns to give that cared for look.
3. Check that curtains and blinds are open and straight, if possible have the blinds set at the same height.
4. If possible, take the front elevation picture when the sun is behind the photographer to light up the front of the property.
5. If the property is perhaps not the best one in the street, try to include adjacent houses to show potential.
Inside
1. Prior to taking photographs, try and clear away as much as possible. For example, kitchen worktops should be clear and tidy.
2. In smaller rooms, try holding the camera at arms length right into the corner of the room to maximise the view.
3. When taking photographs of larger rooms try using a tripod to steady your camera, this allows you to use a longer exposure and smaller aperture, which will give you a greater depth of field.
4. In most cases, switching on any table and other lights will help create a more homely feel.
5. Avoid large items of furniture being situated in the foreground of your photograph as they will look very large in the image and out of scale to the rest of the room.
Of course, it's not always possible to achieve the perfect photo and image enhancement is already utilised by many good agents.
Photofixr really is an incredibly powerful service - delivered by experts in the field of digital image enhancement and property marketing - either as part of our print and design service, or as a stand-alone service to enable you to focus on what you're good at - listing and selling or renting homes.
It's great value, particularly when you consider the importance of photography in terms of generating sales and lettings enquiries to secure a sale, impressing landlords and house sellers to attract listings and helping to achieve the asking price of the property by presenting it to its best potential.
To find out more, visit: www.ravensworthplus.com.
Email: info@ravensworth.co.uk
Tel: 01670 713 330
*Source: Rightmove Consumer Research, 2014
**Source: The Property Academy, Landlord & Tenant Survey 2014
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