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How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos

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How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos

Selling a home successfully has many different components that all work together like a well-oiled machine. From the location, school district, proximity to shopping, recreation or parks, and much more, there are dozens of things that a buyer looks for before choosing to view, tour and even buy a home.

One of the best ways to make sure your listing stands out and thus attracts more potential buyers is to ensure you have the best photos possible in your listing. Real estate listing photos should showcase your home’s best features and allow buyers to get a glimpse into the way the home feels and give them the ability to picture themselves living there. A good home can be ruined by poor photos and you may miss out on selling your home for top dollar simply by the quality of photos in your listing. Luckily there are many different ways to ensure your home has high-quality photos that enhance features and attract buyers.

When hiring a photographer, be sure they are seasoned in real estate photos, you can even ask to see a portfolio of their previous work. There is a huge difference in hiring a family photographer and a real estate photographer. While both require specific attention to details and a special set of skills, you want to ensure that you are getting the best quality photos as these are what will ideally sell your home.  

staged living room

There are a few different tips and tricks to taking real estate photos, and some homeowners have opted to try their hand at taking the photos themselves. Whether you are hiring a professional or taking the photos be sure to follow these few tips and tricks for awesome real estate listing photos.

Angles-a beautiful room can be ruined simply by taking a photo from the wrong angle, always try to use a wide-angle lens and get a little height to your photo. Taking a photo from too low can result in the room looking smaller whereas taking a photo from a higher angle can showcase the full room.

Light-natural light is going to be your best friend. Make sure photos are only being taken on a sunny day if possible and open up all the blinds, drapes and curtains to let in as much natural light as possible.

How to Improve Your Real Estate Listing Photos

Neutral Tones-while you may like a pop of color or a bold look, most buyers want to see neutral tones. Prior to photographing, paint accent walls back to a neutral tone, remove brightly colored objects from the room and replace them with lightly colored accessories, try sticking to tan, grey, and pastels to have the best looking photos. The exception to this rule is to have a vase with colorful flowers if you want a pop of color or to have a few yellow items, the color yellow appeals to buyers as a “happy” color and thus can draw attention.

Clutter-you want your home to be free of any and all clutter. Prior to taking photos or even showing your home, go through the house room by room to remove any clutter or family photos so potential buyers can visualize themselves living in the home. They want crisp clean photos and clutter will distract them from seeing the features and rooms you are trying to highlight.

Reflections-a beautiful photo can be ruined by a small reflection. Whether it be a window, sliding glass door, mirror, or shower, be sure that all surfaces have been recently cleaned of all smudges or watermarks and position the camera in a way that will allow no reflections to be seen. Having reflections is one of the easiest ways to distinguish an amateurs photo from a professional photo.

2505 E. Beach Drive Oak Island, NC 28465

Once you have your Real Estate Listing Photos taken, whether by a professional or yourself, go through the photos to find the ones that showcase your home successfully. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when taking listing photos is to “over edit” or overexposed photos. Buyers want photos to look as raw and real as possible and often when they see a photo that has been highly altered it gives off the idea that the room needs work and thus that is why the photo was edited. Lastly, be sure to have a minimum of 10 photos on your listing. Listings with less than 10 photos tend to get less views, the more photos the better! Happy photographing!

More Great Tips for Home Sellers:

 

Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

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Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

Before going to stage our home for the masses, we have to be able to detach ourselves away from the emotional pull that are home gives us. This is a product you are trying to sell. You’re not selling your own emotional attachment to your home but a peaceful scenario for the next homeowner. Here are five tips to selling a house from an actual home stager.

#1. Detachment.

It’s difficult to look at our own homes objectively. We become blind to the little idiosyncrasies, problems, and mistakes that we’ve lived with for years but home buyers will pick up on them immediately! It’s important to take the suggestions of a professional stager and not to take anything personally. You have to stage for the unknown buyer and that means staging your home for the masses, not one particular demographic.

Have trusted friends, family, or a real estate agent go through your home making notes on things that need to be corrected, changed, updated, fixed, or repairs. You’ll want to neutralize the space with a simple neutral color palette and movable color in the form of accent pillows and accessories.

Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

#2. Depersonalization.

You’ll need to remove anything and everything that is personalized in the home including family photos, framed certificates and diplomas, trophies, collections, and memorabilia. You want the potential buyer to see themselves in the home not you. You’ll also want to pack away any religious or political items so that you can appeal to all buyers, not just those that fall in line with your values.

#3. De-clutter

Since you are moving anyway, pack up at least half of the items in closets, cupboards, drawers, cabinets, and any other storage space. You want buyers to feel that there is plenty of space for them to move in and you want the buyers to see the house, not your stuff. Try not to store things in the garage as buyers will see this as less space because these items came out of the house itself.

Home Stagers Offer 5 Tips to Selling a House

#4. Cleaning.

Now is the time to do a serious deep cleaning. Buyers want to walk in a house and see it absolutely pristine from top to bottom. This isn’t just vacuuming, this is professional carpet cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, sanitizing, and cleaning everything from the blinds to ceiling fans, baseboards and window and door tracks. You’ll also need to focus on the outside with pressure washing the deck, pavers, driveway, and trimming flowerbeds and doing some serious landscaping.

#5. Attention to details.

Buyers look at everything and little things really can make a difference. A clean, minimalist approach can work but a staged home doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is removed. You don’t have to spend a lot of money but you do want things to be in their place, clean, even, symmetrical, warm, and inviting. Taking everything out and then putting a few things back, you can find out where the arrangement looks the best. Take a look at some staged homes on Pinterest and home and garden websites to get inspiration and ideas for your particular layout.

Related: Should I Replace the Carpet Before Selling My Home?

We want to help get your home sold and even though these times are a little uncertain and shaky, buyers still are on the hunt for the perfect house. Let’s help you get an offer quickly and help you move on with your life. Call us today for information on what your home is currently worth and how to stage it for today’s buyers.

Why COVID-19 Could be Good for Selling Your Home

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Why COVID-19 Could be Good for Selling Your Home

With the current pandemic spreading across the globe, it is only natural that some people are experiencing a sense of panic, especially those who were planning on buying or selling a home. Luckily despite the current situation we are facing, COVID-19 could actually be good for the housing market. If you are planning on selling your home in the near future, or maybe already have it listed, there are things you can do now that you may not have been able to do before. Related: How to Feel Safe Buying and Selling During the Virus

 

  • Curb Appeal – When buyers are searching for a home, the first things they see matters tremendously. With being stuck at home now is the perfect time to grab a shovel and a rake and spruce up your yard. The best part is that most of the time you don’t need new materials to make a big difference. Simply cleaning up and maintaining your current yard is enough to give you the extra push you need to sell your home for more! In addition to yard word, pressure washing can make a world of difference when it comes to curb appeal, whether it be the driveway, the fencing or the garage door, a good pressure wash can turn drab, to fab! Oftentimes a buyer may miss seeing the perfect home simply because of the lack of curb appeal. Don’t let this be you! Get more buyers through the door by giving a good first impression.

More: 5 Things to do if your home won’t sell

  • Virtual Tours – Do you hate having strangers in your home? Then you’ve hit the jackpot! With the current COVID pandemic, many buyers are not wanting to tour homes in person as they do not want to risk any additional contact or potential for the virus to spread. What does this mean for you? Many real estate agents have switched to virtual tours of homes, which means that you don’t have to open your doors to as many in-person buyers. Make sure that you have up to date and professional photos of your home in your listings so you can showcase all your home has to offer, virtually!

Related: Will a pre-inspection help my home sell faster?

  • Recession – Just seeing the word Recession can make us cringe. However, our economy is not faltering and we currently are not in a position to say a recession has hit. A lot of homeowners are worried that now may not be the time to sell your home, however, as of now our market is still hot! We can’t see the future and don’t know what the next 3, 6 or even 9 months may look like, but for now, the housing market is still moving just as well as it was 3 months ago. The risk you may be taking by NOT listing your home is that by waiting, you may not know where the market will be, come the time the virus slows and life returns to “normal.”

 

With the right team by your side, selling your home now is still not only possible but doable. Don’t wait to take the next steps into getting your home on the market, now is just as good a time as any!

Start below to find out how much your home is worth! 

    Should I Replace the Carpet Before Selling my Home?

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    Should I Replace the Carpet Before Selling my Home?

    There are a lot of things to consider when you are preparing to put your house on the market. Some of these decisions can significantly impact how quickly your home sells and the final sale price.  

    Some of the biggest things to impact how easily your home will sell are the pre-sale repairs. It can be tricky to decide which repairs are necessary. The best strategy to use when deciding which repairs to make before listing your home is to calculate the value each repair would make to your home and determine if it would outweigh the initial cost of repair.  

    Often homeowners wonder if they need to or should replace their carpet before they sell their home. Here are some things to consider when deciding to replace or clean your carpet: 

    Reasons to Replace the Carpet 

    Replacing the carpet in your home before listing it can come with many benefits. One thing that sells homes quickly is that they are in pristine move-in ready condition. The idea that everything is in great condition and nothing needs to be done after moving in will attract buyers.  

    If your carpet is: 

    • Visibly worn and even matted in several areas 
    • Is 10 or more years old 
    • Stained beyond the help of professional cleaning 
    • Frayed or Ripped near the baseboards
    • Is Outdated/ Out of Style 

    You should consider replacing the carpet with new carpet or alternative flooring.  

    Walking into a home with tired, dirty, or super old carpet is a turn off for almost every buyer. If it is not a turn off for a buyer they most likely will offer less money to cover the cost of repairing the floors if the price does not already reflect and acknowledge that the home may need some repairs.  

    Reasons to Have Your Carpet Professionally Deep Cleaned 

    Though your carpet may seem dingy or tired, all it might need is a professional deep cleaning to bring it back to life. 

    If your carpet is: 

    – Less than 10 years old 

    – Due for a professional cleaning because it has been a while 

    – In fairly good condition, just seems like it could use a refresh 

    – Has a stubborn stain or two you haven’t been able to remove 

    – Dirty only in high traffic areas 

    You would be surprised at how much a professional carpet cleaning can do for a carpet. Many times when homeowners believe they need to replace the carpet, it maybe they just need to invest in professional carpet cleaning. There are some carpets that are past the help of professional cleaning, but many just need a little TLC to bring them back to life. Some carpets look nearly brand new again after just giving them a good clean with high-quality equipment. So, if your carpets are not old and in fairly good condition, you may want to consider a professional deep cleaning to save some money.  

    Related:  8 Other Things You Should Prep Before Listing

    If you are unsure about what would be best for the carpet in your home before you list it, give us a call! We’d love to offer honest, unbiased advice on preparing your home for sale.

    More: 

    Landscaping trends that sell homes

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    5 Things you can do if your home won’t sell

    3 Things to Do Now if You’re Selling Your Home in the New Year

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    3 Things to Do Now if You're Selling Your Home in the New Year

    Well, 2019 is almost behind us and if 20/20 is the year you’re planning on selling your home there are some things you can do now to set yourself up for home selling success (that’s a mouthful).

    If you’re planning on selling your home this next year you’re probably starting to do a little bit of research. Here are three things to do now if you’re selling your home in the new year.

    #1. Research.3 Things to Do Now if You're Selling Your Home in the New Year

    Start now by checking out homes in your area or similar neighborhoods. You may find open houses, check out similar properties, and get a sense of what selling and what’s not. Check out the days on the market to find out if the home may be overpriced worth or something more you’re not seeing. If there are dozens of homes for sale in your neighborhood, you might want to wait a bit until there are fewer homes on the market. Too many homes for sale in one neighborhood makes buyers wary as if there something wrong with the neighborhood.

    Do a little bit of research on any future development over the next couple of years. Talk to your real estate agent about the best time to sell and if competition will be an issue. Extenuating circumstances, current market values, and whether the market is in favor of sellers or buyers can really make a difference as to when to sell and for how much.

    #2. Sell, donate, pack, or trash.3 Things to Do Now if You're Selling Your Home in the New Year

    If you’re just now cleaning up holiday decorations, it’s a great time to consider throwing away old junk, donating gently used items, selling some great stuff for moving expenses, or packing things away carefully for the next home. Take your home room by room determining which of the four categories an item belongs in. This will put you ahead of the game when it comes to packing and will Declutter and clean up your home as you go.

    #3. Make a checklist of any repairs or replacements needed.3 Things to Do Now if You're Selling Your Home in the New Year

    If you’re unsure what your home needs have a trusted friend or even your real estate agent go through the house making notes on little items that you have become blind to. This could be a hole in a door or wall, faulty outlet, leaky faucet, mold around toilets and bathtubs, or any little items that can be easily repaired for under $100. If you know something major needs to be replaced, start saving now so that you can replace or repair the item before selling.

    Even if you’re not planning on selling for another six months, by starting now you can alleviate a lot of frustration and stress that comes from listing and selling a home. For more information on what your home is currently worth throughout Sunset Bea

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    Landscaping Trends That Sell Homes

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    Landscaping Trends That Sell Homes

    Curb appeal is one of if not the most important factors in getting your home sold. A well-maintained yard adds so much to the curb appeal and first impression of a home. Get buyers to want to come inside with some great landscaping.

    The current trends for selling outdoor spaces today are “low-maintenance” and “sustainability.” Today’s buyers are looking for yards that look great but don’t need a ton of upkeep and help to sustain the earth and maybe even add to the function of the ecosystem in the area. An outdoor space is also a big trend right now and buyers want to see a space they can entertain, enjoy year-round and feel comfortable and private in.

    Landscaping Trends That Sell Homes

    Here are today’s most popular landscaping trends:

    1. Native Plants – This is a great way to add some color and interest to your yard without adding a ton of needed maintenance the plants that naturally thrive in the area you live will need less care than an exotic plant.
    2. Native and Adapted Drought Tolerant Plants – plants that need less water require less care especially in warmer months.
    3. Fruit and Veggie Patches – the trend to grow your own food right in your yard is growing and there are many attractive and simple ways to add a small fruit, veggie, or even herb garden to your outdoor space.
    4. Fire Pits/Places – What better way to get a homeowner imagining themselves enjoying the yard than to add a fire pit?
    5. Low Maintenance – yards that have huge flower beds and exotic plants are a gardener’s dream but many of today’s buyers want to spend time enjoying their back yard instead of maintaining it.
    6. Permeable Paving – Permeable paving allows for rainwater to drain through the pavement instead of running off and forming large pools of water elsewhere.
    7. Drip Irrigation – also referred to as water-efficient or trickle irrigation saves both water and fertilization by allowing water to drip slowly into the roots of plants done through a series of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. Narrow tubing delivers water directly to the plants.
    8. Rain Gardens – rain gardens are designed to re-direct gutter water into a planting bed that works like a sponge and filter and lets the water seep into the soil.
    9. Lighting – the right lighting on a porch or patio will allow you to create an inviting sitting area/outdoor living space which will also have buyers imagining themselves enjoying the space.
    10. Rainwater and Gray Water Harvesting – collecting the rainwater into a barrel from your spouts allows you to put water where you need it most and is very eco-friendly.

    BONUS – As I mentioned before, an outdoor entertainment space is HUGE right now. Consider a patio, outdoor kitchen, outdoor fire pit or even a see-through fireplace from the inside to the outside, although this is an spendy upgrade if you’re selling.

    For more advice on getting your home sold or real estate in Sunset Beach NC please feel free to contact us at any time.

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