Another Important TIP when Selling your home: GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY !!

RISMEDIA, Friday, August 31, 2012— (MCT)—Good pictures are crucial in marketing a home for sale. Just ask Clarissa and Mark Padilla, who were able to get a contract on their Sherman Oaks, Calif., condo unit in less than two weeks — and at a price they wanted.

Clarissa Padilla attributes the quick sale to the professional photography that marketed the home and was able to lure about 20 to 25 people to an open house the first weekend.

“When we saw the photos, we fell in love with our place all over again,” she says. “The colors were so bright, and it made it look fresh and very spacious. It’s only 950 square feet. (The pictures) made it look huge.”

Most people who have shopped for a home lately understand the impact of quality pictures in marketing materials — especially when looking at listings online. Ninety-eight percent of homebuyers who searched for a home online said that photos were among the most useful features of real estate websites, according to research from the National Association of REALTORS®.

And given that highly visual sites such as Pinterest have become so popular lately, pictures are beginning to take on an even greater importance, says Brian Balduf, chairman of VHT, a provider of photography services to agents and brokers, based in the Chicago area.

“Photography is at the center of all your marketing,” Balduf says. “It’s not just documenting that there is a house for sale. You want people to say ‘What a house,’ and be motivated enough to take action.”

Of course, some real-estate agents have become pretty good at taking photos on their own. By using a wide-angle lens, a tripod and making sure that the rooms have the best possible lighting, even nonprofessionals can get decent-looking pictures, Balduf says. But while you might not need the most sophisticated camera on the market, agents shouldn’t even attempt to shoot photos using a cell phone, he adds.

It’s important for sellers to evaluate the quality of the photos that an agent typically posts with listings before even hiring someone to sell their home.

** By Amy Hoak  - FROM RISMEDIA

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Esperanza Franky “espie” Realtor

Member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.

Certified Strategic Marketing Specialist

SellingMiamiEstates team

Prudential Florida Realty

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