In an age of social media and where everything happens online, buyers will find out about your expired listings that are up for sale again primarily online. Whether that’s social media sites, neighborhood websites, MLS listing sites or home selling websites, your online presence is the first thing to address. Part of what buyers gravitate towards are listing photos. If there aren’t any or they are lackluster, poorly taken, or have clutter and junk in every photo, many buyers will skip right over the listing.
Perhaps this was part of the problem as to why the property didn’t sell the first time around and this is something you’re addressing already with your client. Here are 4 ways to do the photos right and bump up your chances to sell the property.
1. Hire a professional.
While your client may feel they can do an adequate job taking their own cell phone pictures to post, try to steer them away from this. Encourage them that listing photos carry weight. A successful sale, and a timely one, is greatly affected by these photos. It’s worth it to pay now for a professional photographer if it helps them sell and get closer to the price point they want.
2. Keep everything airy and bright.
This doesn’t have to mean staging, although if your seller can afford that it’s never a bad idea. However, if that’s not possible, you can still work with the expired listing to cut back and streamline their furnishing to open and brighten spaces. Think about the living room, especially. Usually this room is larger and so emphasizing that helps. Try light, breezy curtains, slip covers in white or beige over dark couches or a new, bright area rug or throw pillows. Take down dark or cluttered artwork to open up the walls. Move extra furniture, like bulky bookshelves or cluttered desks out into storage to make the space roomier.
3. Declutter everything in (and out) of sight.
Buyers will notice clutter and mess immediately. And, because first impressions stick with us, this matters. Don’t let your seller make the mistake of thinking buyers will see through the clutter to the charm. They may not. Put extra stuff in storage for now or in a basement or garage (organized of course). Clean up piles of paperwork and mail. Put away the kids’ toys, work supplies and other odds and ends. In the kitchen, get rid of extras on the countertop that don’t add to the décor or are not absolutely necessary.
So encourage your expired listings to organize, keep organized and spend 10-15 minutes before each showing or open house doing a final sweep through. Presentation matters. And especially before the photos are taken. Everything should be in its home and nothing laying around.
4. Make other renovations necessary before the photos are taken.
If there are other, bigger issues for your expired listing to tackle, prompt them to handle it before the listing photos are taken. It will be worth waiting till the renovations are done. This goes for major changes like walls knocked down, but also for smaller projects. Need to paint that bright blue wall in the bedroom a calming, soothing tone? Do it first. Putting updated cabinets in the kitchen or just painting them for a facelift? Do it before the photos as well.
Sit down with your expired listings in Manhattan to discuss the importance of professional listing photos and what they can do to prepare in the best way!
*ExpLiMO provides high quality leads on a daily basis and offers a unique opportunity for Manhattan real estate agents to prospect for expired listing leads and grow their business exponentially.