How to Sell Your Home Online - Tips to Sell Fast
Even before the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, many homebuyers were starting their search for a new property to buy with an online search. In fact, 80% of buyers said that they started the purchasing process by looking at potential properties online. However, since in-person real estate showings became nearly (or completely) impossible during the height of the pandemic, having a good online listing to sell your home is even more crucial than ever. Yes, people will want to look at the data about your home, but the pictures will serve as the most important part of the equation. Remember these tips to make your home look even better on screen.
Rely on Natural Light
Abundant light makes a space look larger and more inviting. When you’re taking pictures for your online home listing, make sure that you open the curtains and turn on any lights in the room. While the room’s lights aren’t “natural” light, they do provide a more natural feel than the camera’s flash. Ideally, you can get enough natural light in the space to minimize the use of artificial light sources. However, the ultimate goal is to not have to rely on the camera flash at all.
Staging Your Home
The goal of your on-screen photos is to show off your home, not everything that’s in it. You should make sure that any room that you’re photographing is free of any clutter and has very little of your personal design touch in the picture. For instance, if you’re taking a picture of the living room, make sure that you highlight the spaciousness and any key focal points such as a large entertainment center or fireplace. However, there shouldn’t be a lot of knickknacks and other personal effects cluttering up the shelves. The people looking at these pictures are interested in buying the space, not your collections.
Don’t Be Deceptive
This one should go without saying, but just to be sure, don’t use deceptive photography techniques in your online listing photos. For instance, using a wide-angle camera lens can make an average-sized room look massive. When people come to check out your home in person, they will just be annoyed and feel misled when they see the actual size of the space. Your home has enough positive traits, and you shouldn’t feel like you need to manipulate and mislead people into purchasing it.
Touch Up the Photos
Doing some photo editing doesn’t have to be manipulative. For instance, if you notice that the photos you’ve taken are too dark, you can use a photo editing program to lighten them up. If you’ve taken photos of your home’s exterior and there are telephone lines or other utility lines cluttering up the periphery, you can edit those out to better highlight your home. The goal of editing photos isn’t to mislead people, it’s just a good way to highlight your home’s best traits.
