How do your listing photos compare?

Are you taking your own photos for your client's listing? How do they compare? Are you getting a wide perspective? Are your photos sometimes dark? Sometimes do you get so much light that it ruins your shot?

Real estate photography is tricky business. The lighting issues can be a nightmare, but a professional knows how to work with and around these issues. This skill is not learned overnight and it requires much practice. No one says you can't learn to be a photographer while being a real estate agent, but wouldn't you rather focus on what got you to this dilemma in the first place? A professional can not only save you time, but the right photographer is going to know what shots will help sell the home. Back to the saving you time part. While the photographer is doing their magic getting you the money shots, you can be doing what you do best. When you hire me as your photographer, I go beyond just taking the photos. I will save you additional time by numbering the photos in a professional tour-like order for easy uploading. No more sorting through, picking out the good ones, then figuring out what order to place them. It's all done for you.

The Wow factor

This article is a follow-up to my previous article:
Marketing a home for sale in this market can't be taken lightly

The "Wow" factor can be achieved in a variety of ways, many times without spending a dime or spending very little.

Without spending a dime you can do this by:
• Removing clutter from around a covered up fireplace. Fireplaces can often be turned into a beautiful focal point in a space.
• Pull back or remove heavy window treatments to reveal a beautiful view. Heavy window treatments can also darken up a room too much, which is never a good thing when you are trying to sell Arizona sunshine.
• Direct light towards a grand architectural feature. Spot lighting is a wonderful way to direct attention to focal points.
• Remove rugs to show gorgeous flooring. Rugs are practical, but they are also cover-ups. If you have expensive, beautiful flooring, show it off.

With a small investment you can to this by:
• Emphasizing high ceilings through the use of paint. You can add an accent paint color to one tall wall or even to the ceiling.
• Adding beams to a ceiling will also bring the "wow" factor in by drawing attention upwards.
• The use of paint on a dated or style-challenged fireplace might be your ticket to "wow".
• Making sure every "space"  in the home looks usable. Do this through the use of furniture and decor to create defined spaces. Keep in mind these new purchases can be taken to your new home.
• Green up your exterior with foliage. Spruce up existing landscape and/or use potted plants and flowers to brighten up a patio or walkway.

These suggestions are all very general and can be applied to most homes. Not all homes are created equal so there may be other options for you. Give me a call, I'd love to help you. 602-809-7710, Michelle

Marketing a home for sale in this market can't be taken lightly

Marketing a home for sale has changed considerably in the last 10 years due to the internet, mobile devices, and home cable shows. In today’s market it is crucial that your listings standout. Injecting the “wow” factor is not just a good idea, but a must if you’re serious about selling your listings. The “wow” factor can be achieved in many different ways. Often with little or no cost to the homeowner. What we are talking about is “staging.” 

MLF Photography & Design can provide necessary recommendations to make the home aesthetically pleasing to the majority of potential buyers, allowing them to create their own vision from the homes potential.

Once the staging is in place the next marketing step is to take the home to the public through the listing. To do this we want to present the home in its entirety to potential buyers. The photos you receive from MLF Photography & Design will not only show the features of the home, but it will also convey the layout of the home allowing buyers to envision themselves living there. All the photos will be numbered in a “suggested presentation” order for easy uploading to the MLS system. This will act as a virtual tour and ultimately save you time.

Michelle Fox, 602-809-7710

Homeowners: Don't rush your agent into listing your home prematurely

If you do, you will be setting them up for less than great results. Who does that affect? YOU.  Let the professional do their job the best way they know how. That is why you hired them, right?

Getting the best results when selling a home requires more than a listing on an MLS site. There is plenty of preparation required. You must be ready to put forth the effort. Don't be surprised if your agent tells you to get out the moving boxes. 

The first step in selling a home is getting the home ready for viewings, and photographs. To do this you'll need to:
• De-personalize - Remove ALL personal items from sight, even those you use daily.
• De-clutter - Remove ALL piles and collections.
• Clean - Floor to ceiling, shiny and sparkly, inside and outside.
• Repair -Fix any items that are in disrepair. Broken items are red-flags. They lead buyers into thinking the home wasn’t taken care of.and, 
• Neutralize your home - That dark or bright colored wall that worked for you for the last 10 years now needs to be neutralized. I like to use the phrase "light & bright". Make sure ALL window coverings are open, and light bulbs in fixtures work. Nothing is more annoying than a light that doesn’t work. Plus, this is a red-flag. It too can make a buyer think the home was not taken care of.

Once all this is done, the photos can be taken and the listing posted. But you're not done yet. The house needs to look like this "every" day until you have an offer, or until the sale is final, depending on your agent. Your agent will most likely give you a checklist to use each morning to help you make sure the home is ready for viewing at any given moment. 

The goal is to sell fast. Why? If you sell fast you have a better chance of selling for top dollar.

The thing is, if you do all the things listed above to the best of your ability, then you are increasing your odds of selling the home fast. That means more money in your pocket and less time making your home look like a model home that no one lives in. Win Win. 

Michelle L. Fox, 602-809-7710 #mlfpandd

The Difference "Staging" Makes

MLF Photography & Design offers "staging consultations." Here are a few reasons why they do:

1) It is absolutely necessary if you are trying to sell a home quickly and for the most possible money. Your product must stand out from the rest.
2) Some agents are not comfortable or knowledgeable about the staging process.
3) Sometimes an agent has a personal relationship with the seller and does not want to jeopardize the relationship by delivering "hard to hear" recommendations.
4) Occasionally an agent is overwhelmed by a home's condition, and feel they need assistance putting together a game plan.

To address the above issues MLF Photography & Design will walk through the entire home, inside and out. This can be done with or without the agent and homeowner. Notes will be taken and recommendations will be put together in a final report. The report will list recommendations room by room. This will act as a worksheet for the agent and home owner.

Here are a few before and afters of a home done for an agent who had a "round about way" personal relationship with the homeowner. These "before" photos were taken with a sub-par (IMO) cell phone camera. I wish it had shown a wider angle. The home had a lot of clutter and disorganization happening. As you can see the homeowner got it looking great for final photos.

This "before" photo was taken after the window treatments had been tweaked and the arrangement of the seating area had been configured as you see it in the after photo.

This room was cluttered and crowded. Furniture was removed and de-personalization and de-cluttering was done. Leaving this space looking more open and spacious.

The kitchen still had clutter despite homeowners efforts.

This picture is a very good example of the type of clutter that was throughout the home. When you are "living" in a home this may be acceptable, but when you are selling a home it needs to look like "anybody's" home, not "yours". You can see the difference in the before and after.

One thing no one can guarantee - and that is that the homeowner will comply with all the recommendations. This home looked satisfactory, but a few recommendations were made that were not taken. The staging consultation works as a tool to help the home owner realize that it's not just the agent saying so, but that there are others who believe that a little (or a lot of) work is necessary to prepare the home for the market. It's also a tool for the agent to separate themselves from this aspect of the listing process, which is often one of the hardest for the homeowner, outside of the move itself. 

If you have any questions about the "staging consultation" process, please give me a call I would be happy to answer any questions. 602-809-7710, Michelle.

Great show I discovered

My to-do list today contained laundry and dusting. Yeah. (Sarcasm) But we gotta do what we gotta do, right? About mid-morning I stopped to take a snack break to refuel. During this time I turned on the tv to a new show on A&E called "60 seconds to sell". I'm not sure that it's actually a "new" show, but it's new to me. I loved it! It demonstrated how staging makes a difference in the final selling price. If all seller's watched this show before contacting a real estate professional, the agent would only have to work half as hard! 

Staging baby, staging is where it's at!

If you're a real estate professional and you'd like some assistance with staging, give me a call. I'd love to help. 

OR

If you're a home owner and would like help staging your home for sale give me a call. I'd love to help you too!

602-809-7710, Michelle

The more eyes that see your listing in a short duration of time often leads to a faster and better sale.

When planning out your MLS listings keep in mind that you are putting together a mini commercial. Your photos need to show all that there is to see, and your description needs to tell all that there is to tell about what cannot be seen.

The listing is most often your first impression. Don't leave anything out. If you do you could be giving a potential buyer a reason to move to the next listing. Wow them into wanting to see the house.

I'd love to discuss your current marketing strategy with you. We can do this by phone or over coffee. In this market, a good marketing strategy is the difference between selling quickly or NOT. Give me a call now!
602-809-7710, Michelle.

Also read: The Whole Package, Making photography affordable for "all" real estate listings