Selling Your Home? Maximize its Potential With Photos

Is your home showing its best side on real estate Web sites? If not, you may be turning away prospective buyers at your first selling opportunity. The Internet dominates the residential real estate market, with some nine of ten potential buyers initiating their home search on realty sites. Photos of your home may invite people in, or keep them from knocking at the door. Unless the property for sale is at the highest end of the market, realtors generally do not hire professional photographers. Therefore, visual images produced by the seller or realtor must showcase the property in its best possible light.

Photos should depict the front and back of the home. Attractive landscaping and outdoor features on the property may also be included. Significant rooms should be shown in photos. These rooms include the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, family room, dining room, master bedroom, as well as other bedrooms.

Once you place your home for sale, it no longer belongs to you: it belongs to prospective buyers. With this in mind, you must neutralize your space. The majority of family photos, trophies, collections and other personal items should be removed so buyers can imagine themselves in the home. Clutter, poor lighting and dated decorating are major turn-offs in home photos. Rooms must be clean and tidy before they are photographed for a Web site.

Realty experts are at odds on the question of color. Many realtors recommend that walls should be painted a neutral shade. Others believe that darker hues do a great job of highlighting features such as crown moldings and wainscoting. If your home is too colorful, consider toning it down. If the décor is completely white or beige, add pillows, window treatments or other accents.