Tuesday, May 22, 2012

How To Properly Market Your Home or Property

      Marketing your property correctly is the most important aspect when trying to sell. The industry today is a lot different than it was 10 years ago. With so many people using the Internet and social sharing sites, professionoal high resolution photos are proven to be essential for marketing.  Real estate photography is being proven to be quite essential. Studies have shown that when people are searching for a property or home, they will frequently create a list of their favorites, depending on the photos they have seen. They will then notify their Realtor of those properties they are interested in. Even if your property is exactly what they want, their more apt to pass it by if you have undesirable photos. One other thing you might want to consider is, staging the house, this is important when your trying to get your buyers to understand the property and it's potential.


      A couple quick tips about staging;
  - First of all, de-clutter, this will make the spaces seem larger and more appealing.
  - Second, hide all your personal stuff, for example tooth brushes, soaps, pet supplies, etc...
  - Thirdly, make sure the yard is picked up and grass in mowed.  Make it appealing from the outside so buyers  will want to see the inside.


      Lighting a key element when capturing stunning photos for the property. Mid-day is usually good for interior photos, as long as you dont 'blow out the windows.' If you want to make a more dramatic look on the exterior, you may want to consider taking the photos at or near sunset. Also, make sure you take photos of both the front and back, or even do an Aerial shot. You will also want a wide angle lens, such as the, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras to make the spaces look as large as possible. As far as processing the photos, you will want to make sure you do your post processing in Adobe Photoshop CS6 , Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 or any other professional editing program. Make sure that when your processing the photos, they don't come out too unrealistic looking. You want to present the property as realistic as possible, but in a flattering way. I personally use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 , cause its quick, easy, and you can save your settings to use for multiple photos. I will be posting a video on LR4 shortly. When posting your listing, you will want to provide the most accurate and detailed description you can. The goal is too draw the reader in without boring them. For example, which description sounds better,  both are of the same house:


     - This Single Family 3br 2ba, 2942sq.ft. Contemporary home Built in 2010, has a spacious open floor plan with cathedral ceilings. The living area has a highly desirable southern exposure overlooking the caged solar heated pool and large lake. The Living room, kitchen, family room and master bedroom have hurricane proof sliding glass doors The living room features a wood-burning fireplace, and surround sound pre-wired for theater-like entertainment. A spacious den/office. AHS warranty plan. Mature luxurious landscaping, circular paver driveway and excellent "curb appeal". Two car garage. Located in a gated, 24 hour guarded community with an active family/social program."


    - Spacious floorplan, pool, lanai, updated kitchen, 3/2/2, gated community


I think you would agree that the first description is a far better choice.  You will also want to make sure that the description is composed properly, especially making note of the features.  Although you don't want the description so long that it bores the readers.


I hope this article helps
                                                                                                       -Michael Tesar
                                                                                                        Tesar Photo