house sale - photographs

anniebea

Having a discussion about how the photos on line influence a viewing/sale and am looking for some feedback.


I'm selling a flat which has been let out - it still has furniture in it but the photos taken by the agent don't have that lived in look with no personal items. The d!cor is in good order, I am Ok with that but the person I own it with says they need to be taken again with a more lived in look, ie duvets on beds etc.


I haven't bought anywhere for some 20 years ( before the internet) and then I was more interested in location, property layout closeness to transport etc rather than the d!cor, but I suspect things may have moved on.


I think this is a personal preference but would be interested in what peoples experiences are, both from those who have sold and those who are looking.


Thanks




Thanks


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JoJo1978

Assume you're not living there, in which case should be a lot easier to achieve a staged look for photos and viewings. The photos these days are your gateway to get a viewer through the door. Evidence suggests that if the first couple of photos put people off they won't bother scrolling further, if your property is one of several that meet their needs and/or not at the bottom budget bracket for your area. If your flat or area has other features likely to be perceived as a weakness, great photos can help change a potential buyers mind and get it on their shortlist.

Get a professional to take the shots from hip height so that perspective doesn't look odd. You should dress the spaces to help the viewer imagine how they'd use it. If it's small but space is used well show it in photos, borrowing furniture and furnishings if necessary until sold.

Personally speaking our house was on the market with 'ok' photos for 12 weeks no offers. 3 offers in a week when photos and write up redone by a new agent. When buying we immediately rejected any houses online that had no photos, assuming it signalled an issue that was being hidden. We went to see a house that had been rented out, in fact the tenants were moving out when we viewed. That vendor wasn't going to redecorate, as a result we knocked 10% off in our heads. Even a carefully looked after rental will probably look more worn in places than an owner occupied, unless there's a very low turnover of tenants.

[Deleted User]

I am actively looking for a new home, have been since september and only online via rightmove so far, not wanting to bother sellers until I am happy via the photos, location etc. What puts me right off is dark and dingy and lights on as it means that it is dark. I don`t at all mind empty or minimal or duvets etc and can even look past clutter. Most estate agents take rubbish photos, one in my area takes great photos, that is the one who will eventually sell my home.

I hate too many photos and always want to see the different rooms and frontage and garden but not more than 20

ReadingTim

From the buyer's perspective, a good asking price will compensate for bad photos, but good photos are unlikely to compensate for a bad asking price price.

gettingtheresometime

I think having that 'lived in' look helps sell a dream.....otherwise why would house developers go to the trouble of dressing up show houses?

need_an_answer

I don't have a preference whether I see empty or staged photo's what puts me off is when the photo is not representative.

It tends to happen in the rental sector more than the selling but the number of pictures I see that have clearly been taken many years ago are getting more and more.

I saw one set of photos yesterday of a flat for rental where the original developer photos are still being used 9 years later.

As a buyer I would say that however you choose to stage the property make sure the photos are realistic and to the best of your ability show the property as it is. Nothing worse than falling for a set of photos online that then dont live up to expectation when you view.

Best of luck with your sale

Cyclemonkey1

Make sure there are photos of the bathroom and kitchen. When I was house hunting those are the ones I always wanted to see before a viewing, bathrooms and kitchens are a lot of money and hassle to put right if they are in bad condition so it definitely influenced our decision to view a place.

TBagpuss

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

I think having that 'lived in' look helps sell a dream.....otherwise why would house developers go to the trouble of dressing up show houses?

I think this is true.

made up beds (with ironed linen) a bowl of fresh fruit and/or a vase of flowers all help make a property look better and more appealing.

If the property is furnished, then adding bed-linen to the beds and dressing the property a ;little for the photos needed take much time or cost but does make it easier for people to see it as a (desirable) home.

The good thing is that if it is unoccupied you can dress it to sell, and don't have to worry about living it it at the same time. So you can have beautifully ironed bedlinen, nice cushions on the sofa and a single, colour-coordinating book on the bedside table, and nothing in the bathroom other than a pile of fluffy towels and some posh looking soap and hand lotion, and you don't have to worry about hiding all the toothbrushes and such like!

The photos are the first thing people are going to see, so it helps if they make a good impression.

HappyFrog

We are actively looking for a property and an empty house with no furniture would be a +ve for us - you can see far more clearly any potential defects (damp, etc) and it means no-one lives there - i.e. no chain! Also make sure you have a floor plan. We tend to put those adverts on RM with no floor plan at the bottom of our 'to look at ' list

Owain_Moneysaver

I think bare mattresses screams ex-rental and looks downmarket. Either put nice duvets on for the photographs, or take the beds out completely and make sure the carpets are clean and unrucked to show the rooms empty.

fozziebeartoo

Whatever else you do...........close the toilet lids for the photos!