2 Must Have Essentials in ANY Selling Market for the Best ROI
As a newbie to the Nashville real estate community, my time has been vastly devoted to meeting and building relationships with the many realtors in this market, specifically the Brentwood/Franklin area where I settled this past year. While my goal is to befriend as many agents as I can to form professional alliances, I’m finding they are truly hungry for information that gives them a competitive advantage in a truly unique real estate market affected by record-high prices and record-low inventories. To meet that need, I partnered with a real estate photographer to create an educational realtor presentation coming up later this year. We are together highlighted the compliments of staging and photography to truly create for our sellers a “Presentation of Style” through comprehensive marketing strategies and professional know-how. Let’s talk about this for a moment to expand on priority investments for effective resale that should not be abandoned in ANY market condition.
A skilled photographer is a realtor’s absolute best investment toward marketing a listing effectively and profitably to maximize client service and build referrals. In like, a seller’s best investment toward the most effective, profitable sale of a valued commodity home is a knowledgeable and experienced realtor, skilled strategist, and effective negotiator.
That said and recognizing our current real estate market where prices remain climbing and DOM remains minimal, some sellers chose to economize on the cost of a realtor in a seller’s market to save commission expenses. Some realtors alike scrimp on the investments of 1) staging in any form (consultation or an actual staging,) and 2) a high quality real estate photographer for a truly professional marketing presentation of a listing. We see it online all the time. But do these budget savvy techniques really save money, or do they, in effect, actually leave money on the table for the seller and the realtor?
“My phone takes equally as good photography,” says one realtor. While this realtor is somewhat correct in lieu of the advanced photo technologies of today’s smartphones, magnificent real estate photography is not produced merely by good equipment. It is the photographer behind the lens that produces eye appealing photography that generates a buyer connection. A great real estate photographer masters his art through specialized knowledge and editing capabilities, contributing his/her value through years of experience and training increasing his/her value far beyond the mere investment in premium equipment.
What identifies a skilled photographer, and how does professional staging enhance the value of great photography? Let’s review: online home shopping is where it all starts, and that’s where the connection and experience begins for buyers. A good photographer brings great skill to the effective marketing of a listing by magnifying key elements that capture and stop online buyers so they spend more time viewing the listing through:
Quality digital, high resolution photography equipment
Manipulation of daylight, interior lighting and space to capture the best angles to promote entire rooms or small spaces effectively
Skilled photo shots that include mirrors, television, and other reflective furnishings and accessories
Proper use of color, saturation, and contrast editing to produce optimal representations of spaces
Creative shots that employ unique angles to promote focal points and natural character selling features
An effective photographic experience of the home, and one that creates buyer memory and a call to action
Creation of a visual journey through the home to attract a quick connection. Videos and drones further magnify this experience for the buyer in expanding unique, valuable selling features such as the land, topography, and views
So, if the photographer is so vital through this expertise, what more can be accomplished by staging? As we see here, great staging magnifies the ability of the photographer to create beautiful photographs based on the design expertise and knowledge of the camera. A valuable stager will enhance the marketable presentation of the home to buyers through:
Anticipation of the best photography angle of a space, and design to enhance the best representation of that space through the camera lens. Design for the camera, not the homeowner.
Desirable target demographic styles and trends alongside functionality and lifestyle that command value and price.
Illusion of a lifestyle for family and entertaining through visual presentation to buyers.
Furniture of scale and style selection in key placements that accentuate the perception of square footage of space coupled with ambiance to prevent a sterile appearance.
Functionality and opportunity of unique spaces.
Avoidance of colors and textures that will interfere with good photography through over-exposure of certain colors, bleeding, or rippling distractions.
Eye travel through the home to the back focusing on key focal selling points of the home that are sought after elements by buyers.
Design connections of space, scale, lighting, color, and textures to create harmony, mood, and visual tranquility of spaces that buyers associate with “HOME.”
Clearly, expansion of your realtor brand and reputation as a “COMPETITIVE VALUE ABOVE THE REST” occurs when we offer the best opportunity to our sellers to maximize the profitability of their sale, and it all starts with an investment in that goal outcome through a highly professional “Presentation of Style.”
Please reach out to me directly to discuss your next project!
Kathryn
