Why do I need to pay for photographs of my property?

A question we often get asked by clients is: “Why do I need to pay for photographs of my property?”. The simple answer is they will help sell it!

When potential buyers are looking at an online property portal, like Rightmove, you have just a few clicks to attract their attention. And if the first few photographs of your property do not pull them in, they will quickly move on to the next one.

Why professional photography pays dividends

In our experience, one of the main reasons for low numbers of viewings is poor quality photography. Consider whether you would be interested in a property where the pictures are:

• dark or blurred
• show piles of clothes strewn over a bed
• have piles of papers on every surface
• omit important features such as storage space

Don’t lose potential buyers with poor photos

If photographs look unprofessional, unfortunately, they will turn people away from your property. And when there are so many other properties to look at on Rightmove or Zoopla, you could be missing out on several real potential buyers.

People often come to us after having their property listed with another estate agent, and one of the reasons we can identify for their failure to sell is the quality of the photographs.

Professional photos can pay for themselves

So how much do professional photos cost? It differs on the size of the property, but it will typically be in the region of a couple of hundred pounds. While that may seem like a big outlay, if it means achieving closer to your asking price, the investment will pay you back to the tune of thousands of pounds.

Your photos need to stand out from the competition and give as much information about your property as possible to persuade buyers to book a viewing – your estate agent should then do the rest.

Don’t let your buyers negotiate down

If you are not seeing many viewings because buyers are not being attracted by the photographs, you are giving them an excuse to start negotiating down – don’t give people a reason to offer you a lower price.

For more advice about selling property contact us!