Good-looking interior and exterior photographs make a major impact on marketing a home, says Issaquah, Washington digital camera aficionado and Realtor Larry Lohrman.

"The old adage, 'If you can't see it, you can't sell it' translates into today's Internet marketing environment as, 'The better it looks on the Web, the faster it sells,' he says.

These are understatements that Lohrman gets, but many Realtors still don't seem to understand. Marketing a home always include photography, yet many Realtors avoid learning this skill as if it will cost them more then they'll make from it.

There are many instances in which a digital photograph taken by a Realtor can assist with the quick sale of a property. A buyer's agent can snap digital photos to send to buyers to preview a home, or while accompanying buyers who wish to recall their favorite features of selected properties. Naturally, those pictures can't be used for marketing purposes, as that would be against state regulations to market another agent's property without permission, but a few handy pictures can help expedite a decision by the buyers.

Listing agents, waiting days for professional photographers to appear, can start to market properties immediately by emailing digital photos to their MLS, their networks and their own buyers, and replacing the photos later with the pro's. Additional photos can be used as a lead capture tool to pique buyer interest in online homes, especially if the buyers can only see the additional photos by registering their contact information.

So why won't agents learn to carry and properly use the camera?

Among many reasons, sellers often aren't prepared at listing time to have their homes photographed. Also, agents see themselves as agents, rather than marketers for the home, preferring to delegate jobs like photography to someone else. The greatest reason, though, may be lack of confidence in their photography skills. Many agents recognize that they are so unskilled at photography, they can make a home look much worse through poor photography - darker, drabber, and smaller.

Even a few tricks of the trade can elevate an ordinary photo into something that will appeal to buyers, suggests Lohrman, a retired techie turned Realtor.

"Wide-angle, wide-angle, wide-angle!" says Lohrman. "The thing that most people making recommendations to agents don't realize is that all "off-the-shelf" digital cameras are virtually worthless for doing good interior photography. For an agent purchasing a camera, the availability of a wide-angle converter is the only important consideration! Mega pixels, memory size, etc don't make any difference in comparison."

Lohrman also recommends opening doors and windows, turning on lights and photographing the home at dusk when the light inside is brighter than outside, yet there is still enough light for outdoor views to show through the windows.

Published: January 13, 2005

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