The first three seconds

Amelia Smith

Amelia Smith & Associates

According the National Association of Realtors, it takes online home shoppers three seconds to view the initial photo of your home and decide whether to "click through" to the entire presentation. How important is the primary photo an agent selects? It is critical.

Personally, I call it the "money shot." When I collaborate with my photographer to shoot a property, it is the one we agonize over. That photo must be captivating, of the highest quality and framed just right to make an exciting capture.

According to studies, it should be a front elevation of the home. Buyers prefer to see curb appeal first. Sometimes it comes from a drone-mounted camera. The careful selection of a winning photograph is equally important for use in print advertisements and brochures.

Also important is the order of the following shots. They should compel a viewer through the entire presentation. Each shot should make the homebuyer curious about the next. If there is an amenity that is particularly valuable or unique, it may warrant more than one view.

Is the kitchen the heart of your home? Shoot it from every angle. Does the great room offer the best views? Capture them in photography showing the relationship of the room to the view. Presentation is everything!

I am often asked whether I prefer to stage homes. Your taste in furnishing and design may be far superior to mine. But, I know what sells. And, from experience, I know what the camera likes. I usually suggest ways to maximize what is already present in a client's home. The importance of sale-preparation and staging cannot be overestimated.

How important is high-quality photography? Seventy percent of homebuyers are seeing the home they eventually buy for the first time online and 60 percent of their time is spent looking at photos. Photography can influence the time it takes for your home to sell and the quality of the leads generated. An agent should always be meticulous about photography and even humble properties deserve more than cellphone shots.

Through our online real estate portals we have a limited number of photo fields. Limited opportunities to cause a homebuyer to pick up the phone, make the call and buy your home. That first three seconds may be the most important time-frame of your entire transaction. Make sure they are utilized wisely. Please call on me today to learn more.

For more information contact Amelia Smith at (760) 505-1553, [email protected] or SellFallbrookBonsall.com.