Steve Caswell
Broker
Realty Executives of Sudbury Ltd.
In today’s world of real estate, it is estimated that over 90% of buyers start looking for their new home online. That is a huge number! That’s why, when our team is listing a new home, we hire a professional photographer to take interior and exterior shots of the property to capture the positive attributes of the home and professionally portray the listing in all the online marketplaces. This attracts buyers to want to view the property and helps position the listing immediately to look better than others out there.
Photos are extremely important when listing a home and, as I have mentioned in past blogs, decluttering and staging makes those pictures look even better. Although professional photos and pretty rooms make the listing very appealing and gets buyers through the door for all those sellers out there, this blog isn’t targeted to sell our listing capabilities to the sellers. Where I’m going with this is actually for the buyers…..
It is important for all buyers to try not to get too wrapped up in just the pretty pictures that are posted. To often we get calls from clients saying “why didn’t you send me this new listing? It looks great! Let’s go have a look asap!” What they didn’t see in the important info was that it was a one-bedroom home that would probably be a little too “cozy” for their family of four, doesn’t have the garage they said was mandatory and it’s 30mins away from the neighbourhood they wanted to target. But the kitchen looks really nice!
Buyers need to look deeper into the details of the property to make sure that the other aspects of the home are suitable. Pictures are nice to look at but layout, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, size, age, yard, price and, as I discussed in my last blog, location are the important factors that should be taken into consideration when shopping for a home. You must remember that all that pretty furniture, art, accessories etc., that the seller has used when they “decluttered and staged their home for those sexy pictures” belongs to them and will be going with the seller when they move.
This is where you can’t discard the homes that have not had professional pictures taken, that are not staged and are not showing well online. Every buyer wants a “deal”, and these are where some good deals on great homes with “solid bones” can be had as other buyers are only looking at the pics and electing not to view from the comfort of their couch. Due to the pictures and what looks to be “datedness”, these sellers are often positioned to take less for their home than they possibly could’ve been offered had they taken the time to properly prepare for listing.
Honestly, it happens all the time where we forward our clients a new listing and they have no desire to go and view it even though it is in their price range, preferred location, has the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms, a finished rec room and has the garage they wanted! But these houses have photos of an unmade beds, boxes everywhere, a ton of counter clutter, furniture from the 70s with a bold paint colour or funky wall paper. Remember, beds can be made, and that bedspread pattern is leaving with the seller, boxes are leaving, clutter will be gone (until you replace it with your clutter!), furniture will be gone and replaced with your style and paint is a quick and inexpensive fix that makes a huge impact and helps you personalize to your taste.
The reason I’m writing about this now is we recently had clients that almost missed the perfect home cause of this. We happened to be out touring and saw an ad in a window of another brokerage while we were going for dinner to discuss an offer on another home we had just viewed. We called up the listing on MLS™ and the pics weren’t the best. They were dark, the kitchen looked original from the 70’s and the rooms looked small. We said, “it’s right around the corner, let’s go have a quick look after dinner just so we know you’re buying the right one”. The clients admitted afterward that, if we had not been nearby at that moment, they wouldn’t have even gone to look at it based on the online pics. To all our surprise, the house showed impeccably in-person, the kitchen was fully upgraded, and it was the perfect house for them. They fell in love with it instantly and now take possession in September of a home they never would’ve considered looking at based on the listing pictures on MLS™……
Next time you’re surfing our website for all the MLS™ listings, or we send you a picture of a new listing, try and have an open mind and let’s go check it out. Looking is free, sellers want you to come see their listing and it is never a waste of our time if the property details fit in closely with your search parameters. You never know, it might just be the one!
Our team has tons of experience helping buyers look past those cosmetic issues to realize it’s the right home for them. And we also have the right marketing plan for sellers to make sure those 90% of buyers who start online don’t skip right over your listing! Never hesitate to reach to us at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com to see how we can help you out, be sure to check out all our other great blog topics on here and visit our website for all the MLS™ listings and great info about buying and selling in Greater Sudbury!
Contributed by:
Michelle Caswell
Cell - 705.507.1229
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other salespersons, staff or affiliates of Realty Executives of Sudbury LTD. Brokerage, Realty Executives International, the Sudbury Real Estate Board, Ontario Real Estate Association, Canadian Real Estate Association or any of their subsidiaries. For any concerns pertaining to the content herein, please contact us immediately at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com.
