The Relationship Between Photos and Sales

Everyone knows the Internet has become the number one search tool for most home buyers. 87% buyers use the Internet to research. according to a 2008 NAR survey released last November.  Whether it be Realtor.com, Yahoo Real Estate, Zillow, Trulia or even Craigslist the listing typically leads with a photo.

Of the buyers who used the Internet, they rated photos as the single most useful element in their search for a home. An article by Gar Benedick in RIS Media explores some of the reasons photos hold so much value in marketing real estate.

“The photograph is almost always the first element in any ad that connects with the buyer. It is the handshake, the first impression, the thing that cuts through the visual clutter to capture the buyer’s attention. Everything in the marketing campaign to sell your home relies on the quantity and quality of the photographs of your home. Photographs are needed for the MLS listing on the Web and in print, a website, brochures, flyers, photoboards, newspaper ads, possible magazine articles, real estate preview guides, blogs, etc. Many times, buyers will decide if they will visit a home, and agents will decide if they will show a property based on the strength (or weaknesses) of the photos accompanying a listing. Quality photos can and do make a difference, a big difference.”

Benedick then explores the research findings on the impact that photos have on listing traffic, days on market, and final selling price.  Statistics compiled from surveys conducted by the NAR, California and Houston Association of Realtors, as well as vendors like Point2.

Point2 (point2.com) conducted a study monitoring listings over a 30-day period which clearly showed that properties which feature just one photo generated approximately five views and 1.37 leads, while listings displaying 21 or more images received over 77 views and close to 11 leads. Clearly, the listings that added 20+ photos generated nearly 10 times the number of leads and over 15 times the number of views. Another study relating to the number of photos a listing posts compares photos to the number of Days on Market (DOM). The findings show that listings with more photos sold faster.

Read the whole story on RIS Media here.

Professional photos can work wonders for listing traffic, both online and on foot. Photography  should be viewed as the ultimate weapon by any real estate marketer.