A photo I took out my backyard window this Fall. Winter makes me dream of warmer weather.
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Photography
Yes, we get snow here in Minnesota.
Downtown Minneapolis from Lake of the Isles, Summer 2013
It’s amazing how many beautiful areas there are in Minneapolis, and in the summer, the Chain of Lakes is one of the hot spots in town. Minnesotans can take a stroll or bike around the three lakes, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, or Lake Harriet, canoe, paddle board, sail, and more! And all this with the Minneapolis skyline as a backdrop even though it feels like you are NOT in the city.
- Nerstrand State Park Wildflower Spring 2012
I went down to Nerstrand State Park last week to see what was blooming and found the Marsh Marigolds in full bloom.
- Springtime in Minnesota
That’s right! It’s finally here – SPRING! Winter sure did hold on tight this year.
Contrary to what you might think, when you get the call from your listing agent that a buyer wants to look at your home for sale, the buyer already knows what your home looks like. They have toured it, peeked in the windows, driven by it at night, walked through your bedroom – you name it, they’ve done it. Surprised?
Today’s real estate market is shopped by buyers from the convenience of their living room couch, from their office, or on their lunch break. In fact over 45% of Minnesota buyers, according to a survey conducted by the Minnesota Association of Realtors, found their home on the Internet. Buyers are touring your home before they even make the call, so in this case, don’t you think it best to put your best foot forward from the very beginning?
I recently wrote about the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”, which was in relation to how you have a buyer enter your home. This can also hold true for photography. So many times I see photos like the one below of a multi-million dollar home ( in the photo below, the home is listed for sale at $2.9 Million) where the lazy real estate agent has gone in with a point and shoot camera and done the work themselves. Sadly, high-end buyers are going to pass this home up when they are searching online because it doesn’t grab their attention. Instead of seeing the beautiful architectural and historical details of the home, they see a lop-sided photo of some wood and a partial table.
Example of a bad MLS photo of home currently for sale in the Twin Cities
As a seller, you would think you would be pretty upset to find out your agent is marketing your property in this manner. But believe it or not, I find that in most instances where I ask a seller whose home has not sold, to take a look at the photos in MLS, the first thing they say is that they have never seen the photos of their home. What? A good real estate agent should be showing a seller their marketing pieces, and as a million dollar listing, a good real estate agent should be having a professional photograph the home. Sellers have only one chance to grab a buyers attention, so proper angles and lighting are extremely important to highlight every detail of the listing.
When it comes time to sell your home, please make sure you choose an agent who specializes in luxury home marketing. It’s not about selling your home, it’s about marketing your home. Any agent can try and sell a home, but it takes a true professional to market it correctly.
So, when is your first showing? As soon as the buyer clicks the mouse. Do you want that buyer to click on through to the next home, or stay on yours for a while and enjoy the view?
It continually amazes me how home owners don’t realize the poor quality of photos that their real estate agent is using to market their Million dollar homes here in the Twin Cities. Just today, I have been going through luxury homes stretching from Stillwater to Lake Minnetonka, and probably 90% of the homes priced over $800,000 have agent taken photos that are out of focus, tilted, angled, poor lighting….you name it, these photos stink!
In case you wonder if they really make that big of a difference, well I have to tell you that they do. If a buyer is looking at purchasing a luxury home, they want to see the home showcased at its finest. This means that quality photos must be taken by a professional photographer, and edited in the best way to show the homes highlights. Hey, I consider myself a decent photographer, but I leave the high-tech photo business to the professionals when it comes to my luxury listings. This means I spend money to get the quality I expect and the quality my clients deserve.
After all, what are they paying me for? My job is to market their luxury home to a luxury audience. Agents that bring their point-and-shoot cameras into a million dollar home should be kicked out on the spot. They don’t know what they are doing, and the people who will suffer for it are their clients.
Want to know why your home has been languishing on the market for over a year? Over two years? Take a look at the photo below. It represents the only photo for a $1.5 Million listing in Minnetonka. The description in MLS sounds great, but there are no photos to back it up. Do you think a buyer would really want to set up an appointment for this type of listing?
Or how about this home below that started out at $2.4 Million in Eden Prairie? It is has been on the market for a while, and now is reduced $500,000. Could it be that the really poor photos, and there are more, are killing any potential sale for this home? I certainly think so. 
As a home owner looking to sell, you really need to question the agent you use and how they are going to professionally market your luxury home. Luxury home specialists know that money has to be spent on quality photography and marketing pieces to attract buyers. Ask your agent for marketing examples and past experience in the luxury home market before you sign a year long listing because if you don’t, the quality you could be getting could resemble the photos above.
