As an ASP Home Stager® I know how important curb appeal can be in making
that critical first impression when selling your home. However, with the growth
of real estate advertising over the web, there is another first impression that
you should consider when marketing your property. Web impression. Does your
property have a great one?
Over the past few months I have spoken with realtors and home sellers who have
all been saying the same thing. "The listing is getting a lot of web traffic
but there hasn't been much buyer interest". They say this without
even realizing that they have just contradicted themselves. The web traffic
that the listing is receiving actually is buyer interest. If the number of home
showings isn't as high as expected compared to the web traffic received,
there must be something from the web listing that is turning the buyer off.
It could be price. It could be location. But it may also be that the pictures
of the property have given a poor web impression.
I hesitate in using the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words"
but it is. It is also worth something else, in this case. Buyer interest. I've
suggested it to the realtors and home sellers that I spoke of earlier and I'll
suggest it to you, now. If the photos of your house, which are out there for
all to see, are not showing your property at its best, you should re-shoot.
Make sure the rooms are dressed and gleaming and then simply re-shoot.
When Barb Schwarz created the concept of preparing a house for sale, she called
it Home Staging® because of the similarities it has with setting a movie
stage. Imagine you are setting the stage for your home's movie debut.
Be the director of a best seller. Before your cameraman sets up, make sure your
stage is set. Remove the clutter, put out your best towels and bedding, turn
on all the lights, draw up the curtains and then let the cameras roll, preserving
the image for all to see over the World Wide Web.
Of course re-shooting, not only, takes extra time and money, but you may not
be able to regain the interest of those who have already passed the listing
by. If your house isn't quite ready for its debut, I strongly advise waiting
until it is before shouting action.
Staging® is a Federally Registered Trademark
of StagedHomes.com
Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) is a Trademark of StagedHomes.com
About the Author
Amie Walton is the president and founder of Xstream
Realty, a Virtual Agent for managing private real estate sales over the internet.
As an Accredited Staging Professional, Amie also operates Xstream
Staging, a Home Staging business located in Nova Scotia, Canada.