Do I need professional Photos

Do professional photos really make a difference?

Whether you are in the real estate business or in the process of selling your home, you have probably come across the challenge of creating an online presence for your property. Now, we will all agree that the presentation of the home is important but there is also a huge temptation to cut corners and save a few bucks in the process. We get it. When it comes to photography, you might wonder if hiring a professional is really worth the effort and expense, thinking a few snaps from a smartphone might just do the trick. Well, we polled some of our top-notch agents and our very own staff photographer, Kate Devlin, to see if going with a pro is really worthwhile. The response was a resounding yes for a multitude of reasons.

Making the First Impression

We all know that in business and in life, making a good first impression matters. This applies to homes as well. Almost all homebuyers begin their search online and, with hundreds of homes on the market, they may only view your property for a matter of seconds. If you want to grab their attention in this short time span, a series of professional photos is definitely the way to go. Our very own, Mike McCann, swears by professional photography.  He states, “Professional photos are the first impression one gets when viewing homes. As we all know first impressions are lasting ones. Nothing is more important in this day and age of the internet than using professional photos to market and represent a property. It will increase the actual activity on the home dramatically, help sell the property and create desire and appeal to the buyers and their friends or family who view it.” In Fact, Kate Devlin states that her greatest success has been “shooting homes that have been on the market with amateur photos that have gotten offers within days after the new photos have been posted!” Clearly, the first impression matters.

Experience

Kate Devlin, received a BFA in 2 Dimensional Fine Art from Moore College of Art & Design. She spent years studying different realms of photography and has extensive experience photographing homes all over Philadelphia. She knows all of the quirks of the trade and is skilled in presenting a property in a manner that adds rather than subtracts from its appeal. Though she was very resistant to flaunting her expertise or pointing out the flaws she sees in amateur photos from RE agents, she did craftily state, “I wouldn’t try to fudge my way through writing up a real estate transaction,” adding a subtle, matter-of-fact smirk.  McCann team agent, Lauren Acker, wholeheartedly agreed with Devlin’s gentle subtext, adding that “professionals produce quality, beautiful photos that show the house in its best light and would be very difficult for a nonprofessional to obtain. Especially in Philly homes which are often more difficult to shoot because of their narrow layout.” Simply knowing how to take a quality and professional photo, not to mention all of the work pros put in before and after each shot, leads to an appealing presentation of your property that showcases its beauty. If you want your property to stand out from the rest, we recommend using someone with experience in making them look their absolute best!

Check out some of Kate’s Splits of amateur vs. her pro pics!

Staging

Kate Devlin offered us a little insight on the basics of what can make or break a real estate photo. One of her biggest concerns was an utter lack of staging, causing homes to look cluttered, dirty or out-of-date. She explained that “homeowners who care and a home that is ready to be shot make all the difference” and urged sellers to,

“Put it all away!  Stash the stuff! Get rid of all the extras for the day of the shoot.  Clear the fridge of magnets, take down the kid’s artwork, take the bathrobes and hanging junk off of doors, clear almost everything off the bathroom counters except a few well-chosen things.  It may take an extra hour, but you just have a swipe or a click’s worth of time to make an impression on buyers.”

Devlin was adamant about this issue and the potential for a few ill-placed items to ruin a quality photo.

Lighting

Do you know how to set up flattering lighting for a photography shoot? That’s okay, we don’t either. This is just another reason why hiring a professional matters. Kate Devlin even confessed that this was something she had to learn to perfect in the field. As one seasoned real estate professional simply states, “lighting matters.” Unless you have time to read Photography for Dummies or enroll in a photography course (we don’t) we recommend that you let a pro handle this vital element of presenting your home. McCann Team agent, Paul Chin, noted that “better lighting and wider images bring out sharper colors and contrasts leading to better presentation of the property and the agent.”

Space and Scale

Let’s face it. In the real estate business, size matters. When people are viewing a home digitally, they want to get a good sense of the scale, layout and usable space in the home. Julie McCann a real estate professional with extensive experience in presenting and perusing properties, explains that amateur photos tend to be “choppy, showing less of the full space of a room, and ultimately less of a clear understanding of the layout.” Devlin agrees, stating that many people unintentionally shrink their properties.  She explains, “Scale is important.  Sometimes over-sized furniture or accessories can really throw off visual perception of a room. An extra-large towel hanging where a hand towel normally would go, and an over-sized wastebasket can really give someone the impression that a room is much smaller than it is.”  Devlin also makes a point to emphasize unique and exciting spaces such as “a craft corner or a breakfast nook so people can understand how they could use the space.” Yet another benefit of using a pro is their ability to use their artistic eye to capture the highlights of a home and present them to possible buyers. Julie McCann explains that professionals have the ability to make people

“fall in love with a property, get a real feel for the place and even start envisioning morning coffee on the deck!”

Customer Service

The mark of a real professional is their ability to interact with clients and add to their level of comfort during the active and emotional process of listing their home. Kate Devlin recalled numerous instances when she was required to really talk clients through the process and connected with them by discussing the major transition occurring in their lives. Local RE Photographer and Owner of Plush Image Corporations, Matt Robnett chimed in on this important issue as well, stating that “an experienced real estate photography team will be expertly trained to interact with sellers. I encourage my clients to let us shoot alone with sellers because we are experts at representing their business in a friendly and professional manner, and make great use of our one-on-one time.” Clearly, pros know how to impress your clients and properly represent your business, showing customers that they are valued and respected.

Next time you are confronted with the temptation to take a shortcut and skip out on professional photos, keep this advice in mind and consider what a difference quality photos make.  Using a pro can help you avoid embarrassing blunders and prevent you from undermining the quality of your property. As Kate Devlin states as her personal mission and the number one benefit of hiring a professional photographer, “A professional knows how most effectively to present your home or investment.”

Tags: philly real estate blog, philadelphia real estate blog, center city real estate, bucks county real estate, joseph c mccabe, Joseph Cummons, how to buy a house, house for sale in philadelphia, Realtor philadelphia, phiily real estate

Budgeting to Buy a Home with Joseph McCabe

Budgeting to Buy a House

No matter how good the credit rating, today's homebuyer no longer has the luxury of buying with little or zero down. Unless you are low-income with good credit, or a veteran, no-down loans are also a thing of the past.

Most lenders today want at least 20 percent of the loan amount as a down payment on a house. For a home priced between $168,300 and $287,500, a homebuyer would need to come up with between $33,660 and $57,500 just for a down payment. Then, there are closing costs to consider. These vary by state, but figure you'll pay over $2,000 on a $200,000 loan.

Saving up this money takes time and careful planning. The best way to start is by coming up with a budget that is realistic enough for you to stick with and by using other tips to help you get ahead financially.

The Budget

The only thing more challenging than setting up the budget is sticking with it over the long run. Using personal finance software will help you set it up, but only self-discipline and the desire for a new house will motivate you to stick with it.

First, you need to determine your total income from all sources. The second step is to list all the money that goes out every month, beginning with your fixed expenses. These include anything that has a fixed payment due every month, including:

Rent or mortgage (if you have a fixed rate).

Car payment.

Insurance.

Child support and alimony.

Installment loan payments.

Next, list your variable expenses. These may be a little more difficult to track, so you may want to document them over the course of a week or two on a chart such as the spreadsheet offered for free by a Canadian credit counseling service. Common variable expenses include:

Utilities.

Telephone.

Cable or satellite TV.

Anything you purchase on a daily basis (morning coffee, etc.).

Amy Fontinelle, writing at Investopedia, suggests that you track and update your budget daily so that nothing falls through the cracks.

Make Changes

Once you've used the budget for a month or two you'll be able to see where your money goes every week. This snapshot shows you where it's being wasted and, thus, where to make cuts. Any items cut from the budget mean more money to set aside for your house.

Some of these cutbacks might include bringing a lunch from home rather than hitting the café every day, riding your bike to work instead of driving or taking a cab, and using coupons to save money.

Make More Money

Cutting your budget expenditures and paying down debt aren't the only ways to move more quickly down the road toward homeownership. Finding ways to bring in more money gives your plan a turbo boost.

If you can take on overtime hours at work, do it. Consider holding a garage sale or selling unused items online. Sock away that extra cash for your down payment.

Savings

If you're like a lot of us, you may be tempted to use the money you're saving for something else that comes along. To avoid the temptation, put it in an online savings account that makes it difficult to withdraw. If you have to wait a few days for the money, you may think twice about withdrawing it.

As you build your savings, avoid the urge to add to your debt. There will be plenty of time after you buy the house to buy furniture, a car or whatever else you might be thinking of purchasing. Keep that house you want top-of-mind to motivate yourself to stay out of debt and continue saving.