Did you know that buyers review hundreds of homes on-line but will statistically only tour a dozen before making an offer?

This is why having fabulous on-line photos is critical.

If you want to get more interested and qualified buyers through the door of your home, you need to intrigue buyers with your internet marketing. Now I know you are thinking “That’s what my agent is for.” And yes, your agent is the one who will put your photos on the MLS and arrange for the home to be photographed. But you are the one who determines how good those photos are:

Here are a few simple tips that will make your shots look better:

1. Home decor that looks great in person often looks like clutter through the eye of the camera. A common rule of thumb is to pack everything smaller than a football. A few large accessories will look much better in photos and they look great in person too.

2. Common household items such as trash cans, pet beds or dishes, toiletries, cleaning products, stacks of magazines, etc. can really distract from the look of your home in photos. Hide them away on photography day.

3. If you are in doubt as to whether you have too much furniture, get out your camera or even your cell phone and snap a few shots of every room. This will give you a better idea of what you need to pack. Most people have too much furniture. Often removing just one chair or packing away a bookcase can make the room seem twice as large. Minimizing items that are on the floor, baskets, boxes even maximizes your space.

4. Spacious, modern and bright are what buyers are looking for. Remove heavy draperies and pay attention to your lighting and color in the space. Make sure your curtains don’t cover up the windows for photos, it is best if your window treatments frame the edges of the windows but don’t block natural light.

5. Make your beds look great. Think luxury hotel. A well made bed with a few extra pillows and a proper fitting duvet makes a huge difference. (just look on the MLS to see countless examples of poorly made beds with a duvet that barely covers the mattress -just say no to this in your house!) If you have to fudge it for photos by making the duvet longer on the photographed side – do it!

6. Create scenes in your home. Create inviting settings around focal points like the fireplace, a beautiful tub and on the patio or deck. Remember buyers purchase aspirationally so give the photographer some beautiful scenes to photograph.

7. As you style, remember to look at each space through your camera and snap a few shots. The camera does not see in three dimensions like we do so it is important to take this into consideration when preparing your home. Keep tweaking and taking photos until you are satisfied with the result. Compare your shots to the best looking homes in your price range to see how you stack up.

I hope you found these “new curb appeal” tips helpful. And, I in no way mean to imply that you can ignore the actual exterior curb appeal – that’s important too but you’ve got to grab them on-line or they will likely never see your home from the curb.

If you would like help styling your home for knock-out photos, Rocky Mountain Home Staging is here to help. Call us today at 720-295-0720.