Does your house look like THIS? 

Or this?

Chances are, in your mind it looks like the second mansion (which is the Harry Packer mansion, by the way) and for good reason – there were surely things that made you fall in love with your current home, and you’ve most certainly made improvements to fit your lifestyle.  But did you know the camera can add 10lbs?

When selling a home, too many folks discover that they’re just not the professional photographer they thought they were!  The NY TImes had a great article this past weekend entitled Making Every Pixel Count, by Vivian Toy, which talked about how a picture can make or break your home when selling properties online.  This is often the first and best chance to make a good impression, and less-than-flattering pictures can make the buyers move on to the next home without giving yours a second chance.  Sarah Cooper of Coldwell Banker Advantage had a blog post about this very topic this morning in regards to her own home – check out the before and after pictures to see just how dramatic the differences can be. 

The point is, real estate agents aren’t experts when it comes to handling cameras, and most of us – sellers included – couldn’t tell you the absolute best placement of furniture when staging a room.  What we can do is call in the experts, folks like the guys at Graphic Dimensions here in Roanoke, who provide floor plans and pictures for listings throughout both the Roanoke and New River Valleys.  These guys, or any professional photographer, know how to optimize your home’s exposure (sorry, had to throw in the camera reference) in order to maximize your dollar.  And if your agent isn’t using tools like these, ask them why not?  Chances are you’re missing out on a lot of opportunity. Before you hire photographer, check over the small details on your home, sometimes small things like Commercial Roller Blinds can make huge difference.

In the end, it’s all about getting the right look for your home so that when that interested buyer clicks on your listing, they say WOW! 

(FYI – the first home was found to have a spring running through it.  From English Russia)