how to take photos
that sell

• Take all pictures as horizontal shots rather vertical (wide instead of tall), because  the MLS and many other sites will stretch the photos on their website when taken as vertical pictures.
• Use the widest angle lens as you can find without the picture appearing to be a “fisheye” photo
  (one that is wildly bent and distorted on the edges).
•  Take pictures on a bright day in the middle of the day.
• Open every curtain and every blind to allow as much light into every room as possible. Turn on every light in every room.
• Turn off the flash to your camera. Instead use the light that comes in through your windows and with the interior lights all turned up as bright as possible.
• Take a picture of every room from every corner. At the end, you can choose the best ones that turn out from each room.
• Make sure there is no clutter in the background.
• If a room has wood or tile floorrs, take at least one photo with camera sitting directly on the floor in order to accent that feature.
• If the kitchen has granite/hard surface counters, then take at least one picture with camera sitting directly on the counter to highlight feature.
• Make sure you are not in the reflection of any pictures that have a mirror or window that is reflective.
• Make sure all dirty towels and underwear are picked up before taking pictures. Make sure your home is spotless. Towels on towel rack should be straight. Clutter on counters should be put away. Pictures/magnets on refrigerator should be put away. Bookshelves should be straightened up and organized.
• Make sure toilet seat is down.
• Make sure kitchen sink is empty.
• Take the picture of the front of the home from each corner of the front lot. Kneel down on one knee to emphasize the front lawn to make the home look expansive.
• Take a picture of backyard as seen from the back patio toward the back of the lot. Then take another from back corner of lot facing toward back of house. Bend down on one knee for this shot to emphasize size of lot and home.
• Be sure to take photos of any special feature of the home or community.
• Use photo-editing software to make pictures perfect (coloring, exposure, cropping, etc.). There are many free photo editing aplications available online.

If you don’t feel comfortable taking pictures, we can take professional grade property photos for you for $200. Just emails us at ProPhotos@PlumTreeRealty.com.

tiered-down
pricing strategy

THE PROBLEM

Most Homeowners want the most money possible for their property, but it is not always possible to determine the true value of a home based on comparable data. Furthermore, many homes are unique and have qualities that may not be reflected in the sales prices of other homes nearby.

THE SOLUTION: A TIERED-DOWN PRICING STRATEGY

With a Tiered-Down Pricing Strategy, sellers start with a price that is at the top of their range of what they are hoping to get for their home. They then establish a plan with the Realtor to drop the price by a small amount every couple weeks until they hit the strike point – the highest amount that an acutal buyer is willing to pay on the open market. They can also stop dropping the price when they get to the bottom of the range where they feel comfortable selling.

One of the key reasons for this approach is that the property listing will be repeatedly emailed out to the entire MLS database of buyers who are looking for homes in the price range of the subject property. Everytime the price is dropped it will again be sent out to those buyers. This is important, because the proliferation of emails in the most people’s email inboxes causes many emails to go unnoticed.  However, if your listing pops up in their email inbox numerous times, they are much more likely to notice it. It’s much like waving a red flag repeatedly in front of their eyes.

This is also a great way to test a myriad of pricing levels until the home is acutally sold. You will know when your home is priced correctly when buyers begin to schedule showings.

This is a strategy that Plum Tree Realty often uses to help sellers get the top dollar for their homes. Ask your agent for more information and to establish a solid plan.