Research reveals how to sell YOUR listings faster and save money at the same time!
I've been researching the topic of "How does the number of listing photos affect home sales?". I'm sure you will find the results of that search very surprising. Many of you may be thinking "I'll put up as many photos as MLS allows". Keep reading to find out if that is wise.
Love them or not, you have to admit that Zillow has done a lot of research about homebuyers.
Here are some statistics:
- On average, homebuyers only view 17 to 22 photos per listing. If your photographer is providing 45 to 60 photos, you're wasting money!
- Homebuyers stay on listings with 360 degree panoramas 46% longer than listings without. Is your photographer providing this valuable service?
- The 2nd most desired element of a listing is a Floor Plan. That's a service that I offer.
- Surprisingly, drone photos are not that important in the buying decision.
Here's the most surprising of all !
Listings with 27 or less photos sell faster than homes with 28 or more photos
The perils of too many listing photos!
1) Even if a viewer looks at all 57 photos you post (probably not going to happen), they will be in a state of information overload.
2) After viewing 40+ photos, the buyer erroneously feels that there's nothing left to see so never calls for a showing.
3) The most important photos to homebuyers are: family room, kitchen, master bedroom and bath. The impact of these photos is diluted with each additional photo you show!
4) Showing too many photos increases the chance that you'll show elements of the home that will be a turn off for certain buyers! Take, for instance, a view of the kitchen that shows a pet feeding station OR a teenager's bedroom that's painted neon green.
What is the optimum number of photos to put on MLS?
Hopefully, we can all agree that the purpose of listing photos is to show just enough information to MOTIVATE homebuyers to visit your listing in person! Keeping that in mind, "less will get better results than more".
The Research:
Zillow > Listings with more than 28 photos take longer to sell. They suggest 22 - 27 photos is the sweet spot.
Easy Street > Listings with 15 - 20 photos are most likely to attract homebuyer attention.
Kirk Voclain (photographer) > REALTORS get the best results with his package of only 12 photos!
A J Caruso (photographer) > Produced this great sliding scale table based on home size. > > >
How I can save YOU money!
Photographers who charge by the square foot have the intention of photographing every nook and cranny of the home yielding many more photos than you should post on MLS. I, on the other hand, can selectively create 20 - 24 attention grabbing photos of the areas that are most likely to grab homebuyer interest. Buyers are more likely to visit your listings in person with this approach.
My price list is based on the number of photos delivered. If I create less than 25 photos, you'll only pay $160 or less (2023 pricing).
If you're not buying into the evidence that I've presented here, I'll be glad to give your listings whole house coverage.
Either way, try out my services on your very next listing.
Jim Barber / Impressive Images Photography / 478-737-2244