Listing Luxury: How Quality Images Sell High End Properties (Part 1)

Many people ask what’s my secret to selling listings quickly, and for top dollar, like my recent listing, which sold in 17 days and was one of the highest sales in Waimea town history at $2.1M.

My $2.2M luxury listing SOLD in 17 days

First, when you are ready to list your home, hire a successful REALTOR® that will market and sell your home in a first-class manner. I will talk about staging in a coming blog, but this blog focuses on my insistence of high-quality images to present your property properly, and as a luxury product for sale to the world.

A REALTOR® with insistence on quality will be willing to make the investment in you and your valuable asset by having your home professionally photographed for listing and sale. Why does it matter? A picture really is worth a thousand words, and likely more than a hundred thousand dollars to your luxury listing sales price, according to the Wall Street Jounal.

Here’s why:

1. Buyers Find You

When Buyers start looking for a home 90% start their search online from their iPad or home computer. 42% find their future home online, and a listing with Hawaii Life increases your chances of being seen 421% over another Broker.

2. First Impressions Matter

That 42% of buyers who find the home they will buy online are more likely to hone in on a listing that has been professionally photographed. Why? Visual psychology. Buyers’ online visual expectations are high and their attention span is short. With beautiful, professional images, your home is more likely to get attention than a home with photos shot from an iPhone or a point and click. It’s a fact – 139% more likely.

42% of buyers who find the home they will buy online are more likely to hone in on a listing that has been professionally photographed

Below is a fantastic image of a land listing I sold (MLS# 251900) – in Escrow after 20 days with a sight unseen offer. I hired award-winning photographer Ethan Tweedie to photograph this 2.6-acre streamfront lot in Waimea, Hawaii.

The Green Flash from streamfront parcel – in Escrow in 20 days

My listing received 1,149 hits in 4 days, compared to a competitor’s listing in the same subdivision (shot from an iPhone or point and click), which received 585 hits in 11 months, and withdrawn without sale after 843 days. See the snapshot comparison below from the Hawaii Life Website.

My listing in Anekona Estates in Escrow 20 days on market

Competition listing in same subdivision withdrawn after 843 days

3. Homes with Professional Photography Sell for More Money

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, a picture is worth a thousand words, AND thousands of dollars according the Wall Street Jounal. Homes for sale in every price range that were shot by a professional vs. an agent with a point and shoot or iPhone sold for as much as 10%, or $116,000 more $$$.

Every house that is listed with me is marketed with professional photography – and I pick up the tab. So, is it worth the dough? For me, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” According to MLS, every property I’ve ever listed has sold, but one, for 97% of the list price, and in just over two months – 67 days.

Luxury listing Sold in 17 days

I work exclusively with award-winning photographer Ethan Tweedie, who delivers the highest quality images possible, and is a great value when you consider the caliber of images and the value added with extra services included and available a la carte, providing aerials, time-lapse photography, virtual tours, YouTube videos, blogging, and social media.

Professional photography is a key component of my marketing strategy in listing your property properly. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs about listing luxury – properly listing properties with staging, the technical aspects of professional photography, and my current and upcoming listings.

Contact a Luxury Real Estate Professional

If you are interested in buying, or would like me to list and sell your property quickly, and for top dollar, I would love speak with you!

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