These are actual photos from the RMLS!
It's hard to believe, but these are two examples of how some properties in Oregon are being marketed. What about these pictures would make anyone want to come see these houses in person? It's hard to believe that a Realtor would put these blurry, unappealing photos on line when they are supposed to be experts at marketing a property. I don't even know what the picture on the right is supposed to be!
A home is typically seen as our most expensive asset, yet time and time again when sellers put their houses on the market, we see poor quality photos of empty rooms or cluttered spaces. What benefit is it to anyone if the home doesn't look its best?
When selling a car we get it detailed and make it shine, but then don't treat our homes the same way? When grocery shopping we look for the most appealing fruits and vegetables in the produce section, yet expect home buyers to have lower expectations?
Investing in professional staging guarantees your house will look its best and give it the competitive edge necessary in the real estate market.
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Below are photos of a single family home in Portland, Oregon that Synergy Staging recently staged. The Master Bedroom particularly stood out to us when it was empty due to its cold feel and lack of any emotional connection. White walls never help a space feel warm and inviting, and the dark brown curtains became the focus of the room with nothing else to draw the eye.
Fortunately this seller understood the importance of having a home show its very best before putting it on the market. By staging the room with warm colors and helping buyers envision how they could live in the space, the room came to life and in turn, increased the value of the property. Listing the property after it was staged, with professional photos, resulted in a positive outcome. The home had an accepted offer only two weeks after it was listed.
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This home was professionally staged by Synergy Staging. Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly! Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company. For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook. Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.
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While I agree 1000% that homes should be staged, I respectully refuse to use photos taken with a wide angle lense. Too many times when that happens buyers walk in and are miffed the rooms are "SO much smaller than they looked in the photos".
This frustrates me DAILY. Or when agents only put 1 or 2 pictures of the home. Why would a buyer care about that corner?
Good staging and good photographs are essential for online marketing. Many are searching online and the online presentation has never been more important than it is now. I like that way the photos above show the before and after with the positioning of the camera virtually in the same place. Thanks.
Hi David - Excellent job. That bedroom looks beautiful and I'm sure your staging got it sold.
Hi David, Actually the photo on the left is ok I think. I see far worse photos all the time.
Liz
Makes me want to RUN away! Good examples of what NOT to do! Also....GREAT example of how to make it all come together with staging!
Great post David. I believe it's too bad not all homes are staged before they are put on the market. Your blog is a great example of how much staging will help a home sell.
David, it is annoying to see so many listings with no photos or bad photos. Staging does help sell a home, it helps them picture them living there.
Yuk.
Those photos are depressing.
I would probably pass over that property if I were looking for properties for a buyer of mine.
I really know the frustration. However, did you ever think the agent wanted to double end the property and did not want you to show the property?
We have a scant few seconds to catch the attention of a buyer or buyers agent. Not having great pictures and staging doesn't make sense.
Those first photos -- ugh -- why would anyone want to see it?
David,
Great staging. I don't see homes staged very often here in Vegas, but yours look great.
Awesome job !!! thanks for sharing love the before and afters...
Many before and after photos are taken from different angles so the effetcts are not as obvious. Yours are perfect.
I agree with Ocean View, yours are PERFECT.
Congratulations. Your home staging is being featured in the group Staging Before and After Pictures.
Kathy
DAVID, We are all in agreement that online presentation is vitally important. Here is a picture of a bathroom, taken before we staged. The lower picture below is how the bathroom looks now (my photo) and yet this first picture remains online. I think it highly unfair for an agent to have a client spend money on staging, and then not immediately have great pictures taken. Every day that staging stays in place cost the client. A true pro agent would not want to waste his clients' money. I try to convince the agent to have a photographer set up for immediately following the staging, or the next day.
Here's how our photo looks - I tell my clients, remember - we want to ATTRACT, not DISTRACT. Which would attract you?
It's no secret - Staging and Good Marketing = the best chance of moving a property!
It really is amazing that pictures like this still exist in the current market. Not always sure what the REA was thinking. 80% of buyers (maybe more now) look for homes on the net. Nothing would make me want to go and see the house above. Now with your pics on the net, there is no question. I would want to see that prop. Great pictures and staging David!
Tammy ~ I believe there is a happy medium with a lens so the photos are not deceptive. Using a narrow angle lens doesn't always allow potential buyers to see all the features in each room. I'm thrilled that you are a proponent of home staging. Thanks for stopping by.
Whitney ~ I can't figure out why anyone would care about that corner. And posting a variety of pictures from each house is so important. Buyers will wonder what they are trying to hide when only one or two photos are available.
Frank ~ Thanks for your comments. Over 80% of buyers choose the houses they will view in person by the on line presentation. You are right that good photographs are more important than ever. I agree that having the same angle in before and after home staging pictures is essential to really see how a room is transformed.
Susan ~ The staging definitely had a part in the sale. The owner also knows how to price her properties appropriately for the neighborhood.
Elizabeth ~ I agree that there are certainly worse photos out there. I took a sample from the first page of RMLS listings in my search. However the photo on the left draws your eye more to the 'stuff' in the room than the house itself.
Kathy ~ It's amazing how easy it was to find pictures of what NOT to do. It just shows us that home staging is needed more than ever and we can never stop educating the Realtors and sellers about the value it adds.
Gary ~ We agree that every home should be staged before it is sold. Much like no one should buy without a home inspection. Unfortunately many don't see the upside that staging can provide.
Eva ~ I couldn't agree more with your comments. Helping buyers see what it's like for them to live in a home is so important in giving your property an edge over the competition. Thanks!
Ralph ~ Yuk is right! It doesn't take more than a quick glance at the photos to know that they are doing a disservice to the sellers. Photos are supposed to attract you to a property - not make you want to run away!
Tim ~ That's certainly an interesting take, but my sense is that, like many photos on the MLS, there is just a lack of care and pride in marketing the property.
Dan ~ You summed it up, especially in this day and age, seconds is all you have. If the photos aren't appealing, you are losing countless potential buyers.
Bob ~ Why is certainly the question of the hour!
Kevin ~ Thanks for the feedback. I know Vegas has been hit hard by the real estate downturn, but staging can give sellers an edge over the glut of competition on the market. If you are looking for stagers you can find many right here on AR.
Mary Lou ~ I love before and afters as well. Thanks!
Al ~ Thanks for noticing. The angle is key for home stagers in showing the transformation of a room. Appreciate your comments.
Kathy ~ Thank you! We always appreciate being featured in your group - one of our favorites!!!
Melody ~ It is frustrating and a disservice for both the seller and the stager when the property is not marketed at its best. You can't even tell the cabinets in the before picture. Good luck getting the new photos posted quickly!
Lori ~ It is amazing that pictures like these are still out there. Unfortunately I think it's more the norm than the exception. All we can do is keep doing what we do and spreading the word. Thanks for stopping by!
David picture worth a thousand words, nicely done. Sadly, too many such photos on listed properties.
Melody, does your client know this? Did they or the realtor pay for the staging, what a waste of money. Beautiful bathroom by the way!
David, nice work! GREAT representation of the room, and top notch technical work with the camera!
Ana ~ There are too many photos like this. It's unfortunate for numerous reasons.
Andrew ~ Thank you! That means a lot coming from you.
David, your points are SOOO true!!! I just came across a listing where there were 2 not so good pictures taken of the house and then about 10 pictures of a park about 2 miles away and I even came across a picture of an owel. I don't get this at all. What was this agent thinking when putting these pictures up?
Love your staged bedroom!!
David,
You have hit a sore point with so many stagers. I look at pictures on MLS and drive by properties and just shake my head. Such a disservice to the seller, or such rigid thinking when the seller does not understand the investment that gets the biggest ROI.
Like a store owner who asked me to look online at her home for sale and advise whether her home needed staging. There were only 3 photos - 2 of the outside and 1 inside of the stove in the kitchen!!!
I called and told her I couldn't determine anything from what I was seeing online and no wonder the open house was such a waste of time!!!
Truly, what are these realtors thinking???????
Staging is a good thing; professionally done and nice if that is your seller's style. But what about those sellers that do not want to use a stager; I even encountered a seller that did not want to use a professional photographer instead they produced their own photos. There is always going to be those diy's.
Brigit ~ That is crazy! When the house is not in any condition to be seen it seems that they try to sell it by the surrounding features. Amazing!
Sharon ~ It's impossible to know what some Realtors are thinking when you see situations like that.
Teral ~ Many sellers come from more of a cost perspective. It's our job to help them understand that a staging consultation (in the $150 to $250 range) is a valuable investment. Many times just having the recommendations of a stager will be enough to bring thier home up to the next level. Some may be able to take their own pictures, but remember - with over 80% of people house hunting on line - the quality of the pictures cannot be stressed enough.
It amazes me how many times I see photos like that online. You think it would just be common sense. Great job and I love your new picture.
Chrissie ~ I guess common sense doesn't always reign when it comes to pictures. And thanks for your nice compliment.
Terrific before and after photos. It amazes me what stagers are capable of. Thanks for sharing.
Mike ~ Thanks Michael. Stagers can make a property show it's absolute best.