Earlier today I was searching the MLS looking for condos to show a client. I came across one that looked particularly nice and, from the photos, appeared to have a very spacious living room.  But as I looked closer, I realized that I have seen this floor plan many times and the living room isn’t that large.  In fact, it is rather small.  But the picture had been taken in such a way that it made the room look much bigger than it really is.  Had I not been familiar with that particular floor plan, I would have wasted my buyers’ time showing them this unit. I know they want a bigger living room.

Another time I was looking for a house for a family who wanted a large kitchen and family room.  I pulled up one listing that in the photos looked like it had a huge kitchen. It was quite believable as this was a fairly large home, almost 4000 square feet. Fortunately, I previewed the home before taking my buyers out and found that the kitchen really wasn’t all that big. Other photos of the same home made the entry hall look spacious and very elegant when it actually wasn’t anything to write home about. So, needless to say, I did not show this home to my buyers.

Having pictures of your home is a must when you list it for sale. Most potential buyers searching the Internet will just skip over listings that do not have photos. But be careful not to make your house look better than it really is. If so, when buyers actually come to see the home, they will be upset and disappointed that the house isn’t what they thought. It is hard to get an offer from an upset and disappointed buyer.

Make sure your pictures look like what the buyers will see when they view your home. For example, my backyard is really pretty (at least in my opinion) and this could be a plus if I ever decide to sell my house. I have a beautiful picture of the yard that was taken from just outside the dog-run at the side of the house. But how many buyers are going to look at the yard from the dog-run? My back porch looks really nice when you stand at the back fence, but again, are buyers really going to stand at the back fence when they are considering my house? No. Buyers are going to first look at the yard while standing in the house looking out a window.

The point is, don’t let your photos mislead buyers because you will lose buyers. Try to reach a happy medium. Have photos that will entice buyers to want to see your home but not disappoint them when they get there.