The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 12 No. 47 - September 5, 2012

REAL ESTATE

A picture is worth a thousand words

 

My husband and I just returned from a European vacation including a stop in Amsterdam, where if you inhale too deeply while cruising down the canals, it’s possible to achieve a cannabis high. He took his typical 2,000 digital photos while I spent my time trying to avoid being the subject of his 2,000 photos. But when it comes to marketing your property for sale a picture is truly worth a thousand words and there is no such thing as too many quality pictures.

Things have changed a lot since I started in real estate. At that time you were lucky if you could get a decent shot of the front of your new listing. The company I worked for actually hired artists to do pen and ink sketches of the property to be used in marketing, but with the advent of the digital age, that all changed.

Today pictures are a crucial marketing tool used to sell properties. According to research from the National Association of Realtors, 98 percent of home buyers who shop for properties on line said photos were one of the most important features of a real estate company’s web-site.

Typically, listing agents take their own photos and post them to their company’s website, which in turn gets posted to large real estate search engines like realtor.com and trulia.com. But more and more realtors and sellers are turning to professional photographers to maximize the home’s amenities and location.

Virtual tours done by professional companies are also very popular providing a potential buyer with a real time walk through of the property. Real estate professionals claim the more professional the photography, the more hits the property gets on the web.

Pictures are the first impression of your home that many buyers will see, so it’s important before choosing a listing agent to determine his/her marketing procedure as it relates to pictures. You can start by reviewing an agent’s current listings to determine if their pictures are good quality even if they’re not professional. Out of focus pictures, poor lighting, grainy effects and poor composition will not hold the attention of today’s online buyers.

You should also feel comfortable having some input on which shots will best enhance the unique parts of your home. For instance, Anna Maria has so many waterfront properties that just shooting a picture of the canal may not be special, but shooting a picture from the front door straight back to the water is.

The pictures of your home should look like something out of Architectural Digest, clean, uncluttered and spacious. Decide along with your agent which pictures are to be posted and how many is appropriate for the size of your home.

If you and your agent decide to use professionals to photograph your home, ask about their credentials and look at some of their work. This is especially important on high end properties where buyers expect a certain standard and will quickly move on to another property if their initial impression isn’t favorable. Good quality pictures are also frequently turned into marketing pieces for bulk mailings as well as print advertising, so it’s crucial that pictures look professional.

Just like sharing your travel experience with your friends through photos, getting the best possible shots of your home will provide potential buyers with the true feel of your property making them want to see it in person. And by the way, the next time you’re in Amsterdam check out the cannabis coconut cookies or lollypops just don’t try and get them through customs.

Real Estate Transactions
Real Estate Transfers from June 1 to June 30, 2012
Sponsored by Alan Galletto Island Real Estate

Sold Date | List Price | Sold Price | Address | Provision | Property Style

Anna Maria

07/31/2012 679,000 679,000 115 Mangrove Ave. # A&B 1968 50x110 6Br/4Ba Inc.
07/10/2012 430,000 427,000 226 Gladiolus St. 1708 87x100 3Br/2Ba SFR

Bradenton Beach

07/13/2012 675,000 625,000 2600 Gulf Dr. N. # 17 1179 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
07/23/2012 115,000 115,000 1603 Gulf Dr. N. # 29 380 1 Br/1 Ba Bank Owned Condo
07/27/2012 285,000 275,000 1001 Gulf Dr. S. # 1 896 2 Br/1 Ba/2 Half Baths Condo
07/10/2012 289,000 260,000 100 12th St. N. 929 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
07/30/2012 325,000 280,000 1431 Gulf Dr. N.# 21 1524 3 Br/2.5 Ba Short Sale Th
07/11/2012 139,900 132,500 2501 Gulf Dr. N. # 102 416 1 Br/1 Ba Com

Cortez

07/16/2012 679,000 565,620 12313 Baypointe Terr. 2535 3 Br/ 3 Ba SFR

Holmes Beach

07/17/2012 425,000 425,000 207 69th St. # A 1948 70x110 4 Br/3 Ba Half Condo
07/03/2012 199,900 187,450 3607 E. Bay Dr. # 110 1040 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
07/08/2012 172,900 171,000 5400 Gulf Dr. # 24 810 1 Br/1 Ba Bank Owned Condo
07/10/2012 399,900 375,000 6006 Gulf Dr. # 112 1154 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
07/16/2012 449,000 425,000 319 64th St. # 8b 2001 3 Br/2.5 Ba
07/17/2012 249,900 249,900 3705 E. Bay Dr. # 206 1146 2Br/2 Ba Condo
07/19/2012 207,000 185,000 6300 Flotilla Dr. # 71 1023 2Br/2 Ba Condo
07/27/2012 350,000 315,000 4200 Gulf Dr. # 204 1008 2Br/2 Ba Short Sale Condo
07/31/2012 319,900 298,000 4255 Gulf Dr. # 122 1254 2Br/2 Ba Condo
07/12/2012 300,000 240,000 213 84th St. 2173 3 Br/2.5 Ba Short Sale SFR
07/20/2012 759,000 692,000 622 Dundee Ln. 2368 95x115 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
07/20/2012 419,000 407,500 303 62nd St. # B 1200 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
07/23/2012 888,000 825,000 6405 Gulf Dr. 2876 66x100 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
07/25/2012 569,900 525,000 109 75th St. 1819 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR
07/27/2012 849,000 800,000 207 70th St. 920 90x102 4 Br/4 Ba SFR
07/20/2012 549,000 529,000 108 77th St. 1839 68x80 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
07/31/2012 310,000 290,000 309 62nd St. 928 75x101 2 Br/1 Ba SFR
07/17/2012 425,000 364,000 3803 E Bay Dr # 3a 2354 5 Br/3 Ba Th
07/13/2012 259,900 237,000 3008 Gulf Dr. 1560 50x105 4 Br/2 Ba Inc
07/05/2012 489,000 415,000 3014 Avenue E 50x100 Vac

Source: Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office


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