Does Your Home Have Digital Curb Appeal?

What It Is + How You Can Maximize It

If you’re in the modern dating world, you might’ve swiped right a time or two on an app. Well, the truth is, buying a home today is pretty similar. Buyers have photo fatigue. They see listing photo after listing photo online and their brains start to filter out the redundancies. Buyers are just waiting for the house that’s going to make them want to “swipe right” and schedule a showing. 

In the modern real estate world, it’s more important than ever to maximize your Digital Curb Appeal: The visual lure of your listing on digital platforms. Digital Curb Appeal is just like curb appeal in the “real world” with the exception that, because it’s online, it extends into the home as well. It’s the charm your home radiates through the listing photos on the internet and social media.

How can you maximize your Digital Curb Appeal? Our real estate photography is considered “best in the business,” giving our sellers an edge in the market. Who better to share just a few of our secrets? Here are four simple suggestions.

1. Don’t underestimate the value of the first photo.

When it comes to real estate photos, saving the best for last can cost you. If you’ve spent any time on websites scrolling through homes available on the market, you likely know firsthand the impact of that first photo. In fact, it may be the singular difference between a potential buyer clicking on your listing and scrolling on by. All images are important, but the shining star should be showcased first. 

Our in-house photographers ensure each home we list has the professional edge they need in the digital world. In addition to sunlit interior photographs, we provide our Signature Twilight Photography of the exterior to bring out the best in each home, one future buyers can fall in love with from the very first image.  

While we take pride in our elevated approach to exterior photography, a listing may benefit from showcasing the interior first. For a condo, highlighting the most beautiful interior space may have more impact than the exterior of the building. No matter what, our experts have mastered the art of ensuring the first photo radiates on the market.

2. Style your home to sell.

It’s no secret that we’re masters of home transformations. We believe in the importance of not only home styling but simple tweaks beyond pillows and tables to add value, such as an updated light fixture, on-trend paint colors, new cabinet handles, whatever it takes in an easy-breezy manner to bring more eyes and more offers to a home. 

It’s not just our opinion. Forbes notes that staged homes sell faster and for an average of 17% or more than a non-staged home. Our results are dramatic. In our main market, the additional value we bring has averaged $22 to $44 more per square foot than a non-Donna Kerr Group listing. 

3. Fewer photos DON’T draw more buyers in to see a listing in person.

It’s a misconception that sellers should create a mystery for buyers. Some sellers mistakenly think that if they show less it will force a buyer to schedule a showing. In the case of real estate photography, less is not more. Unphotographed rooms can leave a potential buyer assuming the worst for spaces they can’t see or not “wowed” enough to bother visiting in person. 

The facts are astounding. Listings with one photo sit on the market considerably longer than listings with twenty images, and the rate at which homes sell only increases with the more intentional images a listing provides. High-quality photos lead to higher sales prices as well with an average of $3,000-$11,000 for homes listed in the $200,000 - $1,000,000 range.

4. Quality Counts.

It’s not just about quantity. Our photographers know how to bring out the best in each room. We won’t give away all our secrets, but you can see the difference when comparing our property photographs with others. You can check out a few here. 

In addition to being skilled real estate photographers, the fact that we are a “one-stop-shop” of in-house photographers, designers, and expert listing agents means that we are not outsourcing photography to someone who is seeing the home for the first time. Our photographers work in close coordination with all of our experts. They know the home’s best features, they know what was just renovated or tweaked and, because they are in-house and not juggling their schedule with multiple outside brokerages, they can easily coordinate their schedule with not only the client and the team but even the weather!

If you’re ready to maximize your digital curb appeal, our team is ready to help. Contact us so we can work with you to help you earn top dollar. Click here to get started today.