What is the optimal number of photos that will generate the most leads? Is it 20 or 30 or 50 or even 100??
Basic instinct might tempt you to think “the more the better”, and some blog sites may also mislead you into that thought process.
It’s really all about the quality and composition of the photos, but more about that later…
Too many photos can take away from the mystique of the house, and too few photos can make a buyer think you’re hiding something!
So, How Many Photos Do You Really Need?
Far too many listings display only 1 or 2 photos – and many times no photos at all. Buyers are actually very suspicious of a listing that lacks photos. They figure there must not be anything inside worth looking at, so they just move on.
Should you post 36 photos just because MLS allows you to post 36 photos?
While a lack of photos will obviously not garner a potential buyer’s interest, research has found that too many photos could potentially lead to fewer leads as well. Why? Too many photos may fool a potential buyer into thinking they’ve seen all they need to see, which means there is less incentive for them to contact you. It’s better to show enough information to generate interest, but not so much that they don’t want to contact you!
According to Real Estate Web Provider Point2.com, there is an optimal range for how many photos should be displayed!
Research by Point2.com shows that 10 to 15 photos is optimal, having the best chance of generating the most leads. They found that listings with up to 20 photos get just as much traffic as listings with 50 or more photos, so displaying more than 20 may actually be overkill in most cases.
In our experience, the optimal number is from 15 to 25 photos. It really depends on the size of the house, how many key photographable rooms there are, and how many exterior views are important to the story that needs to be told.
Knowing Which Photos To Use Helps Prevent Overkill
To avoid overkill, you should only display photos of rooms that have high visual appeal and/or have the highest contribution to the value of the home. For example, unless a half bath, walk-in closet, or laundry room is exceptionally large or contains architectural details that add value to the home it doesn’t need to be photographed. Rooms like garages and attic spaces don’t normally contribute enough visual appeal to include in your marketing efforts.
Showing multiple angles of one room is another example of overkill. Typically it is only necessary to display one or two angles of any particular room and maybe include a creative close-up of a special architectural detail or feature. It is important to show space and flow but showing multiple angles often ends up being an exercise in documenting the furniture.
The front exterior is the most important photo for grabbing the attention of a potential buyer. Special attention must be paid to making this image straight, clean, clear, and crisp enough to stand out to Internet home shoppers…
BUT – 99% of the time, you don’t need to show multiple angles of the front… the same can be said of the back of the home and any outdoor features such as pools, spas, etc.
Bottom line… using better quality thoughtfully composed photos, will allow you to use a lot fewer photos while increasing the hit counts and leads from your web marketing!
If you would like to know more about choosing the optimal number of photos or how to choose the best angles to include, give me a call or shoot me an email. I’m glad to help!
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