MIREALTOR® Online - December 2015 | Page 12

NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN REAL ESTATE LISTINGS By Deirdre LePera, REAL Trends research strategist REAL Trends, in partnership with Virtuance, surveyed hundreds of top-producing real estate professionals across the country to find out how real estate brokerages and agents use professional photography in their businesses. We found that there were five clear and compelling reasons why real estate sales associates and/or broker-ages choose to invest in professional photography. 1. You Have a Duty to Your Seller Of those surveyed, 94 percent of the agents and 73 percent of brokers felt passionate about the importance of using professional photography. Several agents and brokers cited that the importance of using professional photography stemmed from their obligation to their seller. One independent broker in Arizona went so far as to say, “You have to [use professional photography]. You are doing a disservice to your clients otherwise. People are visual, and you have to grab them.” 2. Drives Your Online Traffic MIREALTOR® | DECEMBER 2015 12 According to the National Association of Realtors® 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 83 percent of homebuyers rated photos of properties for sale as the most useful website feature. In the same report, 43 percent of buyers looked at homes online as their first step in the home-buying process. Th