Here is a testimonial from the Realtor. I’ll admit I got a little teary reading this one.

“I can’t say enough about Annie…not only is she a real professional, she goes beyond the call of duty… This home was vacant and the seller was out of state, so all the correspondence was conducted via email, and having a very particular seller, details were a big part of it…She did not disappoint either myself or my seller!  The staging was done on time and our first Broker’s open brought out a huge turnout due to the fabulous photos that I was able to post after the staging was complete in enough time to tantalize the buyers. We had four offers right away and it was in escrow within 5 days of hitting the market, I say that’s a REAL SUCCESS STORY! Thank you Annie once again for making me look good and doing what I promise my clients, have the home in the best condition you can, and they will come! Looking forward to the next opportunity to work with you!”

-Claudia Border, GRI

When I visited the home, I fell in love with it. Sure there was some deferred maintenance that would have to be addressed, but the height, the light and the materials were to die for!

Now the only problem became what type of furnishings to use with this style of architecture. I needed inspiration. Luckily the agent, Mary Young of Prudential in Santa Monica, tracked down these amazing pictures of the home in 1975 when it was photographed for a magazine!

Now the gold shag carpet in the living room probably wouldn’t appeal to today’s buyer, but seeing the home in its former glory really got my creative juices flowing.

Here’s our modern interpretation of this 1970s classic. According to the agent, 200 Realtors came to yesterday’s Broker’s Open House. Looks like this one won’t last long!

Photography by Michael McCreary

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228 34th St, Manhattan Beach

$3,600,000

HOUSE, VIEW, AND CAR! Buy this amazing house and get a new 2010 Porsche 911 Convertible!

Celebrity beach home. 2 blocks to beach. 1 of the largest rooftop decks around. 1700sqft Rooftop features: 3 separate sections, lounge chairs, built in grill, sound system, and a bed! White water ocean views. Oversize 4 car garage. 4th bedroom space was added to master to create huge master suite with a patio. Upgraded kitchen. Din. room. 2 living rooms, full bar, chef’s range, & more.

Open House Info:

Friday, December 11, 2009 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Sunday, December 13, 2009 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Listing Agent:

Kofi Nartey

kofi@sotalot.com

310-849-5634

Photos by Adrian Tiemens for Photos4RealEstate.com.

Firstly, it’s a closeup of a BED. Secondly, it’s a closeup of an UNMADE bed that looks the way my bed does when I wake up after a fitul night’s sleep! A potential buyer can tell absolutely nothing about the room from this photo, except that the seller probably doesn’t care enough about selling his home to at least make his bed before the Realtor takes the photos. You can’t see the size of the room or how much furniture will fit in it. The walls are white and the bedding is white, making it even more difficult to tell anything at all about the room.

By contrast, below are 2 photos of a bedroom I took on Monday after we had Staged a townhome in Santa Monica (full story coming up in my next post). Notice that in the first photo, you get a view of almost the entire room, showing that it’s spacious enough for a queen bed and 2 nightstands, plus a bench (or dresser) along the side wall. You also see that it’s got an en suite master bath. In the second photo, you see the French doors that lead out to the balcony right off the patio.

The buyer who sees these photos on the MLS has already answered several of his/her own questions about the size and layout of the master bedroom & bath before he or she even sets foot in the home.

If you haven’t already read my post about photography tips for Realtors, you may not realize that more than 85% of buyers pre-shop for homes on the internet! That means that your photos have to sell the home before a buyer will come to see it in person.

So this is not just about a photo of a Staged bedroom versus an unmade bed. It’s about the importance of photography as a marketing tool for all your listings. Would you print a flyer that had the first photo as a way to market and sell this home? I certainly hope not. So if you can’t at least make the bed for your client before taking the photo, just don’t take it. No photo in this case is better than a bad photo that will turn off any potential buyer. And if you don’t have a wide angle lens that will allow you to get more of the room in your photos, hire a professional to photograph the home. And better yet, have it professionally Staged first! Then you can guarantee your photos will have buyers knocking down the door to get in.