Fabulous photography is always our focus

A picture maybe worth a thousand words – but it can also be worth several thousand pounds when it comes to selling your property.

An experiment conducted by insurance company AXA has discovered that poorly taken property photographs can have a negative impact on buyers – and on the value of your home.

That’s why Mansbridge Balment Plymouth has been investing in the very latest camera equipment and technology to ensure its customers’ homes are always as pretty as a picture.

But as Tony Carlton, Branch Manager at the agency’s North Plymouth Office explained, it’s not just about having the right camera gear.

“It’s about having a good eye too. You want to show every room looking its best and this can often be achieved with only slight adjustments, removing a bit of clutter from the shot to maximise the sense of space and opening blinds and curtains to get the best light,” said Tony.

“It’s the small tweaks that can make a big the difference, as this experiment by AXA has proved.”

In the experiment, 1,000 people were divided into two, with one half seeing sloppy, untidy images of a one bedroomed flat while the other half saw them after a quick mini makeover by a photographer and his assistant.

The differing images impacted on perceptions of the property’s rental value, with those who saw the ‘before’ photos estimating the cost at £609 per month while those seeing the ‘after’ shots estimated £752 – a difference of £1,716 a year.

AXA said applying these figures to the sale price of the property would have dramatic effect too – £180,000 compared to £220,000.

The before images showed items on display that Tony said any experienced estate agent should spot straight away, but sometimes don’t – lots of personal items on display, used towels hanging over baths, packed washing lines and wheelie bins on display.

Mansbridge Balment Plymouth has always been committed to producing photographs with a real ‘wow’ factor and can even give customers access to drone technology to showcase homes and their surroundings from the air.

“When it comes to selling your home, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and high quality photography is such an important element of that,” said Tony.