Selling a house is serious business. Small things make a BIG difference.
I know that when you start reading this, you may think I’m making a joke. You may believe this is click bait, but I promise you that when you understand what I mean that you’ll thank me for making this known to you. It’s a common item, often used for making a room, or piece of furniture look better, especially for photos, but it’s actually often the biggest detractor from showcasing the room.
Never use a tablecloth in MLS photographs.
WHAT? Really? That’s what this is about? I know. It sounds crazy, but don’t stop reading yet. Just hang with me. Table cloths are great for living in a home and entertaining. They can be beautiful, and provide texture for a holiday table setting, or protection for the table itself. All of that said, They are terrible options for selling your house. Let’s take a look.
Photo by http://janicereyesphotography.com
Let’s just take a quick look at the image above. Tell me. Where do your eyes go first? What’s the first thing that catches your attention in the photo? I’ll just bet it was the table cloth. This light and airy, neutral piece of linen takes up an enormous amount of space in the photo. We call that “visually heavy”.
Photo by https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk
“But my table is in bad condition!” I understand. I really do. What I also understand is that no matter how bad the condition, adding a table cloth only makes it worse, given our purpose is to sell the house, not the stuff. Even rustic tables, or others in really rough condition will look better in photos, allowing potential buyers to focus on the house, rather than the stuff, or in this case, the giant table cloth in the room. After all, I bet the tablecloth is, once again, the main place your eye goes in this image, despite the amazing flooring, and high beautiful ceilings.
Photo by https://www.spade-archer.com
Even when everything else in the room should be the focal point, your eye will gravitate toward the table cloth. OK. In this last photo, maybe that is an exception to the rule. That’s really the only safe place to look!
Photos are the reason that buyers show up to the house.
The MLS photos drive potential home buyers to view the house. If they are good, they will come. If they are not, they will just click onto the next house. It’s a good idea to be sure that buyers are paying attention to the focal points of the house. Generally speaking, table cloths are not supposed to be what you want them to notice.
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