Love at First Sight

I just learned of a very interesting recent article related to real estate marketing in the Wall Street Journal: 20 Seconds to Love at First Sight.

The article is based on research done by Michael J. Sellar, Poornima Madhavan and Molly Liechty as presented in a paper entitled Toward an Understanding of Real Estate Homebuyer Internet Search Behavior: An Application of Ocular Tracking Technology (published in the Journal of Real Estate Research).

The gist of the article is that the first thing prospective home buyers look at when researching homes online is the lead photo, and that, on average, viewers will spend approximately 60% of their time looking at the photos. I think this information goes a long way toward explaining the importance of photos for marketing homes.

The article notes that the front exterior photo is often the lead photo in the series, and that seems justified in many cases, since the outward appearance of the home is often of great concern to homeowners and can say a lot about the general style and design of the home, and sometimes its location. However, the front exterior of the home does not always provide the most compelling subject matter for a photo, from the standpoint of really grabbing the viewer's attention. Sometimes the rear exterior will provide a more compelling view. Other times, the main interior space, usually the living room, will provide the most appealing and attention-grabbing photo, especially if the room is very well designed and furnished or has an impressive view.

I disagree somewhat with one point made in the article, that the photos should be sequenced to reflect how one moves through the house after entering the front door. While this kind of sequencing may be useful in some kinds of presentations, I think that, for media where prospective homebuyers will be viewing the photos for the first time, it is best to show the most visually impressive features of the home first, in order to hold the viewer's attention and inspire them to want to learn more about the home. Usually, the most visually impressive features will be the main exterior views and the main interior spaces such as the living room, family room, kitchen and master suite, and I think that it is these views that should receive the most attention in terms of staging and the quality of the photos, especially since they will be the most likely candidates for usage in print marketing materials.