This year’s stagnant property market has made it tough for anyone trying to sell their home.
Buyers are watching their budgets and may be more cautious about properties listed on portals for months, and one telltale sign is your photos.
Charlie Warner, from buying agent Heaton & Partners, said: “A house that is obviously out of season, such as one with scorched grass in the dead of winter or bare trees in spring, will prompt buyers to ask: ‘What’s wrong with it? Was the price wrong? Does it suffer from some blight or other?’”
As we’ve seen the back of a long, hot summer, should you focus on fresh photos and an autumnal update to secure a quicker sale, and perhaps even a higher price? Property experts share their advice.
Is it worth giving your photos a seasonal refresh?
Now that the leaves are changing colour and the nights are drawing in, it may be time to retire the photos of your home from when spring or summer was in full swing.
Mark Wheeler, the director of prime country sales at Hamptons, said: “Refreshing photography to reflect the season is generally a good idea. Autumn images are best taken before lawns get covered by falling leaves; even winter sunshine can create striking photography.”
You don’t have to revisit listing photos often. Elaine Penhaul, founder and director of home staging firm Lemon and Lime Interiors, has a simple rule of thumb.
She said: “If a property hasn’t sold within eight to 12 weeks, then it’s worth reviewing the photos. A change of season is the natural moment to do it.”
So sellers who struggle to sell their home in the next few months might want to revisit their photos in spring, when trees are in leaf and gardens look their best.
Don’t go overboard
Some property experts believe you’re better off focusing on getting the “best” photos to showcase your home.
Adam Jennings, the head of residential at Chestertons, said: “There’s no harm in making sure your property listing feels relevant to the time of year, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it over-seasonal.
“As we move from summer into autumn, rather than worry too much about refreshing the photography, my advice is to focus on having a strong set of high-quality images that showcase the property at its best.”
This may be a better use of time than rephotographing your home every time the seasons change.
“If the property – or its presentation – has materially changed, then it makes sense to revisit the images,” he added. “Otherwise, there’s no reason why a good set of photographs can’t work perfectly well throughout the year.”
You don’t have to replace every photo
As a compromise, consider updating just a few pictures.
“A well-staged interior can look good at any time of year, so those shots often don’t need replacing,” said Ms Penhaul. “The images that date fastest are the exterior and the garden.
“Refreshing the outside shots and main image is a quick, low-cost way to make a listing feel current again.”
This can help the listing feel fresh and authentic, without the hassle of a full reshoot.
What about rewriting the description?
Similarly, rather than starting your home description from scratch, it may be more effective to shift the emphasis to certain features throughout the seasons.
Ms Penhaul said: “As the weather cools, focus more on the appeal of the log burner, the cosy snug and good insulation. As it warms up, bring the garden, the patio and light-filled rooms forward in the description.”
Mr Wheeler also recommends tailoring the description to the time of year.
“Highlight cosy interiors, fireplaces and garaging during the colder months,” he said. “Then highlight swimming pools and outdoor entertaining spaces in spring and summer.”
But make sure the description reflects the property’s genuine strengths, rather than rewriting it just because the season has changed.
Ms Penhaul added: “Whatever you change, the photos and description must be an honest picture of the property. Buyers will see the home in person, and if it doesn’t match the listing, you’ve lost their trust before they’ve stepped through the front door.”
Does a listing which ‘suits the season’ translate into a quicker sale – or better sale price?
Some experts believe it can make a difference – though not all agree.
“I look at presentation in terms of what it costs,” said Ms Penhaul.
“Anything that makes a buyer hesitate costs you, the seller, time and money. In my view, a listing that looks ‘out of step’ with the season sends the wrong signal.”
Because it may suggest the property has been on the market for a while, it can give buyers more leverage.
Ms Penhaul added: “In the current market, where a smaller pool of committed buyers has more choice and more room to negotiate, seasonally appropriate staging can be the difference between a quick, strong sale and a property that lingers.”
But opinion is divided and other experts are less convinced that updating a listing to “suit the season” will significantly affect the outcome.
“It won’t automatically result in any quick wins,” said Mr Jennings. “There are too many other factors involved, including how the property is priced, market conditions and buyer demand.”
Mr Wheeler takes a similar view.
“It’s difficult to quantify any direct impact on sale price – or time to sell – from seasonal photography alone,” he said. “Realistic pricing remains the biggest factor.”
Other agents stress that this matters most in the current market.
Nick Leeming, the chairman of Jackson-Stops, said: “An asking price grounded in recent local sales data can attract serious buyers and create competition, giving owners the best chance of realising the full value of their property.
“Buyers may have more choice right now, but well-presented homes priced accurately are still selling quickly.”
Things to avoid at all costs
We asked the experts what they regard as a no-no:
Christmas decorations
It’s wise to avoid anything that makes the listing look tied to a particular time. “Christmas decorations are a good example,” said Mr Jennings.
“They may look attractive in December, but if the property is still on the market in January or February, the photographs can make the listing immediately feel dated.”
Mr Warner feels the same way.
He said: “My personal take on Christmas photographs is ‘Bah! Humbug!’. I think having Christmas trees in pictures may feel like a wholesome touch, but if the house doesn’t sell, you’ll just need to spend a good chunk of money retaking and restaging photographs. Many buyers find festive decorations more irksome than inviting.”
Other seasonal decorations
Ms Penhaul said: “The same goes for any seasonal decorations. Easter bunting – or a hallway full of Halloween bits and pieces – dates your photos just as quickly as tinsel.”
Rainy-day imagery
Mr Wheeler added: “One thing to steer clear of is rainy-day imagery. If the forecast is wet, reschedule the shoot.”
Why out-of-season photos aren’t always a red flag
Finally, one important caveat: an out-of-season listing isn’t necessarily a sign a property has been sitting unsold for months.
In fact, particularly for higher-value homes at the upper end of the market, where marketing often requires more planning and lead times can be longer, it’s not unusual for photos to be slightly out of season.
Mr Warner said: “It’s very common for sellers to get their house photographed in the spring or summer when the garden looks its finest; summery pictures in autumn aren’t necessarily a red flag. They can simply indicate a well-prepared seller who may even have all their documentation ready to go with the solicitor – and is ready to proceed.”
He added that buying agents often receive photos of houses that are still off the market because the seller is preparing to launch the next year.
“In these cases, you know you might have someone who has got a full legal pack waiting to go,” he said. “The key here is to understand the story behind the photos and chat with the agent before making assumptions.”