Neighborhood quality is a heavily weighted factor for home buyers scouring new listings.

According to an NAR survey, 78% of people said that neighborhood quality was more important than the size of the home. On top of that, 84% of millennials, which make up one-third of today’s homebuyers, would forgo key home features in order to live in their ideal neighborhood.

Featuring professional neighborhood images is easier than you think. Real estate photography vendors, like Virtuance, offer a neighborhood stock package and a subdivision add-on feature to any listing shoot.

With over 96% of all homebuyers searching for new listings online before scheduling a showing, real estate agents must put a higher priority on selling the home before the homebuyer sees it in person. It also means that professional real estate photos, neighborhood images, and detailed descriptions are more important than ever.

If your listing offers any of these key neighborhood features, you will want to highlight them online with images:  

Your listing’s neighborhood is near popular restaurants or attractions

You’ve heard it a million times and probably used it in your listings before: location, location, location! The old real estate adage rings true for many homebuyers. Buyers are looking for a sense of community and places to socialize.

Even the suburbs are changing in the way they cater to their more modern populations. According to Business Insider, suburban towns like New Rochelle (NYC) are evolving to focus less on space and possession and more on walkability and environmental impact.

If your listing is a few blocks from popular restaurants or attractions, a neighborhood package is a great option.

Your listing’s neighborhood has parks and green spaces

City dwellers will always eye properties near large parks and green spaces.

Numerous studies show that spending time in nature can improve your mental and physical health. These benefits range from reduced stress to improved blood pressure to increased social cohesion. Because of this, major cities are stepping up their initiative to add more parks and green spaces, with the 100 largest cities in the US spending over $6 billion in 2015.

Not only do public parks provide major health benefits, they also provide a number of conveniences to locals. Most public parks are free, which encourages residents to gather for socialization, games, fitness classes and more.

Featuring a nearby park or green space on your listing will rack up some major homebuyer engagement online. This will increase interest in your listing.

Your listing’s neighborhood has awesome amenities

Does your client’s neighborhood have a beautiful clubhouse, updated pool or large playground? If so, show it off! Buyers enjoy knowing that they’re getting more than a house, even if they don’t actually use the amenities often.

It is more impactful for a potential homebuyer to see images of a neighborhood’s amenities than to simply read about them. And on that note, make sure that your amenity images are captured by the same professional real estate photographer as your listing images. This will help add credibility to your listing and your brand.

When your new listing hits the MLS and real estate market data sites like Zillow and Trulia, it’s competing with hundreds of other properties in the area. As a majority of homebuyers browse these listings online, it needs to stand out!

Creating a narrative with professional images of the neighborhood and a detailed description will help prospective buyers picture their life there. Afterall, the human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text – and when visuals are paired with written content, retention is always stronger!

Learn more about why visual marketing matters here.

Check out all of our packages and enhancements by putting in your listing’s zip code here.