5 Real Estate Photography Tips to Attract More Home Buyers

In today’s world of buying and selling homes, the Internet plays a huge role. For many, the first glimpse they have of a home on the market is through a photo looking back at them on their computer screen or smart phone.

With pictures playing such a vital role in selling a home, it’s important to adopt the best real estate photography tips.

5 Real Estate Photography Tips 

In fact, the National Association of Realtors say nine out of 10 home searches are launched on the Internet. If pictures are poor quality or taken under bad lighting conditions or with an unsteady hand, the image will be flawed, no matter how great your house looks. So as you and your real estate agent embark on taking pictures of your house, consider the following:

• A good camera and high resolution. Now’s not the time for your agent to be snapping photos with their smartphone. A 35-mm camera (no point and shoots, either) and a tri-pod help ensure clarity and a wide angle. Avoid using a flash, which can make pictures looked washed out and generally lack the depth that a photo with natural light does.
• The camera doesn’t lie, so get rid of the clutter. If a potential buyer views a photo online of your family room with toys strewn about and three pairs of shoes scattered across the family room floor, they’re not able to focus on the room. Clear your counters and floors. Hide or store away piles of mail on the counter. Put away the dog’s food and water dishes.
• Stage your home before the pictures are taken. Clean the floors, place attractive throw pillows on the sofa, accentuate rooms with vases of colorful flowers. If a wall looks bare, borrow artwork from another room (or a garage sale or thrift store) to hang on the wall. Make all the beds. Have clean towels hanging in the bathrooms. Make sure your kids didn’t leave toothpaste globs in the bathroom sink area.
• Take a lot of pictures. If you’ve ever seen a photojournalist at work, you’ll notice they take tons of pictures. As your agent or hired photographer photographs your house, they should be taking numerous pictures from various angles and even at different times of day. An exterior view of your house will look different in the morning than it will in the evening. One will likely look better than the other depending on how your house is situated in relation to the sun. Interior photos should be taken close to twilight so the exterior light coming in isn’t too harsh.
• Make the photos interesting by shooting low and getting objects in the foreground, like a vase or chair. Turn on all the lights. If you shoot rooms from an angle, they’ll look more interesting and larger. Shoot at chest level so you’ll see less ceiling and more of the room.

As you begin working with your real estate agent, ask to see the photos that are taken of your home. If there are any that appear to be breaking any of the rules, ask to have them retaken. A good real estate agent will know how to obtain the best pictures possible to get your home sold successfully. If you are currently in the beginning the process or are are currently in the process of selling your home please feel free to get in touch with me today! I would like to inform you more about how you can earn a tax free, cash back rebate just by selling your home with Glass House Real Estate.