As the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words” and another saying goes “you never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression” these two could not be more intertwined when it comes to selling real estate. With the rise of social media and having any listing in the world at your fingertips your listing photos are the first impression your home makes to a potential buyer. The modern home buyer typically doesn’t start with an agent to find a home anymore. They hop on their phone and scroll through listings online and if there’s a house you see that stands out it will stop your scroll. If looking to sell your home and your listing photo is the first impression they see, do you really want to leave the biggest personal investment of your life in the hands of “Barbara” the real estate agent who’s never done photography in her life other than a poorly lit bathroom selfie? We want high quality, professional photos that give your home the best first impression it deserves. Here are some professional photography tips and tricks so that you can take high quality, scroll stopping, photos that will get your property shown more often, more offers submitted and that property sold quicker!

Tell a story

There’s history and life in every home. The photos you take should tell the story of your home. You can start by ordering your photos in the way you enter and view the home. Begin with a great exterior shot followed by the entryway, kitchen, dining room, living room, master bedroom and bath then any additional bedrooms. Highlight any special features that you fell in love with when you bought the home. Maybe it's a great outdoor space where they can see their kids grow up or that amazing kitchen where they can envision wonderful times with friends and family. Give the viewer a feeling of being there in the home and do your best to build an emotional connection.

Lighting

When it comes to photography, lighting is everything. The best kind of lighting for your photos is natural light. No lighting system is quite as good as good ole mother nature. You always want to avoid cloudy or rainy days if at all possible, try and pick a bright sunny day. There are also different times to shoot that may work better than others when taking photos of your home. All the photos you’re taking inside the home should be taken typically from around 10am-4pm. You also want to keep the light behind you when you’re taking the photos so the orientation of the room or where your windows are placed can make a difference when deciding to take the photo at 10 or 4. Never rely on artificial lighting. For all your outdoor photos try taking them at dusk just before sunset. These times provide the ideal lighting for your home photos but you should always take a few test shots before submitting anything. 

Create a great composition

With modern camera phones improving by the minute you can take incredible photos just from your phone. One caveat to that is if you do have a camera you ideally want a WIDE ANGLE lens. When taking photos inside we want as much in the composition as possible to make the space feel bigger. The wrong lens can make your space look small and will leave out important details and selling features. Take photos that are symmetrical.  Pick an orientation. You can take photos either straight head-on or at an angle but it’s usually best to pick one orientation for all of your photos in order to stay consistent in your composition. The height of your photos also matters. Different rooms have different sizes and objects in them that may change how the image looks. If you’re in a large family type room it would be ok to take the photo between 3’-4’ as to avoid any large fixtures or furniture from obstructing the view. Try not to focus on your furniture, focus on the space as a whole. Your bedroom photos should be taken 1’-2’ above the bed and again 1’-2’ above the counter when taking photos in the kitchen. You want to try and capture more floor than ceiling and furniture.

Post Production

No matter how good a photographer is, just about every photography professional uses photoshop or some type of photo enhancement software. We obviously don’t want to lie about the true state of our property however if the photo you took was crooked or maybe the lighting wasn’t as great as it could’ve been then a minor adjustment can make a big difference. We want all of our photos to have a similar composition and maintain that uniformity. If you want to make these edits yourself there are countless amounts of free editing software you can download  if you are up for the challenge or you can get a creative person or company to do it for you which doesn’t cost all that much. 

Why great real estate photos are important

In an article by the National Association of Realtors, it suggests that 95% of buyers searched for their dream home online. Needless to say, the photos your listing posts is crucial to the amount of traffic and number of offers you will ultimately receive. If you intend on making a great first impression it’s extremely important that the photos you take tell the story you want it to tell. From the gear you use, the lighting available and the composition you create these things will be what stops potential buyers in their tracks and get you an offer you can’t refuse.