One of the most important aspects of a real estate listing is photos. Listing photos are the first thing most prospects will review when looking for a home.
As an agent, it’s essential to have the best photos possible for your real estate listings. Below are several photo tips for your listings:
Bring In The Professionals!
After taking your online real estate course and getting your license, you might be tempted to take on every part of your business yourself. That’s admirable!
But when it comes to listing photos, successful agents highly recommend hiring a professional photographer. A professional real estate photographer will usually snap the best images, better than you can do.
When you hire a photographer, remember:
- Get a photoshoot estimate. This varies based on the photographer, location, home size, and many snaps you want. You could spend anything from $200 to thousands. If you are just starting as an agent, it’s essential to work with reasonable rates but do excellent work.
- Check their online portfolio: Only hire a photographer with documented experience shooting real estate photos. This isn’t the same as taking wedding shots; good real estate images require specific skills and techniques.
Buy A Wide-Angle Lens
If you do any of your own photos, that’s fine, if you know what you’re doing. But you definitely need to invest in a wide-angle lens. This lens will reveal more than any lens that came with the camera initially.
Fortunately, many decent wide-angle lenses aren’t expensive. For example, there are 24 mm products out there for $150. That’s a small price for giving your potential clients the best possible views of a home and its rooms.
Declutter!
Before you set up to take photos in the seller’s home, make sure every room you feature is decluttered. Photos with a lot of clutter will turn people off.
So, take everything off the counters and remove photos from the walls as much as possible. You want the beauty and utility of the home to shine through, so removing distractions and clutter are essential points.
Stage The Home
Every listing needs to be staged before photos are done. For example, if someone lives in the home today, the furniture should be rearranged so buyers can envision living in the house. But they cannot imagine living there if the family room is stuffed with furniture.
If there is too much furniture, have some of it removed and put in storage. Or, simply move it to another room for the photoshoot. Add some attractive pillows and rugs to make older furniture more attractive.
You can’t shoot quality pictures without furniture for vacant homes, so bring in a professional stager. They will place furniture in the rooms in ways to make them most attractive for prospective buyers.
Think About Each Photo
Real estate photo composition is critical. The photo’s composition comes down to the most favorable positioning of the camera, furniture, and lighting. Altering the angle of the shot just a tad can totally alter how the photo looks online.
Take shots from the corners to get as much of the room in. But it’s also key to take head-on shots of major room features, such as a fireplace.
No Pets Allowed
If your seller has dogs, they need to be taken out of the home for the shoot. Buyers who love dogs may love the pet photos, but not everyone likes or wants pets. Also, some people are allergic, and they may worry about pet dander in the carpet.
If the listing is under market price, you still may get people looking, but why take a chance?
Remember these real estate photo tips, and you will show your listing in the best light.
