Inspired by an article in Austin, TX’s Realty Line Newspaper about listing photography, I thought I would elaborate even more on the topic, because I can’t stress enough the importance of taking amazing pictures for your property. What was once referred to as curb appeal is now “pix appeal,” to quote FrontDoor.com’s Shannon Petrie. Homeowners no longer rely so much on their curb appeal, but their online appeal. It makes sense considering that 87% of buyers search for their home online.
So what exactly can you do to make your house look as good as possible?
A crucial point to stress would be the idea that you are trying to capture the space of your house in the photo—not how nice your things look in the room. That’s important to keep in mind because there is a difference. You may have a nice living room set up with electronics and sofas and ottomans, and although all of that might be clean and tidy, to the buyer looking at photograph, that’s just going to clutter up the space of the living room. Sometimes, as the seller, you might be too far in the proverbial woods to see the trees.
When taking a photograph, it’s important to consider your lighting. Nothing can mess with a home’s visual appeal more than poor lighting. According to Petrie, natural lighting is your best bet. It tends to give rooms a bright and open appeal. Flashes typically cast nasty shadows that degrade the quality of photographs. When doing exterior photos, you want to shoot on overcast days so that sunshine doesn’t cast shadows on the house. Open curtains and let that natural light flow into the room. You want the house to look bright and inviting.
In order to capture the space of a room, you are going to want to shoot from doorways or corners of rooms so that you can include as much of the space within as possible. The same goes for the exterior. Avoid shooting the property head on. Shooting the house at an angle will give the viewer a better grasp on the space and shape of the house.
But the best advice is to take lots of photos. Give yourself as many chances as possible to capture the essence and beauty of the room. Digital cameras allow you to take your time, deliberate, and over-shoot—if you have to.
Once you’ve gotten the photos you wanted, it’s always a good idea to touch up afterwards. You can do this using Photoshop (if you have it,) iPhoto, or use the assistance of free online photo editing tools. There’s a whole plethora out there. If a room looks a bit dark, lighten it up. Enhance colors to really make that picture bounce off the page.
The same way a bumble lands on the prettiest flower, a buyer will take more interest in prettier and more spacious homes. You cannot be too meticulous when photographing your house. The better your photographs are, the more buyers you will attract with your MLS.
Tags: MLS Photography
