The secret’s out. Listings with high-quality photos are dominating the real estate market. Why? Our visual society is doing less reading and more scrolling. The Wall Street Journal tells us that home buyers spend 60% of their time looking at listing photos and only 20% reading the description. That means your listing photos need showcase your home.
It pays off to make high-quality photos a priority. Listings with quality photos tend to sell 32% faster than those without, according to a study by VHT Studios. 32% faster?! Have we convinced you yet? Here’s the tips and tricks you need to know to capture beautiful, high-quality photos of your home.
Set the Stage
Before you start photographing your home, take a second to make sure everything looks neat and tidy. You don’t want to overdo it and declutter to the point that your home loses that welcome feel, but you also want things to look polished and clean. Often, having less “stuff” in a room makes the space look bigger. Declutter to open up the space, but leave those touches of home. Try setting out a vase of flowers, a fruit bowl, or some homey decor, but keep it simple. A nice-looking throw draped over the couch can go a long way.
If you’ve already moved out and your home is sitting empty, consider having your home staged by an expert. This extra cost could make the difference in how many days your home is on the market. If professional staging isn’t within your budget, leave behind a few anchor pieces or borrow some furniture to use for your photos and showings. Couches, a table and chairs, rugs, and linens can work wonders.
Choose the Right Camera
The biggest thing we recommend when it comes to a camera is a wide-angle lens. If you already have a nice camera, you’re starting off on the right foot. In today’s world of smartphones, we realize that less and less people are purchasing cameras. They’re just using the camera on their phone. Luckily, most smartphone users have a wide-angle lens built in that takes high-quality photos. 33% of the world’s smartphone users have an iPhone, and iPhones from the newest 11 all the way back to the 8 have the wide-angle lens feature. These lenses are roughly the same as a 28 mm lens with an f/1.8 aperture. If you don’t have a phone with a wide-angle lens, you can find a variety of wide-angle lens attachments by clicking here.
Let There Be Light
High-quality photos call for a good amount of light. Turn on all overhead lights and lamps. Also, open the shades or curtains to allow natural light to pour in. If you’re using a camera with a flash, one trick you can try is pointing your flash upward toward the ceiling to allow the light to fill the room.
Find the Perfect Angle
Once your room is staged and your camera is ready, it’s time to start snapping photos. You’ll want to position your camera in the furthest corner of the room. If you can be standing in a doorway or hallway, that could give you an even better perspective. Your goal is to capture as much of the room as you can in one shot while making the room look nice and big. It’s a good idea to take photos of the room from a couple of different vantage points to give the potential buyer a feel for the room and the overall floor plan.
If there are windows in a room, you’ll definitely want to feature those in your pictures. However, you might also want to capture the view from the window. Whether you’re looking into the backyard or showing the view across the street, this extra step allows your potential buyer to get a better sense of the overall location and setting.
Zoom In on the Highlights
After you’ve got a nice shot of the whole room, zoom in on whatever aspects of the room the buyer might find appealing. Get a close up shot of any nice fixtures, custom projects, or updates that you could bring to their attention. We also suggest photographing the house number, mailbox, or any landscaping that shows off your home’s unique character.
Take More Photos Next Season
No matter what time of year your home is on the market, buyers appreciate knowing what the property looks like at different times of the year. Homes always look best in the spring and summer when the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom. These seasonal, high-quality photos can really make a difference for a winter listing!
*Warning: Be careful not to have too many older photos. You don’t want to signal that your home has been on the market for a long time, as this could be a red flag to potential buyers.
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