Dos and Don'ts of Real Estate Photography

Can you believe these are the same room?  Unfortunately, we see photos that look more like the first one than we care to admit. The way your home is presented is CRITICAL to it being sold. When people search online for property, the first thing they look at are the photos!

So how do you make sure your home or listing is being presented in the best way possible?

Don’t worry…we’ve got your back!

We’ve compiled a list of dos and don’ts to keep in mind when taking photos of a home. Whether you’re a realtor trying to upgrade your photography skills, or a homeowner who wants to ensure their home is being presented in the best way possible, these tips can serve as a checklist during the photography process.

 DO

1.     Let there be Light!  Turn on every single light, and throw open the blinds.  Dark is where mold grows. People love light! 

2.     Clean it Up.  You don’t have to channel Marie Kondo to get great photos, but remove trash, towels, toys, and personal things before you snap the photo.  Tidy up and clean surfaces too.  The camera sees everything. 

3.     No More than Three.  Professionals ban any more than 3 items on a surface per photo.  Yep.  3 - max.  That means you, collectors and clutterbugs. 

4.     Get Off the Stage.  If you see yourself in a mirror or your reflection in a window, you’re in the photo.  Make sure your photos feature your home and not you.

5.     Right-Size It.  What’s with the tiny photos on the MLS?  If the photo has a space to fill, make sure your photo fills it.  Nothing screams “amateur” louder than wrong-sized photos!

6.     Embrace Diversity.  Capture the same room or façade from different angles.  Often, the angle you think will look best looks terrible in a photo!  Sometimes a different perspective is just what you need, so have a few diverse perspectives to choose from!

7.     Show Off Your Best Features.  Don’t you just love listings that talk about fantastic features in a home, and there are literally NO PHOTOS of them? This is your opportunity to show off.  Don’t miss it!

Don’t

1.     Get Artistic.  The point of photos is to show how great your home is – not how artistic you are.  Serious buyers want to see the home as it truly is.  Panoramic views (unless you have a spectacular mountain or beach view), photos stitched together to form a collage, odd angles and the like focus more on your photo technique than the property and just detract from your goal.

2.     Include Pets.  We adore our pets too, but buyers can be turned off by photos of pets in a home, as they imagine smells, dirt, dander and allergic reactions.  It becomes more about the pet than the home. 

3.     Photograph on a Dark Day. The sun is our friend, and the best time for real estate photos is morning.  Avoid rainy days and cloudy days to maximize the sparkle!

4.     Photograph a Blur.  You would think this is obvious, but the number of blurry photos we’ve seen (taken from a moving car? after a cocktail session?) is astounding! Photos are digital, so it costs nothing to discard a bad one and take another.  It’s worth the extra 5 seconds.

5.     Feature the Toilet.  Seriously.  The goal of your photos is not to catalog every inch of your living space.  If the bathroom looks awful or any photo you take seems to scream, “TOILET!” then don’t include that photo.  Serious buyers will visit your home and see the bathroom. 

6.     Include Odd Items.  We’ve seen some doozies.  Giant KISS dolls, mounted animal heads, great grandma’s butter churn, 100 clown heads, the largest bowling pin in the state (we’re pretty sure), and large religious statues become the point of the photo.  These things are so unusual and personal that buyers can’t see past them to see the actual property.

7.     Photograph a Barrier.  People love wide open spaces and good flow.  Photos taken from behind a couch or kitchen bar cut off the view through the room and make everything look smaller.  Step to the side and show how open and welcoming your space is!

Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully, we won’t be seeing many more realtors hanging out in the bathroom mirror on their listing photos. Be sure to check out our website and follow us on Instagram @shasteensizemore (linked below).

https://www.instagram.com/shasteensizemore/

Check back every Wednesday for new blog posts.

if you happen to live in the Tampa Bay area and are looking for a realtor, don’t hesitate and give us a call. We’ll be happy to take care of it!