Have you ever looked at a magazine spread of a house and wondered in awe “is this a real house?” This is the effect you should try to create when taking your own listing photos. 83% of buyers say that the pictures are key in deciding what home they will visit.
According to studies, professional quality photos can make your property sell 32% faster compared to low quality pictures.
1. Know Your Selling Points
Is your home good for travelers? Is it ideal for families, bachelors, or pets? Is it for digital nomads in Greece or couples visiting for their honeymoon? Before you take pictures, think about the story you want to tell when selling your home.
2. Declutter and Clean Up
This may seem self-explanatory, but surprisingly some people skip this step. Clean up your house before even thinking about unpacking your tripod. Prepare like you would for an open home – clean surfaces, remove clutter, wash your dishes, and make the beds. You might think this is first nature, but believe us – we’ve seen it all! Don’t include family photos or personal items, because potential buyers will have a hard time imagining it as their own space.
3. Make a Good First Impression
Cutting the grass, cleaning the front door area, trimming bushes or trees, and removing bikes from the driveway are simple ways to make your home appealing at first glance. Add flowers to empty flowerpots to go the extra mile.
4. Let in the Light
A bright, airy room is more appealing than a dungeon. Natural light is always better than artificial light. Open the blinds and take pictures during the day. Take off the curtains if you need to, or take a picture with a longer exposure.
5. Choose a Wide Angle
Pick an angle that captures the room at its largest. Don’t make anything distorted, but use a wide-angle lens if you have one. Stand in the corner of the room for best results. As a rule of thumb, don’t use portrait mode. Landscape mode captures a larger area.
6. Keep the Camera Level
Surprisingly, 50 percent of properties which are on the market for upwards of 1 million Euros feature poor-quality photographs. Prospective homeowners won’t like to see crooked photos, no matter how nice the house is. Check your framing before you start taking pictures.
7. Feature Your Strong Points
Pick your best images to use in property portals online or in thumbnail images. First impressions are critical for potential buyers.
8. Aim For Variety
When taking pictures, include plenty of angles. You won’t be using every image, but having extra options gives you more flexibility. Pick the best shots and don’t share too many pictures. Sharing more photos than potential buyers want can actually have a negative effect. Keep out any pictures of stairs, intercoms, or areas that won’t make someone likely to visit your home.
9. Take Photos at Golden Hour
For exterior shots, try to take photos during golden hour – either just before the sun rises or immediately after sunset. This is especially important in Greece, where the sun can be intense during the heat of the day. We know it means you won’t get to walk on the beach and enjoy the sunset yourself… but trust us, it’s worth it!
10. Take your Pet for a Walk
A general rule of thumb is not to include your pet in real estate photographs. We all love our pets, but it’s best to save their time in the spotlight for Instagram.
Go the Extra Mile
Every extra effort you make will only help your home sell faster and for a higher price. If you have the opportunity to take aerial shots, take advantage. Homes with aerial photos sell 68% faster. If you’re really looking to set your listing out from the crowd, take advantage of video content. Home listings with a video on average receive 403% more inquiries than listings without a video.
HDR Photography
HDR stands for “High Dynamic Range” and it tries to mimic the way the human eye sees an environment. Every detail of a scene is more realistic. HDR is commonly used in interior and architectural photography.
HDR photos are unique because you can capture the darkest dark in your image as well as the lightest light. In other words, a single image captures a wide range of lighting. You achieve this by blending 4 exposures. Tutorials on HDR Photography in Photoshop are available online, and can take your real estate photography to the next level.
