Market Your Listings to the World

According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of homebuyers are using

the internet to make their buying decision. This makes it more important than

ever to display good quality pictures for consumers to see on all forms of internet

marketing (your website, single property websites, virtual tours, MLS, etc. The

more pictures you provide, the more interesting the property will be to the

consumer, the longer they will stay on your site and the more leads you can

receive!

Here are some tips from professional architectural photographers on how to

show your home’s best face to buyers:

• Outside: Keep the sun behind you, shining on the face of the home. If the

main entry is always shade (on the north face), shoot it on a partly cloudy

day to lower the contrast.

• Remove garbage cans, cars, seasonal decorations, flags and plaques. Never

photograph a house dead on, or when it’s backlit by the sun.

• If there are heavy shadows from trees, shoot on an overcast day.

• Figure out where the sun rises and sets, and shoot when the sun is 45

degrees from the angle you want to take the shot. If a façade faces north,

shoot just before sunset or on a cloudy day.

• For a fresh perspective, stand a few feet to one side of a corner, but angle

the camera as if you were standing in the corner

• Inside: Close the drapes to lessen the possibility of light meter being fooled

by bright exterior light.

• Clean up the clutter. Make sure there are no toys, clothes hanging on

hooks or other detracting items around the home.

• Don’t use a wide angle lens for interior shots. They make rooms look

smaller.

• Turn off the flash; it will make the most spectacular room look like a scary,

semi-lit dungeon. Good photo editing software allows you to brighten and

add flash during the editing process for a much clearer effect.

• Turn off time and date stamp settings. It detracts from the home and

especially makes it difficult when trying to crop and edit your photos.

• For vacant homes, try to capture rooms that are together, like a master

bedroom and bathroom, to add interest to the image. Also stand back as

far as you can to show how large the space is.

• Each room looks best at a different time of the day, so give yourself a day

to take your pictures.

• Shoot two walls only, with a bit of floor and ceiling. Shooting three walls

creates a shoebox effect.

• For a fresh perspective, stand a few feet to one side of a corner, but angle

the camera as if you were standing in the corner.

• Don’t tilt the camera up or down: it gives objects odd, unnatural shapes.

• Use props such as fruit, drinks, magazines and towels. This will make the

space look as if someone was just there.

• Turn on as many lights as possible, and fill in dark areas with work lights.

• Draw blinds so they are horizontal and windows look transparent.

• Shoot at chest-level so you show less ceiling.

• Shoot rooms from an angle; they’ll look larger.

• Fluff the pillows, so you don’t have an imprint of where people sat on the

bed or sofa.

To keep consumers interested viewing the home, it’s suggested that each website

display 50 or more pictures. Here are a few suggestions on what to shoot:

• Take three pictures, standing at the entry/foyer. Left, center, and right so

the buyer can see the surrounding area.

• View down to lower level from upper level

• Dining Room

• Family Room

• Living Room

• Den

• Fireplace

• Fixtures and Hardware

• Kitchen (including all appliances)

• Master Bedroom

• Master Bath

• Master Closet

• Master Tub

• Vanity

• All Bedrooms

• Study

• Balcony View

• Garage

• Attic/storage space

• Laundry room

• Back patio, deck or other exterior features

• Back of home

• Fenced area

• Front of home (entry)

Remember to take as many pictures as possible. It is always better to have too

many pictures than not enough. Save yourself the extra trip.