The first thing that catches the eye of potential home buyers when scanning through property listings online or in the local newspaper is the photos displayed. As the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words", which is why it's important to have quality images that effectively showcase your home for your print or online marketing campaign, to increase sales opportunities.
To help you ensure your property photos create the right first impression here are some important tips.
Ask your real estate agent's opinion on the right images to choose
If you're selling your property through a real estate agent, they can give you a lot of direction when it comes to knowing which images are the most important. As real estate agents have more in-depth knowledge of what buyers are looking for in a home, they will know what rooms should be shot.
Why a professional real estate photographer can be a financially viable choice
While professional real estate photography can be expensive, it often has many benefits over taking the photos yourself. For example, a professional photographer has state-of-the-art photography equipment allowing them to be able to take photos of the highest quality. A professional real estate photographer will also know which photos to shoot, as well as the right angle to take these from to feature your home most effectively to appeal to buyers. Real estate photographers also have post-production experience, so they can manipulate photos to look bright, clean and stylish, as well as give the impression of greater space.
How to undertake a DIY real estate photo shoot
If you decide you'd prefer to take your own real estate photos, it's still possible to take effective photos if you invest in a high-quality camera, such as an SLR. You'll need a wide angled lens, as these are commonly used in real estate photography to make rooms appear larger. You should also think about investing in a tripod so that you can avoid any blurriness resulting from shaky hands. Photo manipulation software, like Photoshop, is a great tool for post-production alterations to photos that have too much shadow, are too bright or don't have good colour saturation.
Once you have the right equipment, then you need to decide on the rooms and features you are going to shoot. Popular features that often attract the attention of buyers include wardrobes, ensuites, fireplaces, pools, spiral staircases and outdoor BBQ areas. You'll need to take photos of both the interior and exterior of your home. A tip for taking interior images is to turn on the lights and pull the curtains far apart, giving your photos a brighter and sunny effect.
Staging your property photos
Whether you choose to take your own property photos or you have these taken by a professional photographer, it's essential to ensure your home's interior and exterior is clean, tidy and well-staged before you proceed with a photo shoot. Make sure to remove personal items and clutter, as well as tidy up any rubbish. Also, hide any stains by covering these with a rug or furniture.
You can stage your photos by adding fresh flowers to the rooms or even give your home a lived-in feel, by laying out a nice place setting, so that potential buyers can more easily imagine what it would be live to live there. While you want your home to look clean and spacious, by removing any clutter, you also want it to feel homely, which can be achieved with throw rugs, cushions, mats and feature images on the walls.
For further insight into how real estate photography can help sell your home, take a look at this article, "Photography Tips for Selling Your Property".
When selling your home, don't forget to undertake a building and pest inspection, which enables you to uncover any issues with your property that could affect sales opportunities. To help you find the best cost-effective inspections in Sydney, get in touch and we'll compare a range of costs for you.
By Darel McBride
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