If you are selling your home, you likely rely on your home’s curb appeal to make a great first impression on possible buyers. Today, with 80% of homebuyers starting the hunt for a new house online, the “pix appeal” or how good it looks in the pictures posted online is critical. If you want to impress buyers, you must put time and effort into taking amazing, quality photos, according to Houzeo.com.
According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, homebuyers have rated pictures as the top feature they use when looking for a house online. If you post bad pictures – or no pictures – it can cause your buyers to overlook your home completely.
It is obvious that pictures are important. It is also obvious that you need to take quality pictures. With that in mind, use the tips and information here to capture the quality images that will help you sell your home faster.
Before Taking the Picture
Before you take pictures of your home – inside or outside – there are a few things you should do.
Use a Quality Camera
While cellphone cameras have come quite far in recent years, if you want the best shots of your home, you need a professional camera. Try to find an option that has five megapixels or more. It is also smart to use a tripod for sharper photos.
Stage the Space
Show off the home in the best light possible by staging it. This means removing any personal items that may be distracting to potential buyers. Also, add special touches, such as fresh flowers or something similar.
While You Are Taking the Pictures
Once you have gotten the right camera and prepared the home, you need to take the pictures. There are a few tips that can help you with this, too.
Use Natural Lighting
Open up the curtains and turn on all the lights in the space to help make it appear open and bright. You should not rely on your camera’s flash. This can create unattractive shadows and may reflect off windows and mirrors.
Also, avoid taking photos at night or when it is raining. This is going to create gloomy photos that are not appealing to a potential buyer. For pictures outside, take them on an overcast day, so the sun does not cast dark shadows on the home.
Choose the Right Compositions and Angles
One of the best ways for you to show off a room in your home is by shooting it from a doorway or corner. Try to include as much of the room as you can.
By doing this, you can provide context for the picture, and the room will appear more spacious than if you took a tighter shot. When you are taking pictures of the outside of your home, stand at an angle to the structure instead of straight-on. This allows a potential buyer to see the home’s depth. Try not to include things that may obscure your homes, such as wires and poles.
Don’t Lie in Your Pictures
While it is important to make your house look as good as possible, you should not mislead a potential buyer. Take time to capture honest photos that show off all the best features of your home, without making it look like something it is not.
Take Plenty of Photos
Thanks to digital cameras, you can take as many pictures as you want. Try out different angles and camera settings to see what works best. Once you have captured all the shots you need, go through all the pictures. Which ones best represent your home? These are the ones you should use when creating a listing online. Remember the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” – there is a reason this has stuck around for so long – it is true.
After Taking the Pictures
Once you have captured all the shots you need, and selected the best ones, you may think you are done – but you are not. There are a few additional steps you can take to ensure you put your home’s best foot forward.
Touch Up the Photos You Captured
Once you have selected the best photos, you will likely discover they need some touch-ups. For example, is the photo of the living room a little dark? Are there wires in the exterior photos that distract from the image you are trying to capture?
There is an array of free online editing tools you can use for your pictures. These make it easy to crop your pictures, adjust the contrast and brightness, and fix the colors.
Make Sure Your Listing Is as Good as Your Photos
If you want to ensure possible buyers are going to see your great real estate photos, then you need to make sure they are posted on a site that is easy to see and easy for people to visit. It does not matter if your pictures are going on an agency’s site or a personal site that you have created, be sure it looks updated, that it is easy to navigate, and that uses higher quality photos.
Be sure to pair your pictures with a catchy and accurate description that will create an appealing picture of your home and what it offers to a possible buyer.
You cannot rely on chance or luck to sell your home. You must create a listing that will be attractive to buyers. This means capturing amazing photos and creating an equally compelling description. When you do this, you will be able to attract quality buyers who are potentially interested in your home and all the amazing features that it offers and that you have captured in the photos that you captured.
Tips for Taking the Best Pictures
If you want to ensure that you take quality pictures that help sell your home, be sure to use the tips here. Doing so will pay off and help ensure that buyers get a true view of the home and know, one way or another if they are interested in seeing it in person.
