Realtor Tips for Photographing Listings

How Agents Can Get Better Listing Photographs

Overwhelmingly, homebuyers begin the shopping and research process online. Excellent photography is absolutely necessary to get a property noticed, and selling for the best price. Here are a few tips to get the most out of the photos in your online listings.

Why You Need Excellent Photos

Even in a time of low inventory, there are still plenty of digital listings to wade through. You want yours to stand out. During COVID-19, buyers are also more inclined to review a property online multiple times before committing to seeing it in person. When looking at a listing, buyers spend 60% time on photos and 20% on descriptions. You can be the Shakespeare of listing descriptions, but a bad photo will make the written description close to meaningless. Also, 83% of buyers consider real estate photos very critical in making a purchase decision. Better photography equals more buyers, better offers, and maintains the quality of your personal brand.

Think About the Buyer, Not the Seller

We know that personal items such as family photos should be removed for showings so the buyers can better envision themselves in the home, but these are not the only objects that should be omitted in the staging and photography. Signs of pets and bulky children’s toys such as swing-sets or playhouses should also be removed. Your goal is to make a home feel welcoming but not geared toward any particular demographic. If a buyer has children or pets, don’t worry, they’ll be able to imagine how they will use the space if the layout is photographed well.

Photograph the Living Experience

Yes, the buyer wants to see the rooms, the layout, and size of the home, but every decent listing has that. Show buyers what it is like to live in the home. If there is an incredible sunset view from the backyard, make sure you get it, and include in the photo items such as wineglasses or blankets to show how the buyer could enjoy the space. If there’s a great fireplace, have it lit for the photo. Don’t skip on the features that set the listing apart.

Additionally, include photos of the neighborhood amenities. Let the buyers know what they’re paying for if there is an HOA, or higher price due to neighborhood desirability.

Make a List

Once you’ve thought about the highlights of the home and the experience you want to sell, create a shot list that expresses them. So you don’t miss the nuts and bolts of the listing photography, here are a few examples of shots that you will always want:

• Wide-angle photographs of the kitchen, bedrooms, and living area
• One standard photo for usual bathrooms. If it’s specially designed, take two-in landscape, and portrait.
• One to two pictures of the backyard and the curb.
• One-shot each for additional house features, like the basement, laundry, pantry, patio, garage, deck, etc.

Final Touches

The space is depersonalized, you know the experience you’re selling, and you’ve got your list. Now you need a few techniques to pull it all together. Here are some ways to add polish to your images without editing programs.

• Photograph interiors midday and exteriors when the sun illuminates the front of the house but is behind the camera.
• Remove window screens: it allows in more natural light, and window screens can look dingy in photos.
• Capture photos at chest height: you want the viewer to feel like they are in the room.
• Use a wide-angle lens to get the feel of the room without distorting the size.
• Use landscape orientation: it includes more in the photo and is the orientation used on most MLS sites.
• Open doors: this allows the buyer to see how the rooms connect
• Take exterior photos at an angle: it gives a better view of the façade and shows the size of the property.

Conclusion

Good photographs can turn shoppers into leads, but if you want even more ways to create leads, reach out to us at hello@rosegate.com. We can help you cultivate your personal brand and generate interest through various tools and platforms.