A successful home sale hinges on more than just location and price. If you want to attract buyers to your house, you need to have the best listing photos. Since buyers almost always browse homes for sale online first, catching their eye enough to make them want to pay a visit is essential. From choosing the right camera to the benefits of digital photo editing services, we’ve got you covered on how to take the best photos of your home for sale.
- Use a DSLR camera
The first step to capturing your home at its best is using the best tools. A digital single-lens reflex camera, or DSLR camera, combines a digital imaging sensor with the optics and mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera. Using a DSLR camera to take your home’s listing photos can decrease the time your home sits on the market and potentially garner you a higher listing price.
As many as 64% of homes in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range listed with DSLR photos sold within six months. Only 46% of homes in that same price range listed with basic point-and-shoot photos sold within six months. When it comes to the more difficult to sell million dollar and up homes, 35% sold in six months when professionally photographed, whereas only 30% of those with point-and-shoot listing photos could boast doing the same.
Not only do high quality listing photos shorten the time your home is likely to sit on the market; they can also get you a better sale price. Redfin found that homes listed anywhere between $200,000 and $1 million sold for $3,500 to $11,200 more when listed with DSLR photos. - Preview before you print
The beauty of the DSLR cameras is they provide one of the most accurate photo representations in their viewfinder of any digital camera. Take advantage of your digital viewfinder to study your pictures after you’ve photographed a room. Have any unwanted cords snuck into the photo? Does the room look too cluttered? Perhaps a vertical shot would capture the high ceilings better. At this stage, there’s no cost to deleting a photo and trying again.
- Use a tripod
We repeat: Always, always use a tripod. Stability is your friend. And so are level photographs. When you tilt your camera, the walls will appear slanted – – not the most desirable trait in a home. - Get low
Wide shots shot from a lower angle will help a room look larger. Instead of trying to capture everything from floor to ceiling in a photo, shoot from lower down and aim wide. Try to get less floor and ceiling space and more of the room itself. - Get close
Close-up photos of striking features can help capture your home’s character. Does your home have original molding or particularly stunning windows? Zoom in and make sure they’re highlighted in the listing. Close-ups can help make your home more memorable. - Pay attention to your light
Interior photos are best taken at twilight. If it’s too bright outside, close the drapes so your camera’s light meter doesn’t get duped by the brilliance outside. When photographing outdoors, make sure the sun is behind you. If parts of your home such as the main entrance are always in the shade, photograph it on a cloudy day to reduce the contrast. - Consider hiring a professional photographer
At the end of the day, there’s a reason the professional photography industry employs 41.44 million photographers in the United States: photography is a difficult art to learn. If you’ve followed the steps above and still can’t capture your home at its best, a professional photographer may be a wise investment. If you don’t want to pay a professional to take the pictures, at least pay for professional digital photo editing services on your own photos. - Definitely invest in professional digital photo editing services
Professional real estate photo editing can transform any humdrum photos into listing worthy ones. From photo retouching and photo color correction services to photo culling services, there are digital photo editing services to remedy any photograph ailments. A good digital photo editing services company can provide the editing your photos deserve on either a pay-as-you-go plan or – – if you think you’re feeling inspired – – a membership plan.