Take Better Real Estate Photos

Photography Tips to Sell Your Home Fast

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In real estate, photos can be worth thousands of dollars. In fact, homes with excellent real estate photos sell about 32% faster on average than those without high-quality pictures.

The right angle, lighting, and composition can make all the difference between real estate photos that fall flat and pictures that wow potential buyers.

Below are our favorite real estate photography tips to get your home sold fast:

1. Hire a Professional Real Estate Photographer

If you choose the right photographer, your real estate photos will be flawless. While some agents and sellers don’t want to incur the added expense, professional real estate photography is often worth every penny.

Professional photographers understand lighting, angles, and how to accent a space’s best features. Plus, they’ll have higher-end camera and photo editing equipment to make those real estate photos pop.

Real estate photographers charge anywhere from $100 to a few thousand, depending on the size of the home and the desired shots. However, real estate photos sell the house. Listings with professional photos sell weeks faster than the competition, which more than makes up for the cost of hiring a photographer.

2. Create a 3D Floorplan or Matterport

Modern real estate photography is more than just 2D photos of a kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and back yard. Today, many real estate agents invest in 3D imaging and 360-degree images to create virtual tours.

Matterport, the leader in 360 virtual home tours, says 80% of people asked, said they would switch to a real estate agent who offers 3D home mapping as part of their marketing plan. That’s because home listings that provide a Matterport or other 360 tours sell 31% faster and sell for more money.

3. Take Aerial Real Estate Photos

If you have your head in the clouds, you’re in the right spot. Aerial real estate photography – cameras attached to drones – are common practice among Realtors. These photos offer buyers a different angle, giving them a greater sense of the home, the lot, and the surrounding area.

In addition, drone real estate photos allow buyers to see the condition of the roof and picture the property lines.

Aerial photos are particularly a good idea if the home features a large lot, stunning garden, or is close to amenities like a clubhouse, pool, walking trail, or golf course.

4. Use a Wide-Angle Lens

Not all lenses are created equal. A Realtor can purchase a reasonably-priced DSLR camera with standard gear, but that’s not enough to get the something-out-of-a-magazine shots you’re looking for.

Wide lenses give a greater depth and make each room seem even more spacious. Where standard lenses can cut off parts of a room, wide angles provide a more accurate sense of each area. Most professional real estate photographers have wide-angle lenses and know how to use them to create stunning pictures.

5. Clean Out the Clutter

You can hire the best real estate photographer with the best camera equipment. But a cluttered and outdated home can’t be fixed with editing.

Sellers should always clear their home of clutter and do some essential updates and repairs before selling. Remove items like personal photos, knick-knacks, and other clutter that could distract from the listing.

The goal is to remove the owner’s presence from the home and allow potential buyers to picture themselves in that space instead.

6. Choose the Best Lighting

Just like photos of people, harsh lighting can be unattractive. Instead, take real estate photos in the morning or evening hours, when light is soft. You can also add twilight filters to photos taken during the day, giving them the feel of a sunset photo.

For interior shots, use natural light to your advantage. Open the curtains, but watch for:

• Unsightly views out of the windows
• Ripped screens
• Dirty windows
• Reflections

If natural light isn’t an option, use lamps and overhead lights to brighten the space.

Limit shadows and balance lighting with editing software or HDR techniques.

Again, professional real estate photographers will know how to get the perfect lighting on both the exterior and interior of a home.

7. Pay Attention to Detail

The internet is full of pictures where the photographer didn’t pay attention to details: awkward reflections in mirrors, dirty clothing on a chair, or less-than-sanitary bathrooms.

While we’re hoping your photo shoots will at least be hygienic, look for anything that might make your photo less impressive. Even askew drawers or poor touch-up painting jobs can ruin an otherwise excellent photograph.

Following these tips can help your real estate photos look their very best. And excellent photographs will sell your home faster.