So, have you decided you want to sell your house online? If yes, then the quality of photographs that you take will determine how fast you will sell your house. Unlike the past, where buyers preferred to check the house physically before making a decision, today, most homes are discovered and sold online. Most homebuyers usually start their home search online, and those that don’t have pictures or have low-quality pictures are usually passed up immediately. So, if you want to sell your house fast and at a reasonable price, then you need a good set of photos that showcase all the good features of your home clearly. It does not matter whether you have the coolest houses in the neighborhood if the photos are terrible, then your house will stay on the market for a long time.
One of the greatest mistakes that most home sellers make is taking about low-quality pictures for their house. The first impression matters a lot. Human beings are visual and are often attracted by photos that are colorful and clear. A recent study conducted by a reputable real estate company revealed that a high-quality picture could make your house sale 32% faster than a house with average or low-quality photos. This does not just apply to multi mullion dollar villas but homes of all values. In the past year, 51% of buyers said that they made a decision based on photos they found online. This means that you can close the deal before a buyer sees the house if your post-high-quality photos. In this post, we are going to enlighten you on how to photograph your home before listing it for sale online.
1. Stage your home
The first thing that you need to do before you take photos is staging your home. Buyers are very keen and usually analyze every single detail of the pictures that you post. Staging your house will ensure that all features that will distract the buyer from seeing the excellent features that you are trying to highlight are removed. Clean the house thoroughly from top to bottom as if you were expecting a potential buyer to view the home.
Declutter the house to create more space and depersonalize the house by removing objects and pictures of personal nature. However, depersonalizing the rooms does not mean that you remove all pictures. Place one of two pictures to give you home a more natural feel.
Remove any mess that can be distracting to the buyer.
-In the living room, cover all sofa with a neutral color. Also, add a friendly atmosphere by placing a bouquet of flowers in strategic.
-In the kitchen, remove all kitchens appliances and dishes and ensure that it is thoroughly clean. Fix broken kitchen cabinet, sink, and taps.
-In the bathroom, hide toiletries and shower gel, tissue boxes, mats, and much more. Also, ensure that it is thoroughly cleaned and all broken fixtures are repaired. Wipe off the counter and clean the floor.
-In the bedroom, the master bedroom tends to be the main center of attraction. Most potential buyers tend to pay more attention to how the master bedroom looks. Start by removing all your personal items, including your photos, clothes lying around. Clean the table, floor, and furniture thoroughly. Lastly, ensure that the bed is perfectly made.
2. Take your photos in natural light
This is a crucial factor that most home buyers usually overlook. Any professional photographer will tell you for free that natural light is always the best. Great photos require great lighting. If you want to take high-quality pictures that will capture the buyer’s attention, then you need to use natural light. Don’t let the quality of your camera fool you. Taking photos during the night thinking that your camera flash will deliver great results is not a wise idea. Your camera’s flash can reflect windows and mirrors as well as cast nasty shadows, making the photo look dull and gloomy. Take photos of your house during the day, and don’t use your camera’s flash. Taking pictures during the day will allow natural light to highlight the great features of each room. So, try to schedule a photo-taking day on a bright sunny day. With property lighting, all rooms in your house will look inviting and lively, which is exactly what you want to achieve.
Things to do
- Ensure that you open up the curtains to allow as much light as possible.
- If you have to take photos in the evening, then ensure that you turn on your camera flash
- Choose your angle well to avoid backlighting
3. Invest in a high-quality camera
The quality of the camera that you use to take real estate photos matters a lot. The mistake that most people do is taking photos with their smartphones. Regardless of how good your phone camera is, it will not take quality photos compared to a high-quality camera. Remember that smartphones are not designed exclusively for taking pictures; the camera is just one of its features. On the other hand, the DSLR camera is designed to take photos, thus give better quality pictures.
If you want to take high-quality real estate photos for listing online, then you have to borrow, rent or purchase a high-quality DSLR camera, a wide lens, and a tripod stand. Tripod stand will help keep you steady, thus preventing blur. A wide lens will enable you to take full view images. A high-quality camera, on the other hand, will enable you to take clear and detailed photos.
4. Take photos from an angle
Taking photos using a high-quality camera is important. However, the angle at which you take your photos is even more important. The angle at which you shot your photos will determine how wide the photo will cover. If you want to cover the widest possible angle, then you should shoot from a corner. When you shoot from an angle as opposed to straight on, you will show patiently buyers the depth of the house. You will give potential buyers a chance to imagine themselves walking through the room, and that can have a powerful effect in enabling them to make a decision as to whether the house is suitable for them or not.
5. Showcase special features
If your house has special features, then don’t hesitate to showcase them. Your goal is here is to take the best pictures that will catch the attention of potentials buyers. If your house has amazing wood trim around the windows or bright colored artwork, then you should take a few close-ups that clearly showcase those unique features that make your home stand out from the rest. However, you should not go overboard; only highly two or three of your house's best features are enough. This way, you will leave room for imagination that can trigger more interest from the buyer. Also, try as much as possible to focus on the house as opposed to items that you have in the house. Remember that buyers are interested in the house that is being advertised, not want is in it. So, only take pictures of what really matters. Allow buyers to picture their items inside the house, not yours.
6. Take photos that tell a story
Great home listing photos are ones that tell a story about your house. When a buyer locates your house on a realtor listing, then only things you have to win them over is by taking high-quality photos that will trigger them to take action. The best way to tell a story of your house is by arranging the photos in the right order, from the point you enter the house. Potential buyers usually relate more with pictures that tell a story.
7. Edit your photos
The final step important that you need to do is editing your photos. Editing photos does not mean that you change the overly look of the photos. Instead of editing, help to improve the appearance of the photos that you have taken by adjusting brightness and increasing the level of image sharpness. Thanks to advances in technology, there is now multiple software that you can use to edit your photos. It is not possible to take perfect pictures even if you follow all instructions given above. Even professional photographers don’t take perfect photos. Editing will help remove imperfections, leaving you will high quality and attractive photos. However, you should keep all your photos real. Make sure what you post online is what the buyer will see when he/she visits you.
In conclusion, the quality of listing photos that you take matters a lot. They will determine if you will sell your house fast or not. A study conducted by the National Association of Realtors revealed that 95% of buyers found their dream house on the internet. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you want to sell your home fast and at the best possible price, then we recommend that you take high-quality photos.
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