While nothing can take the place of photographs by a professional in helping to sell your house, there are a few tips you can follow to make your pictures work for you.
Use the best quality camera you can and not a cell phone.
Always use natural light – twilight is best. Before taking pictures open blinds and curtains. Avoid using flash.
You may want to get to know what time of day the outside lighting really plays up each room’s features and plan on photographing at that time.
At night turn on as many lights as possible and fill in dark areas with work lights. Again avoid using flash.
Avoid shadows in the picture.
De-clutter the space by removing family photos, decorating accessories and taking pictures off the wall.
Remove evidence of pets. Never include pets in any photos.
Put away toys.
Avoid shooting into mirrors. It’s best not to have mirrors in the picture where their reflections are visible – it can be confusing.
Birds-eye views are great from the top of stairs or balconies.
Don’t focus on furniture – focus on the room. And move furniture that blocks views of appealing features.
Shoot rooms at an angle (not flat toward one wall) and don’t have more than 2 walls in a picture, with a little ceiling and floor. Do not have opposite corners in the center of the picture.
Make sure your pictures are level.
Take close-ups of the best features of the house (a pool, shower, appliances, intricate craftsmanship, etc.)
Remove vehicles from the driveway and garage. Do not capture garbage cans and avoid photographing seasonal decorations.
If you are taking pictures for the FMLS system, the picture sizes can be no larger than 640x480 and must be JPGs. Some cameras allow you to specify the file size in settings. There is a utility on the web called picresize.com that will allow you to resize a picture or a batch of pictures. Most state MLS systems have the same limitations as FMLS.
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