In thinking about the wonderful photo contest Dick Greenberg has challenged us with I found myself wishing I had that multi million dollar listing to show off. I mean, that is a no brainer, a fantastic home to take wonderful pictures of that will make 'em drool.
But that is just not how the world works. Many of the homes I sell are modest, and they still deserve the attention that a larger, more expensive home might get.
Sometimes I have to go back to the drawing board, put my head on straight and come around from a different angle. I took a look at a few homes that were not easy to sell. Main road, not many "fancy" updates, no granite, no stainless. You know, all the things people expect these days. Even first time home buyers are looking for those things in the most inexpensive of homes!
I prefer honesty in my shots. And with some homes, it is brutal honesty. I think buyers do appreciate the full picture.
After the market tanked I took a listing that was on a heavily traveled road. It was a raised ranch, built in the 70's, with no stainless, no granite, a lower level that was dark paneling, old style worn out vinyl floor tiles, complete with a bulky, dark, wooden bar built in. It did have great curb appeal, freshly painted, nice landscaping, the picture I took gave me the feeling of "Americana". The home was well cared for, much work had been done such as mechanicals replaced, roof replaced, windows replaced, it had beautiful hardwood floors upstairs, a great deck and a built in pool! The pool was almost as old as the house and truth be told, not very stylish. But here was the potential for a first time home buyer to not only have a home that was in great shape and affordable, but with a built in pool! A bit of sweat equity in the lower level, living with white appliances and plain ole Corian counters and some lucky person would have a great little house!
And guess what? The buyers bought it because of the pool. And the knowledge that all the big stuff had been done for them.
I got down on all fours and shot over the top of the pool. I thought if the water was the main focus, that would work best. Not the pool itself, or the area around the pool, just the water. Let them see themselves in the water, having a pool parties, splashing and just having great fun right in their own back yard! (What is unfortunate is that I no longer have this photo on my computer, I had to take this photo from the flyer I did on Realbird. Please excuse the quality, the file size is so small now. But you get the idea.)
I certainly have had listings with fancier pools, but this one taught me to show off the water. Of all the pools I have shot, this is my favorite one. I didn't have the wide angle lens I have now, I used my Pentax with the standard stock lens. Maybe because of the story behind it, I don't know. It just is my favorite pool picture that I have taken for real estate.
So next time you shoot a pool, get down on all fours! Just make sure no one is watching you when it comes time to get up.
This is my next entry in the ActiveRain 2016 Photography Contest. This is in the real estate section, exterior, grounds, outdoor features or landscapes.
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