The first place most potential home buyers will start their search for a new home is online. Whether it’s on a well known real estate website like Zillow or Redfin, or even if it’s through local Multiple Listing Service links sent to buyers by their agents, the first place that buyers will start is by looking through the available photos of the home.
Dark, blurry or narrowly focused pictures will take away from the potential appeal of your home and may even push buyers to move on to the next listing without bothering to schedule a viewing of the house in person. In today’s short attention span world, people are quick to move on to the next thing.
So how do you keep potential buyers’ attention focused on your beautiful home? Here are a few tips that will help.
Make Sure the House is Clean
Regardless of how good your pictures are, if you are taking pictures of a messy home there is not much you can do to cover it up. Unless there are unusual circumstances that would prevent it, a good cleaning can do wonders for any home. Even if the home is dated or needs work, starting with it clean will help.
Light it Up
Well lit rooms have more appeal than dimly lit ones. When you are getting ready to take pictures, turn on all the available lights and open the window coverings to let natural light in. Depending on the camera you are using, you may also want to add a flash to brighten it up more. A professional speedlight type flash is best, and it’s best to point the flash up as opposed to straight at the room so that the light reflects off the ceiling and diffuses more evenly throughout the space.
Wide Angles
If possible, use an extra wide angle lens on your camera so that you can capture the most space in the room. If you have a professional camera that can handle interchangeable lenses, this is the best as you can purchase a specially designed wide angle lens just for this. However, many of today’s newer smart phones have a wide angle lenses built right in to the phone which can also work. Try to position yourself in a corner of the room where you can capture most of the room in one shot and direct your camera towards the sides of the room that include the most features and appeal.
Take a Lot of Pictures
Don’t be afraid to take multiple pictures of each part of the house. While there may not be as much to show in a bedroom, in major impact rooms like the kitchen, living room and bathrooms it’s better to have multiple pictures from different angles to highlight all the features of each room. Think of yourself as a buyer of the house and if you were only allowed to purchase the home seeing pictures but never actually seeing it in person - would your pictures show enough of the home to make that possible? You want potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves in the home. You can also include detailed close up photos of features such as nice faucets or fixtures, tilework or other special details of the home that add appeal.
Touch Them Up
For professional photographers, taking the picture is the first step in the process, but a second step that many people never consider is the post processing work that is done afterwards to really make each shot look their best. Basic photography editing software is readily available these days, and it is even built in on most smart phones. While this will add an extra step, taking the time to play with some adjustments to improve the colors, brightness, contrast and other options can really improve the final picture. When you see professional photographs they are likely not just a photo straight out of the camera - running them through a post production process is a big step to making the photos stand out.
Following these simple steps can greatly improve the photos of your home and help it to attract buyers and sell quickly.
Of course, for a fast and simple sale that doesn’t involve having to take any pictures, Bright Idea House Buyers can buy your house in any condition, with a quick and easy fair cash offer!
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