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Photography Tips for Realtors

By
Home Stager with Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging

Did you know that more than 85% of buyers pre-shop for homes on the internet? 

Your photos must sell the house before a buyer even sets foot inside!

If your photos look like this, few buyers will be excited to see the home.

LRBefore


But if the same house looks like this, you can rest assured you'll have lots of buyers coming to your open house!


LRAfter


Now obviously the difference here is that this home was Staged for sale. That's your best bet for getting great photos. But even if your client doesn't want to Stage his home, there are things you can do to enhance the quality of your photography.

1) Clear out the clutter!
I know it's not part of your job description, but we all know it's in your best interest to make sure this home sells quickly. So if your client refuses to clear the clutter, at least move it out of the way before you take your photos. Bring some moving boxes and packing materials to safely store your client's knick-knacks while you're taking your pictures. With any luck she'll decide to leave the items packed for the open house!

NOTE: If you need to convince your client that her house is too crowded with junk, take a digital camera with you to your next appointment. Take a photo of the room as it is and show it to the seller. Let her decide if that photo is how she wants her home to be seen by the public.

2) Shoot to the corner.
Your photos will look better and more dynamic if you place the corner of the room in the center of your viewfinder, rather than shooting straight at the wall. Experiment with different angles to find one that looks best.

3) Invest in a wide angle lens.
The rooms will look a lot larger if you shoot with a wide angle. You will also be able to fit in more of the room with this type of lens, which will give buyers a better picture of the whole space.

4) Take a course in Photoshop.
Amateur photographers often take photos where the lighting is either too bright or too dark. Or you may notice that your colors don't look right. Investing in a digital retouching program like Adobe Photoshop will allow you to adjust your digital photos right on your desktop to make sure they look their best. Take a course to make sure you're taking full advantage of all the program's features.

Of course the best solution is always to hire a professional photographer (or a Staging company that takes their own fabulous photos!) but these tips can help you when a pro is not in the budget.

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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

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Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

 

Comments (10)

Douglas Cartwright
Bankers Life/Colonial Penn - Somerset, NJ

Pictures should alway be the best they can be. Use photo shop or a professional if you don't have the skills or technique.

Aug 15, 2008 07:47 AM
Dora & Vincent Kwok
HomeSmart Real Estate - Chandler, AZ
CNE - Chandler, Arizona Real Estate

If your pictures turn out too dark, you can override the camera and turn on the flash.  Also, with shooting digital you can take many pictures without the expense of developing film...shoot from different angles and experiment.  When you get back to the office, you can view your pictures and pick out the ones that best show off the property.

 

Aug 15, 2008 07:55 AM
Sheila Santini
Waterfront and Boaters paradise Realtor! - Tarpon Springs, FL
GRI

Annie, Great Tips Thank You, one of my selling propositions at a listing appointment is bringing poor photos from the MLS, then bringing photos of one of my listings and showing the Seller the difference.  However can we add that agents should make sure the Toilet Lid is in the DOWN position when they take a photo of the Bathroom.  I cant tell you how this irks me :)

Aug 15, 2008 08:00 AM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Sheila,

Your idea about bringing before & after photos (from MLS and then yours) is a great one! I truly think it brings it home for people when they see it in a photo. And I agree that the toilet lid being up is one of the biggest no-no's in real estate photography!

Aug 15, 2008 08:25 AM
George Wilson
Raleigh Cary Realty - Raleigh, NC
Raleigh Cary Realty 919 439 0965

Wow what a difference.  Thanks for the information!

Aug 15, 2008 09:17 AM
Gregory Storm
www.LAHomePhotography.com - Los Angeles, CA
Real Estate Photographer

I agree with Douglas.

The best way to show before and afters is to have the realtor or stager take the before photos prior to staging and then have a professional photographer take photos after the staging.  That is what will have the biggest imapact.

Gregory


Agent Headshots | Real Estate Photography

Aug 17, 2008 12:44 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Couldn't agree more Gregory. I am a huge fan of using a professional photographer when selling your largest investment. A good photographer knows how to get the "money shots"  versus just a good photo.

When potential buyers are looking on the internet for listings to put on their "must see list", good photos win hands down.

Investment, minimal.

Impact, priceless.

Aug 17, 2008 12:58 PM
Harrison K. Long
HomeSmart, Evergreen Realty - Irvine, CA
REALTOR , GRI, Broker associate, Attorney

Annie:

Thanks for your article about Staged to Sell and good photo images.

We move forward and are planning our RE business to be and run by design, not by default.

Harrison K. Long, Explore Properties group, Irvine, CA

Aug 20, 2008 09:09 AM
AJ Heidmann ~ CRS
McEnearney Associates, Inc. - Alexandria, VA
YOUR Alexandria & Arlington, VA Real Estate Expert

Thanks for the point on centering the photo on a corner of the room... I took some photos this morning and liked the ones in which I had done this, but the connection didn't hit my brain until you said it!

Aug 20, 2008 09:18 AM
David Slavin
Keller Williams Premier - Katy, TX
CDPE, ABR, SRES Keller Williams Premier

Staging makes a huge difference and pictures DO sell the house before the buyers walk in.

Aug 20, 2008 11:08 AM