Step away from the potty!

Glenda,

Some peopel just don't think. Oftentimes, it is the bathroom which is the main feature in a house. That's a problem too.

Brian

Glenda - unfortunately, many bathrooms are just small, small, small. If I take a photo of a bathroom that has a toilet in it, it's because I'm trying to show that the floor is no longer linoleum, or a one-piece plastic tomb shower has been replaced with custom tile. The toilet just gets in the way ... with the seat and lid down!!

Glenda - excellent advices, and I love your photos!

We shoot the bathrooms , so our over-informed and sophisticated potential buyers don't even suspect that there is a beautiful pink or green tile circa 1950 in the master bathroom:)). They know that if we don't photograph the bathroom that means only that it would be a shame to show it, which is true in many cases.

Taste and ability to balance are a-must skills and quaities of a good agent, aren't they?

I dont usually put them in my listings, I like to leave something for them to come see.

I agree depending on the age of the house a bathroom shot is a must most buyers want to know if the house has been updated even though you put that in the listing information they like to see the picture themselves.  Toilet seat down of course.

I agree, of course that last bathroom  at the end is a piece of cake compared to the others!  Photographing bathrooms is one of the most difficult parts of our jobs.  I agree -- lid down!  It's a pet peeve of mine too along with having cars in the driveway.  You know these pictures are getting syndicated everywhere so I make sure to get it right.

Great Post...   First off I have to say how poor most agents photos are period, let alone pictures of the toilets. If I was a seller I would want good photos of my home.  But I agree 100% close the toilet seat and leave the throne out of the pic....   Bathrooms are a difficult thing to photograph and if I dont like the pics I leave them off the MLS..   

I always make a point of telling my clients to close the toilet seats when there is a showing as well.  It seems that about 90% of the homes I show lately seem to have the seat up and a few nice dribbles for my buyer to admire... A quick way to turn a buyer off..

Glad you posted what I have thought so many times!    CLOSE the lid at the very least.   If you have a nice sink,  just include it in the shot like your example with the granite.   

Glenda, funny post...I laughed with acknowledgement.  Sometimes it's just such a small space we want them to know there is one??? DAH...But the lid down is a must.

The photo of #14 is great! Tough one to photograph too. I always try to take a photo of every room in the house, especially since something unexpected might come up. Such as, I had a home robbed, so I could just go back to see what was there in the home prior to the robbery. I usually will not include toilet photos, unless I really have a serious lack of photos for the home, and want to get in as many as possible. About the only possible scenario for this is a very small 2 bedroom 1 bath home that doesn't have much to be photographed anyway. I agree that the toilet lids should always be closed. It's a fung shuey thing...

Glenda,

Unless a bath is magnificent, I usually don't post a picture.  In foreclosures or inexpensive home, I just might to show it is "not that bad."  But I knew better than to make the potty the focal point...

Hi Glenda -- I have learned a lot from your expertise, so I don't have any additional insights other than something you know and have pointed out as improvements in the past of my own photos: if a wide-angle lens is used, ensure the verticals are straight (either after wards in editing) but ensure there is not tilt/angle with the camera to start with and using a tripod can go a long way to ensuring less editing and less distortion occurs.

Your photos are amazing, you do incredible work.  Your photographs of rentals look 100x better than 99% of sale photos in MLSs.

I am flabbergasted that the not only the seat coveris up sometimes, but the lid as well, and the toilet brush and/or plunger sitting next to the toilet is a huge selling feature lol.  Just like putting trash cans in photos, or pets, TVs on, etc.  It's a crying shame what passes for marketing sometimes in our industry.

great post

great pics

yes they are annoying

best practices ?

i like the dopey look at me in the mirror pics for nothing other than the lack of professionalism

give me hope that there is little competition other than between my ears

OMG.....I couldn't agree with you more!  What the heck are these agents thinking?? I really dislike seeing these lousy bathroom shots.  Geeeze......leave it out entirely unless you've got a "beautiful bathroom, neat and lovely to look at !"

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

OMG.....I couldn't agree with you more!  What the heck are these agents thinking?? I really dislike seeing these lousy bathroom shots.  Geeeze......leave it out entirely unless you've got a "beautiful bathroom, neat and lovely to look at !"

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

Great post!  Amen to that...now we just need all those agents to hear you and change their ways!

#36 is just absolutely disgusting.

There are several great tips for shooting bathrooms and making the most of them.

Glenda, you are absolutely correct.  If your going to showcase, please close the lid.. 

What a fun post plus good advice re crouching and cloning out in mirrors.  I think unless exceptional the bathroom can be left out of pictures unless there is no inside plumbing and you need to make the point by taking a pic of the Outhouse.

Really enjoyed all the conversation and pics this generated.

Sue of Robin and Sue