MLS Photos: The Camera Captures What the Eye Misses
There are some great staging photo tips below. I like the one about taking the photos with and without the lights. Also, remember to remove pets from the photos. Spruce up those floors. Declutter. Watch for wires. Pay attention to sunlight. Each effort matters to get the best photos to get the home sold.
MLS Photos: The Camera Captures What the Eye Misses
As a Morris County home stager and MLS photographer I’ve learned that the camera captures distractions that the eye misses yielding poor quality MLS photographs. During my many years of taking MLS photos I have learned a few strategies, tips, techniques to get top quality, gorgeous MLS photos.
Start with a good quality camera (I shoot with a Nikon D5000 wide angle lens). Avoid these common pitfalls and you’ll be taking top-quality MLS photos, showcasing your client’s home in its best light. With 90% of buyers starting their home search online, this is the first impression buyers will form of your client’s home so it had better be great. They will either decide they must see this home, or move onto your competition.
1. Pay attention to the sunlight. If it’s really sunny you may consider taking indoor MLS photos on an overcast day. That way you won’t have blinding sunlight coming through the windows which only gets brighter when you bring up the colors/contrast during editing.
2. A very sunny day also casts a lot of distracting shadows that detract and distract from the overall
look of a room. Moreover there is no way to edit them out.
3. Ask your buyers to vacuum and mop their hardwoods. If you have any dust or lint around or underneath their furniture, the camera polarizes it. If you take the time to clean them, they will shine and look gorgeous in the MLS photos.
4. Always take a photo with the lights on and off. You never know which will look better until you download them to your computer. Incandescent bulbs cast a bright yellow
hue that detracts or changes the room’s actual color or creates a big yellow, unattractive glow. The same can happen with Florescent lighting which has a more bluish hue. In most cases use a flash for the best results.
5. Pay attention to wires. There are a few tricks you can do like taping them to the furniture, tucking them underneath or behind the furniture. If there are a lot of
wires like in home offices, use "wire hiders" found at most hardware stores. You can also edit them out with some editing programs using the clone feature...if you are really good!
6. Check for anything underneath the furniture, especially beds because while you don’t notice it with the naked eye, it will show up in your photographs.
7. Take down or open all curtains, window treatments and blinds, showcasing the windows. Remember, you’re selling the home, not its décor and people love airy, sunny rooms.
8. You would think this would be obvious, but if you’ve been on MLS lately you see this all the time; a photo of a pet, person or a reflection of yourself in a mirror.
9. Sunlight is always best, but it’s not always an option. If a room has only one or no windows use extra lighting in each corner and especially the furthest from where you’re standing because you’ll get light from your flash which will actually darken the far side the room.
10. As a Morris County Home Stager, I always stage from the room’s entrance because that’s what forms buyers first impression and there should always be a focal point. Keeping that in mind, always take a photo from the doorway and stand as far back to showcase the size of the room.
These are examples of using all the above techniques:
If you're looking for professional, expert MLS photos, call Kristine from Elite Staging and Redesign in Morris County, NJ at 201-602-2562!
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Elite Staging and Redesign - Kristine Ginsberg - 201 602 2562
Home Staging Morris County - Staged to Sell, Designed to Live!
You have 90 seconds to make a great first impression once your home goes on the
market. Consult a Morris County professional home stager serving Union, Essex, Sussex Counties for that competitive edge so your home stands out from the competition, selling faster and for top dollar!
Elite Staging and Redesign offers home staging services to North Jersey homeowners, real estate agents, banks, builders, and investors in preparing homes to stand out in today’s real estate market. For a consultation on vacant staging, lived in homes or interior redesign projects call Elite Staging and Redesign at 201-602-2562.
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