Six Tips for Better Listing Photos

Posted on Jul 28, 2019 in Home Selling Tips, Showing Your Home

A recent National Association of REALTORS Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 89% of homebuyers who searched for a home online found photos to be among the most useful features of real estate websites. That’s why many home sellers hire professional photographers. Whether or not you use a pro, here are six tips for better results.

Stage the shoot. Photographers aren’t movers or house cleaners, so it’s up to you to get your home close-up ready. Move the car and kids’ toys out of sight. Power-wash the front and sweep the walk and porch. Mow, prune and weed the yard.

Notice details. The camera captures everything in its view in equal detail, so look out for random coffee cups, crooked wall art, and cluttered surfaces and straighten your walk-in closet to ensure personal effects are out of sight.

Make it sparkling clean. Make your floors gleam. Wipe fingerprints and grease from your appliances so they look showroom-new. Clean the carpets and polish the furniture.

Amp up the lighting. Pick a sunny day for the shoot. Open the shutters, blinds and curtains. Install fresh lightbulbs, clean ceiling fixtures and turn on the lights.

Accent special features. Some of your home’s features can’t be duplicated easily, so celebrate the built-in bookcases, mullion windows and window seats, too. Also, include shots of any improvements or updates.

Pretend you’re the buyer. What do you see? Hopefully, fresh paint on the front door and a new welcome mat. Inside, your home should flow from room to room, so remove excess furniture, bric-a-brac, and personal items.

From Chuck Barry’s August 2019 Issue of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Monthly Newsletter.

© 2019 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Information not verified or guaranteed. If your property is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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