While taking interior photos of a property may sound like a self-explanatory task, there are a few ways that you can enhance the quality of your pictures and thus attract more potential buyers to your advertisements. Below are a few things to keep in mind when taking and selecting photos to put in the MLS and on your website to showcase your listed properties.
1. Be sure to take pictures of the entire room
People are going to be interested in the space itself, not the existing furniture and its arrangement. Many buyers are going to want to be able to envision their personal items and tastes in the rooms, not see closeups of your sofa and coffee table. Even if the unit is coming furnished, being able to see a sweeping view of the room allows them to get an idea of the space and how they might want to rearrange things, where they might hang their personal photos or change the colors of some walls.
2. Turn on the appropriate lights in the unit
This includes overhead lights, lights in bathrooms, closets, on porches, lamps, lighting under cabinets, everything. Open blinds and curtains as well. While you may walk into the unit and think the natural light coming in through windows and doors looks great, this will translate into a dim photograph even when using a flash. You want the picture to look cozy and inviting and a bright happy-looking room will accomplish just that. Another key element to this is making sure you’re facing the right direction – taking a picture facing directly into an open window when it is bright and sunny will never produce a good picture. Try to angle yourself when you come across this or, if it is unavoidable, there are some tricks in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom (and other programs I’m sure) that can help fix this later.
3. Be aware of where you are standing in relation to mirrors and other reflective surfaces
Surely, we’ve all been guilty of accidentally catching our arm in a bathroom mirror when trying to photograph a house, but it is best to avoid this. If you are in an overly mirrored room, walk around the room and test out all corners and angles to find the best one that allows you to keep your reflection out of the picture. Also, be conscious of reflective sliding glass doors or appliances – this can usually be solved by standing further back or at an angle.
4. Photograph the larger rooms from different angles to allow clients to see different perspectives
The living room will look completely different from one side versus the other and that will allow an interested buyer to form a more complete idea of what the space looks like and whether it will fit their needs. You can also try different angles from the same side of the room – try to take one standing in the corner to get a more panoramic shot of the room and then perhaps get a straighter picture of the room by standing at the end.
5. Don’t forget the exterior of the property!
Though taking an exterior photo sounds like it should be “one and done”, you can improve these photos by trying them from several different angles. Take one directly in front of the home but then try a few at different sides of the home and from different distances. When you review the photos you’ll often be surprised at which one turns out the best. If the property has a fantastic backyard or deck, try to get a photo that shows as much of that area as possible, again so a buyer will see what space they’d have to work with. If you have a unit in a neighborhood with amenities, get a few shots of those too.
With nearly all home searches beginning online, having high-quality photos that showcase the home and the space are essential. If a potential client feels invited in by these photos and can begin to imagine that property as their home, there is a much better chance that they will pursue the next steps of contacting the agent and setting up an appointment to view the home in person.
