When homebuyers are ready to go from online shopping to in-person viewing, we all know that listing photos can be the deciding factor.
Recent research by our friends at Point2 Homes revealed that a listing with between 10 and 15 photos has the best chance of generating leads. But they can’t just be any photos. To have the strongest impact, your listing photos have to be good.
Whether you’re hiring a professional or taking the shots yourself, here are five tips that’ll help you create better real estate photos for your listings:
1. Plan Your Shots
Before you start, create a shot list to organize your shoot, gain efficiency and make sure you don’t miss important photos. No one wants to schedule a reshoot because they forgot to take a picture of the laundry room.
Start by writing down every room in the house. Make sure to include exterior shots of the front and back of the property. Then round out your list by adding features you plan on emphasizing in the listing description. Be sure to print your list and bring it with you (or give it to your photographer) so you can check it off as you go.
2. Don’t Be Scared to Move the Furniture
Often, you’ll want to take a step back so you can get a better angle and show more of the room. But there’s a couch in the way! So what should you do? Move the couch. Agents and photographers sometimes forget that furniture can be moved. You may not want to inconvenience the owner by moving their stuff, but we guarantee they won’t mind if it means getting a quicker or higher offer. Just be sure to put whatever you move back before you leave.
3. Check the Details
Don’t push the shutter-release button until you’ve given the room a thorough once over. Here are some commonly overlooked things to check for:
- Is the toilet lid up?
- Are the cabinets and drawers closed?
- Are the TV and computer monitors off?
- Are pillows and blankets straightened?
- Can you remove any additional clutter from counters or table tops?
- Can you put away any seasonal items that might date your photos?
4. Avoid Shooting Blank Walls
How many photos have you seen on the MLS of a blank wall, corner or floor? No matter what you’re trying to show potential buyers, we guarantee you can find a more visually interesting way to do it.
5. Watch Out for Reflections
Vampires don’t have reflections, but agents do. While we’re happy not to have anything in common with those blood-sucking creatures of the night, having a reflection can be tricky when shooting listing photos. Be careful to keep yourself from showing up in mirrors, windows or shiny appliances, or you might end up featured in a post about funny real estate photos.
One nice thing about Point2 Agent is that we let you share unlimited photos of every listing. Our software tracks how well your photos are performing so you can optimize your listing photo strategy accordingly.
Point2 Agent is a comprehensive marketing toolkit used by real estate professionals all over the world to capture more traffic and generate more leads.
For more information, visit www.Point2Agent.com.
