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April 23, 2020
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May 16, 2020
How To Get The Most Out Of Real Estate Photography
We at the Erica Diaz Team recognizes just how important it is for our listings to have good pictures. Especially today, when a good chunk of the home buying process is done online. That is why we offer professional real estate photography for our clients! We want your house to sell for the highest price and as fast as possible as much as you do, and a good way to make that happens is to make the most out of your home’s pictures.
Why care about your photos?
Pictures are, in most cases, the first contact that potential buyers will have with your home. They will form their first impressions by looking at those pictures. According to the Wall Street Journal, Listings with high-quality photos can gain anywhere between $934 and $116,076 more on the market, and people will spend 60% of their time looking at photos while looking at a listing.
Nowadays, everyone is at least a little gifted when it comes to photography. Most people would be able to go around a house taking pictures of each room and they probably would do an ok job. However when it comes to real estate listings, an ok job is not enough. This is one of those tasks that are better if left to the professionals. Real estate photographers not only have the equipment necessary to take breathtaking pictures, but also the technique, the know-how, the experience to take pictures that make your house look it’s absolute best.
The technique is important, but it is not just the right angle or settings that make or break a shot. To get your photos to the next level, the subject being photographed needs to look good. For real estate, that means that the home needs to be photograph ready. Although we can ensure a high standard of quality for all the pictures we take, the results will depend on the subject that is being photographed.
Staging
It goes without saying that your home needs to be squeaky clean before it is photographed but not only that, staging your home can come a long way. Professional stagers can come to your home and 
give it a makeover, usually with small changes that make a huge difference. They dress your home up in a way that makes it more appealing for a potential buyer, making it inviting,, homey, and cozy, while keeping it neutral and modern.
Understandably, not everyone has the chance to get their house professionally staged before it is photographed, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do some staging yourself!
Your goal when getting your home ready to be photographed is to make it as appealing to the buyer as possible. They need to be able to picture themselves and their things in the home, it needs to be clear that the house is just waiting to be bought by them. That means that you need to depersonalize and declutter as much as you can. You don’t want your buyers to have the impression that this is someone’s house (even though it is).
Remove the clutter from your surfaces. That doesn’t mean that there should be no decor, in fact strategically placed items can make your spaces feel familiar and homey. A cluttered space however appears a lot smaller than it is at first glance, no matter how tidy it is.
It is fair to say that some rooms are naturally cluttered and it is next to impossible to fix that (like a home office or a kid’s playroom), especially when your home is still occupied, and that is perfectly fine. The most important rooms to focus your efforts in are your master bedroom, kitchen, and living room!
While decluttering is a must, depersonalizing your home is even more important. Even though you might still be living in the house that is being photographed, it is preferred that that doesn’t show in the photos. Remove all the framed pictures, unique or personalized artwork, magnets from the fridge, clothing/key racks, and most importantly, all of your toiletries should be out of sight: shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap bars, loofah, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hair products, perfume, etc. Remember, you can’t hide them in the tub and close the curtain, because that area is going to be photographed too!. An exception can be made for liquid hand soap if it is in an aesthetically pleasing container.
Seasonal decorations should also be taken down, together with anything that could date your photos. You don’t want buyers to look at pictures featuring pumpkins and Halloween decorations in January, for example, because that might give the impression that there is something wrong with your house. Otherwise, why else would it be sitting on the market?
Photography etiquette
There are about a billion rules when it comes to real estate photography, and the good thing is, you don’t have to worry about any of them. That is the beauty of having a professional photographer.
However, there are little things that you can do to help your photographer to make sure that the photos turn out as good as possible. For example, you can save them some time by turning all your lights on, opening your shades, closing your toilet lids, and parking your cars away from the house! The photographer will surely appreciate it.
Also, get your family and your pets out of the house while it is being photographed. Moving multiple people, cats, dogs, and such from room to room while keeping everything tidy is no easy task. It is just best to take everyone out of the house for a bit. It will make the process so much easier!
We know that it can be tough to keep up with all of that information, so we put together a little checklist for when the photographer comes!
- Turn every single light on, including lamps.
- Turn your TVs off
- Close all the toilet lids
- Open your shutters and make sure your blinds are open flat
- Make sure that there are no toiletries in your bathrooms
- Park your cars away from the house
- Get your family and your pets out of the house!
Erica Diaz Team – How To Get The Most Out Of Real Estate Pictures
Professional photos are a must-have for any successful listing nowadays. Combining your efforts with ours, we are sure that your house will be sold in no time!
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