When it comes to selling Real Estate, imagery is everything. Almost everyone who comes through the door will have first seen and judged the property online. So how do you make the most of that? This episode will focus on the importance of professional photography, how to get the most out of a photo shoot and how to separate your listing from others online.
Listen to the Garbutt+Dumas Real Estate Podcast (bottom of page) to learn why Professional Real Estate Photography is so important when marketing your home!
Real Estate Photography & First Impressions
It goes without saying that marketing homes well is a huge part of our job as realtors. And it begins with real estate photography. As such, it’s paramount to ensure that any property for sale is well presented, whether that be on your website, social media, MLS (multiple listing service) or anywhere else on the web. That first impression is normally the difference between a potential buyer deciding to come for a viewing or not.
In the following post, we’ll share with you our views on the importance of real estate photographer, presentation and first impressions:
Helping You Get Ready For Real Estate Photography
Our first point of order is to do a room-by-room walkthrough of your house to establish the “important rooms” that need to be photographed.
It’s important to remember that there is a difference between getting ready for photos and preparing for viewings. The images don’t pick up on all imperfections, nor do we take photos of every room that a buyer would see if they walked through your house. Regardless, there are a few details you need to tend to first.
Declutter The “Important Rooms” For The Photoshoot
Before professional pictures can be taken, we recommend that you tidy up any clutter. Which may include removing family photos from the fireplace mantle, clearing the kitchen countertop, taking a toothbrush off the bathroom counter, or reshuffling any other household items to clear up the space for that perfect shot.
Little touches like that, provide a much improved first impression when someone is scrolling through pictures of a property online. A simple idea to keep in mind is trying to make your home look like a hotel. Not too plain, not too cluttered. It calls for just the right balance between the two. If in any doubt, our advice is to remember that less is more in general.
Stage Your Home (To Some Degree) For Real Estate Photography
Putting a little bit of effort into staging your home for real estate pictures is good practice for two main reasons. Firstly it improves the appeal of your home, which could result in better offers from buyers. Secondly it can help to sell your property faster.
We always arrive for photoshoots equipped with staging items including plants, table settings and extra decor. We’re constantly thinking about how to best present your home. That could be adding a centerpiece with glassware and plates to a table that otherwise looks too plain without it. It helps make a great first impression for buyers.
Take Professional Pictures
Today, professional property photography is almost a prerequisite compared to 5 years ago when there were still a lot of amateur photos. But the level of effort going into professional photos differs greatly across the board. Different agents have different approaches.
In our team specifically, we ensure that two or three members of the team attend client photoshoots. While the photographer is setting up for pictures, we are working behind the scenes moving furniture around to frame each shot so that it
can be seen in its best possible light.
We want to lure potential buyers through the door with great photos. The more buyers that see your home, the more offers you get, which often leads to a better outcome.
The Importance of The Feature Shot
In most cases, you want to highlight the best features of the home early in the listing or order of photos. If possible the best photo should be the first featured shot. This can be different from property to property though. For condos, for example, it’s often going to be a kitchen/ living room shot. For detached properties, it’s common to have a curb appeal shot. If it’s a view property, it’s often going to be that view shot, and so on.
From there we like to ensure the listing has a natural flow of photos. We want that person who’s scrolling through the pictures online to feel as though they’re going through the home. We don’t want them to jump from the kitchen to the bedroom, to the dining room, back to another bedroom, and so on.
Make Your Real Estate Pictures Remarkable
The goal for every photoshoot is to make the property look as attractive as possible. Be sure to declutter the rooms that will be photographed, stage your home where needed and seek a professional real estate photographer that is patient and cares about quality. It could be the difference between a potential buyer scrolling past your listing or booking a showing to view it.