It goes without saying that selling a house in the modern era involves taking photographs to post online and in print publications. And because online viewing is so important to today’s buyers, so are high-quality pictures. Potential buyers want to be able to see exactly what they are getting before they ever schedule an appointment to view a home.
The importance of pictures in this day and age leads many real estate agents to rely on professional photographers. A few snapshots taken by the agent do not cut it anymore. Real estate photography is so big these days that there are professionals who do nothing but take shots of homes on their way to being listed.
As a homeowner preparing to list your home, you can make the photographer’s job easier while simultaneously increasing the chances of a quick and profitable sale. How you do that? By preparing for the photo shoot in the days leading up to it.
Get Rid of the Clutter
Real estate agents and home stagers have been telling us to get rid of the clutter for years. They know that clutter doesn’t sell. What they haven’t realized up to this point is that you can get away with a certain amount of clutter and still fool the human eye. You cannot fool the camera lens.
It is possible to miss clutter during an open house that would stick out like a sore thumb in a photograph. So before the photographer comes, give the house a once over. Do it two, three, and even four times. Anything that even hints of clutter needs to go bye-bye.
Rearrange for Straight Shots
Real estate photographers prefer straight shots. They know that taking pictures at angles interferes with lighting and shadows. As such, they want to see each room straight on. That might dictate rearranging on your part. For example, consider the living room.
If your furniture is arranged in such a way that the photographer cannot get a straight shot either lengthwise or widthwise, you may have to move the furniture around to facilitate a better shot. You can always put the furniture back after the photographer leaves. The point is that he/she gets a straight shot showing as much of the space as possible.
Strive for Clean Lines
Another thing real estate photographers love are clean lines. That is why they use tripods. A level photograph creates clean lines that look straight to the human eye. You can help by checking a few things. First, check your drapes to ensure that all in the same room are hanging at the same length. Make sure that any artwork remaining on the walls is level.
Remember that the camera will pick up things the human eye misses. Any line that is even the slightest bit off will look terribly awkward in the photographs.
Clean the Windows
Natural light does far more for real estate photographs than artificial lighting. As such, your photographer is likely going to want to visit sometime between late morning in mid-afternoon. That is when he or she has access to the most amount of natural light.
In the days leading up to the photo shoot, clean your windows. Believe it or not, even slightly dirty windows can significantly cut down the amount of natural light streaming in. You don’t want that. You want as much natural light as possible.
Along those same lines, either pull back the drapes during the photo shoot or take the time to launder your sheer drapes a couple of days before. You do not want dingy drapes inhibiting light any more than dirty windows.
The goal is to give your photographer every opportunity to take perfect pictures. In addition to the tips mentioned here, you might want to call your photographer and ask for any additional tips he or she might have. Doing so is well worth the effort. Great pictures could mean the difference between a quick sale and allowing your house to languish on the market.