The Importance of Having Good, Real Estate Pictures
By Kelly Vandever
Do you have a great camera and a good eye for pictures?
Thinking of telling your real estate agent that you’ll just take the pictures of the house?
Don’t do!
High Quality Real Estate Pictures Sell Houses Faster and for More Money
I don’t know how to emphasize this point enough.
Pictures in real estate are super important!
Houses with high quality photos sell 32% faster.
Houses with high quality pictures sell from $3,000 to $11,000 more.
87% of homebuyers who search online said photos were the most useful feature in online searches.
Stats stats stats right? But I’ve seen it. Photos make a huge difference in if people come see the house, how much the seller will get for the house, how long it will take the house to sell.
Professional Real Estate Photos Are So Important, I Put My Money Where My Mouth Is
Atlanta is in a really hot seller’s market as I’m writing this, but still, as a real estate professional, I don’t take any chances.
In fact, photos are so important that when I’m working with a client, I pay for the photos myself. And I make sure the house is in tip top shape before the photographer comes in for the pictures.
If my clients are still living in the home, I pay for a home stager to come in and get the house ready. The stager helps us remove and move furniture. Advises on what to pack up and what’s OK to leave out. Mostly it’s packing things up by the way. Depending on the client, I may bring the stager in early in the process so that the homeowner is more motivated to get things packed up.
And then, before the photographer comes to take the pictures, I give the house another once over to make sure the house is picture perfect – pun intended!
I’ll come through and move things to the garage, store items in cabinets, whatever it takes to make things look the best they can. I also make sure all the window blinds are open and lights are turned on. These things make such a difference in the quality of the photos.
The photographer doesn’t have time to be moving thing around. So I’m there to help my client make sure they get everything right.
I’ll include a list of common things that people often don’t think to clear way when getting a house ready for photographs.
But My Pictures Are Great Kelly
OK so those of you with great cameras and a sharp eye for photos may still be thinking, that’s fine Kelly. My pictures are great.
Your pictures may look fabulous of the objects you regularly photography (family members, a gourmet meal, your furry friend) but real estate pictures are different.
Photographing a square room with a regular lens doesn’t capture the sense of a room. Real estate photographers use a wide-angle lens to help capture the room. And there’s different sizes of wide-angle lens.
Because of walls, furniture, and countertops, there are lines that need to be squared and leveled.
There’s lighting, camera position, all kinds of things that even great photographers don’t know about but that make a huge difference when taking photographs of a room and when representing the home in the best light.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about photoshopping or misrepresenting a property. I’m merely saying that there are things that professional real estate photographers do that make a huge impact on the way the photos look and represent the house up for sale.
Here are a few pictures of homes that I’ve sold using my favorite real estate photographer.
Don’t Take the Chance with Your Home. Use a Professional Real Estate Photographer.
Photos make a huge difference.
Regardless of how wonderful your photography abilities are, please be sure to use a professional real estate photographer when selling your home.
Trust me. It will help make your move easier!
Common Mistakes When Preparing for Real Estate Photos
When selling a house and getting ready to take pictures, make it all about the house.
I’m not telling you to put these items away because I don’t love you or because I think your personal possessions aren’t important.
I’m telling you this for your own good. So that people looking to buy your house will be looking at your house and not trying to figure out the story of the people who are currently living in the house.
And for heaven’s sake, make sure the house is uber clean too!!!
Collections
Your collections of memorabilia or precious items may be awesome, but they don’t belong in photos when selling your house. You’re going to be moving. Pack them up now before the photographs are taken.
Hygiene Products
Store your soaps, shampoos, hair products, curling irons, deodorant, shaving gel, and the like out of view, behind a cabinet or closet door.
Kitchen Appliances, Knife Sets, Soap
Keep the items on your counter to a minimum. It’s OK to have a decorate item or two, but for the most part, we want the people considering buying your house to see lots of counter space and how lovely your kitchen is. Pack away what you won’t be using before you move and store everything else in the cupboards and pantry.
Refrigerator Art
The children in your life are awesome artists. It’s helpful to have the phone number to poison control handy. You have great memories of the trips you took that resulted in your amazing magnet collection. I get it. Now, take everything hanging on your refrigerator door off and pack it away. You can hang them when you get to your next house.
Excess Furniture
Removing extra chairs and side tables can really open up a space and make it look that much bigger.
Bedside Table Supplies
Take all those items of daily living that sit on your bedside table and store them away for the photos. Remove the alarm clock, remote controls, books and magazines, tissue boxes, etc. Do keep the lamp, but get rid of the rest.
Family Photos, Religious Icons, and Personal Memorabilia
Pack away the various family photos, religious icons, personal memorabilia and all those items that are precious to you and express who you are as a person. While you may have beautiful children, a devotion to your faith, and a trove of memories from your concert history, you don’t want to distract the prospective homebuyer. You want them focusing on the built-in bookcases, not the nick knacks sitting on them.
Don’t believe this makes a difference? Call or text me at 770-597-1108, and I’ll send you a link to houses that you can compare and see the difference for yourself!
