Real estate photos are often a potential buyer’s first introduction to your listing. If you want it to make a great first impression, the quality of your real estate photos needs to be top of mind.
Why do you need real estate photos in the first place? How can you ensure they elevate your online listing instead of devaluing it? Read on to learn our top tips to get the best real estate photos so your listing sells faster and for more money!
Why do you need real estate photos?
Real estate photos are an absolute must when creating an online listing for a client’s home. They highlight the home’s best features, increase your online visibility, and capture and keep a potential buyer’s attention in a way that a listing without photos cannot.
According to NAR’s Buyer and Seller Generational Trend report, 47% of recent buyers’ first step was looking online at properties, and 85% of all buyers find photos to be the most useful website feature.
Virtuance’s 2023 Marketing Trends report also found that 95% of surveyed real estate professionals use real estate photography, meaning real estate photos are non-negotiable if you want to sell your listing quickly and for top dollar!
6 Real estate photo tips
You get it. Real estate photos are a must for a listing—but how can you ensure that your photos stand out from the rest? We’ve rounded up our top six tips to help you get the most out of your real estate photos.
1. Hire a professional
Let’s get the obvious out of the way—you should consider hiring a certified real estate photographer if you haven’t already! They come equipped with an arsenal of valuable skills and high-tech equipment that put an iPhone or smartphone to shame and can save you time, money, and the hassle of trying to take the best photos yourself.
If you want to capture the most aesthetically pleasing images of a home, a professional photographer is the way to go.
2. Declutter
The purpose of real estate photos is not only to showcase all a home has to offer but also to help potential homeowners to imagine themselves settling down in the space!
Even if the home is sparkling clean, take note of anything that may appear as clutter in photos. This will help your photographers to set up the perfect shots they need.
3. Clean up the exterior
While the interior is often the main focus of a listing, don’t forget about the exterior. It needs some TLC, too!
Suggest clients add flower beds or porch decorations, move trash bins out of the frame, and mow the lawn if it looks unruly. Presenting a home’s exterior in a neat, orderly way is more attractive to potential buyers looking through the listing photos.
4. Stage the home
While your clients may love their home as is, it’s still important to stage it for listing photos, especially if the house is vacant!
Consider hiring a professional stager or using virtual staging with a vacant home. If your clients still reside in the home, attract buyers by considering some decorative pillows or a new rug to bring a fresh feel to the space.
5. Choose the right time of day
You’ll want to get your timing right if you want your real estate photos to showcase a listing’s full potential.
If you shoot photos too early in the day or after sunset, it will result in poor lighting for interior and exterior photos. You’ll want your photos taken when the sun is sitting behind your home to ensure you have enough natural light to bring warmth to your interior.
Bonus points if you schedule a shoot during golden hour or twilight—a well-loved window of time that can help your professional photographer capture stunning images!
6. Ensure rooms are well-lit
If you want to avoid dark, gloomy, and hard-to-see photos, you’ll need to ensure a home’s rooms are all well-lit! A photographer’s best friend is natural light, so open windows and blinds.
If multiple lights exist in each room, you can adjust the brightness by turning on or off certain light fixtures. Doing these things will help your photos have a warmth and shine, attracting buyers and renters instead of driving them away.
Trust Virtuance to upgrade and elevate your photos
If you want to go above and beyond with your real estate photos, consider Virtuance for all your upgrade needs. From HDReal® enhancements such as twilight photography to our blue-sky guarantee, our fleet of certified professional photographers will help your home turn heads—and gather offers!
