Does your home stand out from the rest, or is it just another face in the crowd? Sure, it enjoys idyllic surroundings and great seasonal climates, but so does every other structure on your block.
Quality listing photos that differentiate your property from local alternatives may be the linchpin in your successful sale. Follow these tips to improve the way your home looks in a listing.
Take Care of Your Property
Why not put your best foot forward? Before taking any photos, make sure your home is as clean as possible, both inside and out. If you’re planning on performing repairs or maintenance prior to the actual sale, you should wait until these jobs are completed to take pictures and list instead of simply mentioning that they’re in the works.
Above all, reduce clutter. Help prospective homeowners imagine what they’ll be able to do in your space by letting them see more of it. While you don’t need to strip rooms completely bare, you ought to ensure that furniture isn’t making things feel claustrophobic. Make sure bathroom and kitchen counters are free of toiletries, food and dishes and that your garage has had a thorough cleaning.
Take Advantage of the Lowcountry Sun
Natural lighting is always better than artificial alternatives because it produces more vibrant images that include a fuller range of hues. Charleston is known for its great sunsets, but you want the benefit of direct illumination; open the curtains, wait until the sun is streaming in, and start shooting.
Similarly, be certain to choose ideal times for outdoor photos so as to portray your home at its best and brightest. Stay away from flash photography; flashes will heighten awkward shadows and draw attention to irregularities.
Provide Ample Detail
Detailed photo collections can serve as virtual tour guides to your home’s layout. In addition to showing as much as possible, choose and share your photos in an organized fashion that actually corresponds to the way rooms are arranged. If you help house hunters get an idea of what it’d be like to walk through your home in advance, they’re more likely to picture themselves living in it.
Use a Camera, Not a Phone
Grainy photos that force people to strain to discern details speak poorly of the homes they feature. Use a quality camera to create high-resolution digital photos that viewers and listing websites can resize, zoom in and print out if necessary. While phone cameras are improving, most still lack the advanced light-sensing capabilities needed to present your home in a natural range of color without a lot of noise.
Always take landscape-format photos. Vertical, portrait-style images make things seem compressed, and you definitely want to communicate how spacious your home is.
Feature Your Building’s Best Side
Finally, remember to start off with a bang. While it’s best not to obscure or omit any details or views, identifying and featuring your building’s most attractive elements goes a long way towards enticing further investigation. Take multiple pictures, choose the best of the lot, and use that image as the main view to impress home shoppers right off the bat.