5 Tips to Take a Listing Photo that Will Help Sell Your Home

Leslie Ortega, Homes.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:00:31 +0000

In a market that has multiple options for current home buyers, it’s important to make your listing stand out from the crowd. Online real estate sites like Homes.com provide house hunters with the opportunity to get a feel for a particular home without ever seeing it in person. But are your listing photos making the most of your property’s selling features? Follow these five tips to photograph your home and help your listing stick in the minds of buyers.

Shoot on a clear day/night

Bright sunny skies will help create a warm feeling when looking at the house. Clouds tend to produce a dark and gloomy feeling in photos.

Consider the direction the house faces

For the best exterior shots, you want the sun to be behind you as you take the photo. So, if your house faces east, a morning shoot will be best for getting photos of the front of the home, and evening will be best for the back of the home.

Use sunlight to illuminate a room

The prime time for taking interior photos is midday, because the sun will be shining directly in your home’s windows, giving it a less harsh and homier feeling. A flash can result in glare.

Use a tripod

Few photographers can stand perfectly still. And getting the perfect shot often requires the camera to stay completely stationary. Invest in a tripod to enable you to take quality photos you may not otherwise capture with a camera held in your hand. If you don’t have a tripod, try steadying your camera on a stable surface so you can take a sharper photo.

Remove all clutter

Removing all unnecessary items from a room will help the space appear larger. Clean and organized rooms also help a house hunter imagine the home with their own belongings in it. You only get one chance to make that first impression. With millions of people house hunting online it’s imperative that your home’s listing photos feature your house in the best possible light.