In today’s real estate market, approximately 90% of home buyers start their search online, looking at dozens of photos of homes.
The photo of the front of the home is the single most important photo on the listing. This photo is the buyers very first impression of the home. It is the one that helps determine if the buyer will continue to look further into the listing or move on to the next one. It is important to spend the extra time and energy to get the “perfect” shot of the exterior of the home.
Whether you do your photos yourself or hire a professional photographer, here are some important things to consider in photographing the front of the home:
- Straight on is not always the best option. Try photographing from one side, especially if there are interesting architectural features. Also be certain to include all of the home in the frame.
- Choose your time of day. Photograph when the sun is on the front of the home, not behind it.
- Choose your day. Don’t photograph on dreary, gray, overcast days. Bright and sunny is preferable.
- Properly expose the photo. Make sure the color balance is correct – a strange blue or gray cast is not good. Make sure the photo is bright and cheerful and competitive.
Remember that your photo will be compared to other homes of similar size and price. If your photo is dark, awkwardly colored or generally uninviting, then it may leave the buyer feeling less than impressed with your listing. Possibly for reasons they can not even identify, they will just know that the house seems dreary.
Great photos should help bring buyers to the property. If you do not have the time in your busy day to take competitive photos, you might consider hiring a professional photographer. This is a small expense that can be recouped in freeing your time to actively sell homes. Not to mention that your seller will be very impressed with how their home is being marketed.
Tags: internet marketing, marketing, online, Photography, photos, real estate, real estate photography