Now That's the Home for You

Real estate listings can be much more complicated than they at first appear. Fortunately, your real estate agent can help you throughout the process. Here are some dos and don'ts of taking pictures for your real estate listings.

Do: put in the prep work first

Staging your house correctly could help it sell much faster (up to 73%) and for 1-10% more money than you'd otherwise get. So although staging will typically require heavy decluttering and deep cleaning and may even require you to put some belongings in storage, it's definitely worthwhile. And you want to do staging before the pictures so the pictures will look their best.

Don't: Put personalized items in the pictures

Your real estate agent is likely to recommend staging your home with neutral, minimal decor. This is to help potential buyers imagine themselves living in the home.

Personalized items like your kid's sports trophies may get in the way of that, because they serve as a mental reminder that the home actually belongs to you (the seller). While your kid's sports trophy may be a very important possession, you'll want to place it out of sight during home staging and ensure that it doesn't get into any of the pictures.

Do: Use professional-level equipment

Your real estate agent may recommend having your pictures taken by a professional. But whether the photography equipment is wielded by a professional or by an amateur, you really need to use professional-level equipment.

For instance, using a wide angle lens can help you get pictures with a much wider frame of reference. Not only does this avoid making your home look small and cramped in the pictures, but it can also help to get more into each picture.

Don't: Leave anything out

While you're having pictures taken (or taking them yourself), take the time to get every angle of every room, plus the backyard, attic, and outside of the home. Your real estate agent can help you to compile a shot list that includes multiple angles of each room, close-ups of important features, and so on.

The more potential buyers can see of your home on your real estate listing, the more they can feel that they've really gotten to know the place. This could help them to imagine themselves living there.

These dos and don'ts can help you plan out a process to get the best possible pictures for your real estate listings so you can sell your home quickly and profitably. Be sure to consult with your real estate agent as you prepare for the photoshoot. Your agent knows the local market and can help you with specifics such as how many photos to include in your listing.

For help selling your home, contact a real estate agent today.