Whether you’re an estate agent looking to photograph a landlord’s property or a homeowner taking photographs before selling and relocating, one rule is absolute: good pictures are an important ingredient for securing a property sale. In this digital era, more and more people are looking for houses online and therefore expect a selection of high quality images to help them to make their mind up about a property. Because of this, some estate agents are even opting to create virtual tours in order to market their property. While hiring a professional photographer is the ideal course of action, this is not always possible, particularly if you’re looking to make a reasonable profit margin on rental properties.
Here are the steps you should take to ensure that the images of your property are captured in the best way possible, to instantly catch the eyes of people who are browsing property websites.
De-clutter
In order to make your client’s property seem spacious and welcoming for a new person or family, debris and personal items should be removed. Unnecessary items on table surfaces and floors definitely classify as clutter and only serve to make a photograph look unprofessional. Children’s toys and anything to do with pets should also be put to one side; a neutral appearance is best for property photographs so that a potential buyer can immediately start to plan how they would fill the blank spaces in your home. Work with the vendor to ensure they rearrange the furniture to make the rooms look as spacious as possible.
Time for a bit of spring cleaning: This point would seem obvious, but the number of properties portrayed online in less than pristine condition is truly staggering. Ensure the home owner gives the house a good dusting, especially table surfaces, carpets, windows and mirrors. Sometimes your house can look tidy enough in real life, but a high quality camera can accentuate even the smallest of stains and other dirt marks that you wish you’d taken care of. If the property has a garden, ensure the owner trims the lawn and tidies the potted plants on the patio.
Use a tripod
Wonky photographs are extremely off-putting to potential buyers. A tripod will not only make sure your camera stays steady, but because there is no shaking, the image will come out crisper and clearer too.
Pick a high quality camera: While the jury is out in regards to what is the optimal type of camera for property photographs, DSLR cameras tend to be a popular choice. While high-end DSLR cameras sell for several thousand pounds, the Canon 600D comes recommended and is available for around £350.
Studies suggest that properties advertised with DSLR photography were more likely to sell within six months than those with point-and-shoot photos.
Interior photographs
Try to get as much of the room into the picture as possible. This is normally achieved by standing in the corner and using a wide angle lens. Try to get the maximum amount of natural light by rearranging furniture, opening the blinds and taking the shots in the early morning or afternoon. In addition to this, it’s also a good idea to turn on the lights in the room to make it look warm and homely. Placing lamps in the corners of rooms is another trick for achieving maximum brightness (so long as they don’t fall into view of the shot).
Exterior photographs
As with the interior of the house, photographs are best captured in the early morning or afternoon, and preferably on a day when it isn’t raining buckets! Having a bright and warm photo is good, but try to avoid capturing the sun as it will negatively impact the quality of the image. Also, try to capture the house from an angle where it is not obstructed by fences or shrubs and remove the car from the driveway.
Editing software
While some makes of photo manipulation software are extremely expensive, you can download programs such as Paint.NET for free; the latter is perfectly suitable for processing images for most property listings. Adjusting contrast and brightness are the most commonly used features in such programs, as this allows for gloomy pictures to become brighter and more inviting. Wonky images can also be digitally re-aligned, but hopefully this won’t be necessary because you remembered step number three!
Tags: photography, photos, PR, property, real estate
