You’ve probably heard this statistic before: 95%+ of home buyers start their search on the internet. The thing that entices them the most? Nice looking real estate photos of your home! If your home doesn’t stand out from the crowd of other listings-for-sale, some buyers may never bother to come and look at it.
Conversely, poor (or no photos) are a major contributor to expired listings. Want to have a few laughs: See some of the worst photos on the MLS right here.
As a seller, you should hire a real estate agent who takes the time and care to present your home in its’ best light: this includes fantastic real estate photos and an enticing text description of your house or condo.
New Feature: You can now download this information as a pdf.
Showing the best real estate photos
Ok, you’ve selected your listing agent, (hopefully not one who whips out his cell phone and starts taking pictures with THAT). Your agent has called the professional photographer, and the appointment is set for tomorrow morning. How do you get your home ready for the best pictures? Here is how:
Staging the Kitchen
The most important room in the house has always been the kitchen. Buyers consider this the focal point of the house, where meals are prepared and often consumed, and guests marvel at the nice cupboards, size of the room etc. Here are some of the things sellers should do in order to get the best possible photographs of this central room:
- Clear off the kitchen counter
- Take all notes, magnets and pictures off the fridge
- Hide the dish-cloth and soap
- Obviously no dirty dishes anywhere
- Clean, Clean, Clean…..stovetop, counters, floors
- If you have under-counter lighting, make sure it all works
The Bathrooms
Second only to the kitchen, are the bathrooms. Thats because buyers realize that bathroom renovations are among the most costly renovations in any house. Even if your baths have not been upgraded, you can still show them off, and here is how to do that:
- No visible tooth-brushes
- Put out a fresh soap bar, or better yet, a bottle of soap dispenser
- Hide all cosmetics
- Fresh towels hung from racks
- Full roll of toilet paper on the dispenser
- Clean, Clean, Clean….everything.
The Living Room
This room should look comfortable, inviting and relaxing. NOT overstuffed with furniture, and the real estate photos should reflect this.
- Dust and vacuum everything
- A couple of decorative pillows on the couch
- Lamps all work properly
- Remove any excess furniture
- Make sure curtains, drapes or blinds are in good condition and clean
The Dining Room
This room sometimes becomes a hosh-posh of furniture. It can often look like a library, a computer room, even a place to let the exercise bike collect dust. Declutter, and follow these tips:
- Should only contain a table, chairs and hutch
- Less is more: Remove excess chairs
- Take any extra centre pieces out of the table (make it smaller)
- Flower or Glass Vase centre-piece on the table is ok
- Clean, Clean, Clean…..everything
The Master Bedroom
This ‘sanctuary’ should appear to be relaxing, not too busy and cluttered. Here are the tips to get this room ready for photos.
- Remove everything off the dresser top
- Night-tables are for a lamp and maybe one book
- Make sure lights and lamps all work (they will be ON during the photo-shoot)
- Obviously, bed properly made.
- Use a duvet (borrow one if you have to) and accent pillows
- Make sure curtains or blinds are clean and in good condition
The Yard
Front and back yard are important for making that first impression a good one. Follow these steps.
- Curb Appeal starts with the front yard…
- Rake leaves, clear off the driveway and sidewalk
- Curb Appeal also includes the back yard...
- Grass cut, any bare patches filled in
- All toys and tools packed away
Look at it this way: There are possibly hundreds of homes in your price range, all competing for the buyers attention. Another statistic I read recently is that the ‘average buyer looks at 11 homes before making an offer’. If there are hundreds of homes available, but a buyer only looks at 11, how do they decide WHICH 11 homes to see?
The answer: photographs. Buyers ‘weed out’ the homes which show poorly, and may not come to see any of those houses or condos. Make sure that your home is in the 11!
All of the above real estate photos were taken by my professional real estate photographer. Looking to sell your Winnipeg home? Call me for a free market evaluation.
Interested in downloading this information as a PDF? Easy…
Infographic: Get Ready for Real Estate Photos
About the Publisher
Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market. He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.
Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.
He can be reached easily By E-Mail or call/text him Call/Text Here
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Aissa Jo Quizon
These are simple, practical tips that sadly not everyone even consider when trying to sell their properties. If it’s still not clear enough by how you have so brilliantly put down in writing this great article, people should at least get this general gist of it and think this way: “It’s like your house’s formal selfie/portrait. Your house needs to look REALLY good if you want people to get interested in it enough to buy it from you”. Yes, first impressions last!
Ja T.
This so basic yet so important to keep in mind. The very first thing people will see is the appearance of your place, online or printed, so it’s really necessary to make a good first impression visually.
Alma
Very useful post here. I enjoyed reading the inforgraphic, it was comprehensible and organize. Great tips for the real estate owners.
Maury Cheskes
You should definitely make the home spick and span when putting it on the market. Hiring a reliable real estate agent and taking quality pictures is also a must. Making sure the space is breathable with a fine scent is also a good way to attract buyers.
David Mureithi
I like the way you started with the Kitchen. Actually if I were to buy a home, the first thing would be a spacious kitchen well furnished.
Vincent Warner
The real key here is cleanliness. As much as possible, you’d want to make your home look like a decent place to live in, and as looking real as possible
JJ Santos
With this article and the helpful tips, who needs a professional photographer to take photos of your homes? Main thing i learned here is that clear away all unnecessary things. More so, think of yourself as the person who would be viewing the photos, and list down the things that you want to see, and those that you don’t. Pretty sure the resulting photos would be great!
Aurora
Nicely written with clear info graphics. We get to tell more about one particular room when the furnitures are at the right places. This will help a lot of people out there when they want to get involve in real estate business
Alex Summers
Good tips as they always say First impression counts. In these case its vital because you are selling stuff. Everything has to be in place.
Kathy
Thanks for these tips. Good photographs are really helpful to attract customers. Great article. Thanks for sharing!
Janine Marie Alexandra Bocateja
Adding shutters can boost a home’s curb appeal, but so would freshening up the paint It’s a seller’s market, but homeowners still believe that getting a great price for their property hinges upon doing substantial renovations, from redoing their kitchen and bathrooms to even adding on. It’s rare, however, for sellers to see a dollar-for-dollar return on those renovations, and there are less expensive ways to make your home stand out with buyers.
Janine Marie Alexandra Bocateja
Adding shutters can boost a home’s curb appeal, but so would freshening up the paint
Ed Tee
Pretty useful tips – its crazy how often people overlook the basics like providing decent photos.
One thing that could make an impact with large properties would be having some decent aerial photos from a drone.
Bo Kauffmann
Yes, drone photography is great when selling a home. Funny thing is that recent laws have made it tougher for companies to obtain drone licenses….
Jessica Allen
HomeJab has received a 333 exemption from the FAA to fly drones commercially for the 360 video real estate
industry. The company earned the distinction by using the highest standards of safety & privacy guidelines in the drone industry.