Photos help to attract potential buyers to your home and make it more likely that they’ll book a viewing. Whether you need photos for a website, brochure or both, ensuring your property photos look the part and show your home in its best light is important.
Ideally, you want to take photos of every room of the property, as well as any external space to give people a full sense of what your home looks like. Of course, this means you need to ensure that every photo looks good, gives an accurate impression of the size and layout of the property and does enough to get viewings booked.
To help you take perfect property photos or to prepare for your estate agent to take them, here are some things to consider.
Tidy Everything
Messy or cluttered rooms in photos can put off potential buyers, so you want to make sure your house and garden look the part.
Have a good tidy up and a clean, get rid of clutter and make sure each room looks its best. This may mean that you need to pack some items up ready for your move or have a rearrange so the photos and subsequent viewings showcase the property fully. Don’t forget that tidying up also means the garden.
If in doubt, ask your estate agent if they think there is anything you should do before having photos taken.
Stage Each Room
As well as making sure your house is tidy, you want it to look welcoming, which may mean you need to do a bit of staging. This can mean adding some fresh flowers to your living room, popping a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter or using your best sheets for the beds.
All of these little touches help your property to look good but also help people to picture themselves living there as it will look a lot more welcoming.
Check the Lighting
Lighting can make a huge difference to how well your photos come out, so you want to make sure every room is well lit. This can mean replacing any bulbs that are out, ensuring light fittings are clean or repositioning lamps.
If you’re taking your photos yourself, you should do so at a time when every room gets the most light and ensure you aren’t casting shadows while taking your snaps.
If someone is coming to take the photos, you might not be able to get them at the best time, so it’s key to double-check how your lighting looks. You can do this by taking some practice photos first so you get an idea of what extra lighting – if any – might be needed.
Use a Wide Lens and Tripod
If you’re taking the photos yourself, you want to make sure they look as professional as possible. A wide lens is a good way to do this as it will show more of each room and allow you to display more details.
You should aim to take your photos from a couple of different angles, making sure lines are straight and that you utilise natural lighting to create warm colours. You also want to avoid blurred photos and your reflection in things, which is why a tripod is a good idea – especially as it will allow you to line up a shot and then set the timer
Just remember, the more details you can showcase in a single photo, the better.
Take Photos at the Right Angle
You also need to consider what angle you are taking photographs at in order to capture each room perfectly. Most rooms will likely need to be shot at eye level, as this will best represent what people see when they walk into a room. However, some rooms may need you to take a photo from a different angle, typically a lower one.
Rooms like kitchens have a lot of features that will be missed if you take a photo at eye height. The number of cabinets and worktops you have may not all be visible, so the room won’t be shown at its best. Instead, you should take your photo from chest height to make sure all cupboards and fixtures are shown.
If in doubt, take a photo from two different angles to compare which looks the best later on.
Take External Photos
External photos are just as important as internal ones as they help showcase the curb appeal of your property. You should make sure you fit as much of the exterior of your property in your photos as possible, which includes the front, back and any gardens.
When taking external photos, you typically want to do this later in the day to try and avoid a lot of shadows. Overcast days are a good option for outside photos as they help cut down on shadows and you can always edit the sky to make it look blue and more appealing.
It’s also a good idea to take a photo of the front of your home from a higher elevation, as this creates a better perspective and will allow you to fit more of the property into the photo. Standing on a step ladder – with someone else to hold it steady- is a great way to get a great photo of your house.
Leave Property Photos to the Professionals
If you aren’t sure you can take the photos yourself or your pictures aren’t doing your home justice, it’s a good idea to leave it to the professionals.
You can ask your estate agent if photos are included in your package or if they’ll come at an extra charge. You should then arrange with them to take the photos – ensuring the house is tidy and staged – so they get everything they need and make the property look its best.
Then all you need to do is get ready for the viewings that your great photos are sure to help book.
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