Photos of your For Sale home should look like this!
Ever been searching the net looking for a new home and every single picture you see leaves a bad taste in your mouth? Or perhaps the pictures are so redundant that you really don't get an idea of what the house really looks like, or what it can offer you and your family. If you are getting ready to sell your home, keep in mind the pictures you post of your house can make--or break--your chances of a sale. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Get a good, high-resolution digital camera.Sure, those take-n-toss cameras are cheap and easy, but this task requires a camera with a good flash and different settings to truly capture the essence of a room, no matter what its lighting situation is. Digital cameras are convenient so you may go back and retake the picture as many times as necessary to nail that perfect shot. With a digicam you can quite easily see what you are taking a picture of via the display on the back, whereas a disposable camera will leave you, basically, in the dark. Since most of your photos will likely end up on the web for potential buyers to view, resolution is important. Digicams offer different resolution sizes to take the pictures in. This comes in handy if the pictures need to be scaled down--high resolution pictures will not lose their details or crispness this way. Another point of ease: simply take out the storage card in the digital camera and your Real Estate agent can download your pictures directly from it.
2. Tidy up the house.When people are looking at pictures of your home, they are envisioning themselves and their family inside of it. They are trying to picture where their furniture will go, and admire the character different rooms offer. When they see your mess, not only is it unprofessional, but the person viewing the photos will go through them that much quicker so they don't have to see it. This is crucial for rooms that have exceptional features that need to have attention drawn to them--not your personal things lying about. This rule also applies to people; make sure everyone moves out of the pictures completely.
3. Take photos of the house's best features.It's really tempting to just point and shoot at the standard rooms in the house, but remember: every house has bedrooms and a dining room and a living room. It's important to get those shots too, but if your home has exposed beams or wrought iron detailing or fantastic custom tile, be sure to get some snapshots of these things as well. That stained glass window in the stairwell could be just what someone was looking for!Yard shots are also important for the people that have children and pets. Don't neglect the pool, or that big shade tree in the front of your house. Potential buyers want to know how much property they're going to have, or if they'll have to trim hedges, mow lawns, and pay for sprinklers to water the yard. Don't accidentally mislead the public!
4. If you don't think you're up to the task, get a professional.Most real estate agents are more than glad to take photos of your home if you don't feel your capabilities as a photographer are all that commendable. In fact, there are probably a lot of folks out there that would rather not have to deal with the hassle and simply want to sell their house as quickly as possible. Just keep in mind when entrusting this task to someone else that they haven't lived in your house and don't know its special characteristics as well as you do. Going around with them and pointing out the house's key features is recommended.
Tags: your home, your house, digital camera, keep mind, photos will, that have, they have
