DIY Open House Photography Like The Pros
You do not want to post one of those listings with half-hearted photos hastily taken. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional this is something you want to put a lot of care into. Never expect your home to sell itself; you want as many prospective buyers as possible to view it. This starts with the images you upload and how many people you can fish into your open house. The more people viewing your home, the more excitement you generate and the greater chance of a bidding war precipitating.
It’s common knowledge that photos in advertisements always look better than the real deal. It’s no different with open houses. The best route to go is to have professional pictures taken, but for those who haven’t budgeted for a photographer, be sure to follow these steps to ensure you maximize your profits.
1. Stage Your Home
The first step to staging your home is de-cluttering. Remove all personal items and keep them out of sight (if necessary, rent a storage locker). This includes all family portraits, your children’s posters and even mundane objects such as tissues. You do not want any objects diverting the potential buyer’s attention.
Once you’ve finished de-cluttering, thoroughly clean your home. Take extra care to remove or conceal any stains or imperfections.
If it’s in the budget, it’s also a good idea to ensure all your rooms are painted in neutral colors and that all lights are turned on. Do not rely on a flash or natural light.
2. Use The Right Camera
You don’t need to break the bank and purchase a top of the line SLR, but the last thing you should do is use your mobile phone.
While many of these images look flawless on your phone, larger images are always blurry on a computer screen. This may not seem like a big issue, but many people opt to view photos on a computer in order to gauge your home with the largest image possible.
3. Angling Techniques
The best option is to use a tripod and capture the photos from approximately 3 feet from the ground. Never angle the camera, always shoot level.
If you don’t have access to a tripod, just squat and make sure you shoot straight.
When shooting the room, always aim at the corners to give a broad perspective. This will not only make the room look better, it will give the buyer a better idea of its overall appearance.
4. More is less
It’s important to take a lot of pictures from each perspective and to shoot from as many different perspectives as possible. When you don’t take enough pictures, what tends to happen is the lack of options forces you to use more images in your listing to properly illustrate your home. Showing the buyer too many pictures increases the probability of them finding something they don’t like.
When you take more pictures, it gives more options and you will find often times that one great picture can replace two average pictures. The more pictures you take the higher the probability that you will have more quality shots to choose from.
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Want to learn more tips on how to sell your home fast? Read about how to make a good first impression when selling your home.