Having excellent real estate photos is crucial for selling your home in the current market. Fewer in-person open houses are happening due to the pandemic, so buyers are relying on photos to decide if a property is right for them. While hiring a professional real estate photographer is one way to ensure your photos are immaculate, you can also take them yourself with a few tips.  

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Planning and Preparation

Before you take off the lens cap, make sure you are organized and prepared for shoot day. This starts with ensuring you have the right equipment to take professional-looking photos.  

Many smartphones have impressive cameras that can take decent real estate photos, but you may still want a digital camera with lens options. This is especially important for smaller rooms in your home that are better suited to wide-angle lenses.  

You should also consider investing in a tripod to ensure your camera is straight in all your pictures, as well as a flash if your home doesn’t have adequate natural light.  

Next, make a list of the shots you want to take. Each room should have at least 2 wide-angle shots, sometimes more for larger rooms.  

Pick a day to take the photos based on the weather and sun position. Ideally, you want to take these photos later in the day when the sun is behind the house and on a day when there isn’t rain.  

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Staging the Home

Cleaning and organization are musts before you take any real estate photos. Remember, these photos will be your buyer’s first impression! Consider working with a professional stager, or following these tips.

- Clear off all countertops, tables, desks, and other surfaces

- Unless you have a custom-built closet, don’t take photos of it

- Remove personal items such as family photos and keepsakes

Next, open the curtains and drapes in each room to allow natural light in. You want the space to be as bright as possible.  

Before taking the photos, do a final walkthrough of your home to check for any clutter, floors that need to be cleaned, and to make note of specific angles you want to capture.  

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Editing and Post Production

You don’t need to be a professional photographer to edit your photos, although it does make it easier to work with a pro. If you’re going to edit them yourself, there are a few things to keep in mind.

All the photos need to look consistent like they were taken at the same time and in the same house. However, sometimes with clouds passing, the lighting can vary from photo to photo. So, in LightRoom or whichever photo editing program you use, manually edit the lighting in darker rooms to match the brightness of others.  

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Need Help Taking Professional-Looking Real Estate Photos?

The Suzy Goldstein Team has relationships with the city’s top real estate photographers and editors. We can connect you to these exceptional service providers, as well as give you our expert advice on ensuring your photos do your home justice.

To learn more, reach out to us today.