Is Your House "Picture Perfect?"

Photographs are an essential marketing tool, and each image must be simple, free of clutter and showcase the most attractive features of your house. Smart sellers take an active role in creating “picture perfect” photographs.

Smart sellers and their agents understand the importance of great photographs and their key role in an effective marketing plan, beginning with the first day the house goes on MLS. Agents often pass over MLS listings without pictures, so require that a full set be taken before the house is listed, and be certain they show the property at its best. Most buyers will see the house for the first time in a picture, and decide whether or not to tour it based on the exterior shot featuring the front. If you want to attract more buyers and improve the likelihood of selling for top dollar, take an active role in creating the photographs.

After you’ve prepared the house for market, take some experimental pictures. Look at them through the eyes of a buyer. Are you impressed by what you see? If not, work with your agent or the photographer and compose every shot, inside and outside. Move furniture and accessories around as needed, and pay attention to lighting. Each image must present your house at its best, showcasing the most attractive features. Review the pictures before they’re published and make sure that each one works. Every room should be staged for its intended purpose before pictures are taken. If you don’t participate in the photography session, pictures might taken “as is”, and that can be a big mistake.

What are some elements of compelling photographs? The most important is simplicity, which requires removing small items that don’t photograph well and are distracting. Rooms should be well-lighted with no shadows or glare. Use a small uplight for dark corners and move it around as needed. Emphasize the room’s focal point, if there is one, and compose each shot to be certain furniture and decorative elements are well positioned and in scale with their surroundings. Pay attention to color and add accessories such as pillows to create a more dynamic impression. Use simple green plants, large and small, to add “life” to the room. Take some pictures that show the relationship to an adjacent space, but have no more than two walls in one shot to keep the room from looking like a box.

Smart Selling Tip:
Photographs are an essential marketing tool, and each image must be simple, free of clutter and showcase the most attractive features of your house. Smart sellers take an active role in creating “picture perfect” photographs.