According to specific property websites, including pictures with your ad multiplies your number of views by 10. Well, thought-out photos will let you stand out, seduce potential buyers and draw traffic in no time whatsoever. This is a great resource for anyone looking to sell their property privately.
Staging
Before doing anything else, begin by cleaning your property from top to bottom, as though you’re anticipating the visit of a prospective buyer.
Depersonalise the chambers by eliminating objects and pictures of a personal character.
If need be, rearrange things to make more space in each room.
For couch covers and bedspreads, select neutral colours –the same goes for the walls, in case you choose to repaint them.
Produce a warm, friendly atmosphere in every room by adding a bit of colour using a cushion, putting a bouquet on a desk or a beautiful green plant in the front of a window.
In the bathroom: eliminate bath mats and conceal blankets, shampoo, shower gel, tissue boxes, etc..
In the kitchen remove all dishwashing products and posts around the sink and put away as many kitchen accessories as you can.
Children’s rooms: clean up them and leave just a few toys and stuffed animals out.
A significant selling point for many is mild.
Lighting is crucial
Go through all of your rooms and open the drapes, turn on all of the lights: ceiling and bedside lights–even the stove hood light!
Take photographs of your house during the brightest time of day.
Be cautious of backlighting in rooms with windows. Select your angle well and adjust the exposure, if needed, to avoid shots which are too dim or too bright.
How many photographs do you require?
People have a propensity to shoot as many photos of the home or condominium as possible. But a dozen or so shots must suffice to illustrate your advertisement, based on the size of your premises. This way you will quickly decrease the number of photographs you take. As an example, have a look at these properties for sale by DIY property sellers.
Rooms to picture
It isn’t necessary to picture every nook and cranny– some places are of very little interest to prospective buyers, such as the broom cupboard for example! Photos of a walk-in closet or well-organised storage might be just the thing to lure someone to see your dwelling.
Don’t be afraid to find several angles of the living room, bedrooms or kitchen.
When the neighbourhood is appealing, or your property has a magnificent view, a panoramic photograph is the best method of showcasing it.
Make sure your pets do not find their way to the pictures.
Prevent dull details, such as close-ups of bathrooms or intercoms (do not laugh: it happens more than you might think!).
For the thumbnail: If you are selling a condo, pick the most beautiful snapshot of a large room, like the living room or master bedroom. But if you are selling a home, decide on a photograph of the facade, or else potential buyers may think it isn’t worth showing!
Decor framing and items
If you use an SLR, pick a wide angle lens. If you’re not yet fully equipped camera-wise, this might be the ideal time to invest in some high-quality photo equipment or to consider renting some for the day.
An external flash in addition to a tripod can help optimise light conditions and prevent blur in darker rooms.
Set up in a corner to find the widest possible angle.
As for framing, get the ceiling at the top quarter of this photo.
Show several angles of the same room. Don’t be afraid to get up on a seat or place yourself halfway up the staircase to receive overhead shots.
Editing your photographs
The last crucial step includes editing your pictures with picture applications (Photoshop, Lightroom, Gimp). A popular alternative for real estate photographs is Hia high-dynamic-range imaging technique that creates one picture from several photos (to 5) shot from precisely the same angle but with unique exposures, mixing tones for the ideal exposure. Monewerameras, cell phones and tablets have an automated HDR feature.
Take care not to overdo it: photographs which were touched up too much can leave potential buyers disappointed, as they’ll come to your house expecting something but find another. Unrealistic photos might even dissuade people from coming to see in the first location.
Before publishing your advertisement online, be sure that you use the highest format available and reduce picture size for Internet viewing.
