How to Get Better Real Estate Listing Photos

By Jessie Trapp, Marketing Coordinator 

You know the golden rule “don’t judge a book by its cover?” By the looks of it, the world of real estate definitely missed that memo. The culture surrounding buying and selling homes closely resembles that of Beverly Hills, and with 51 percent of buyers purchasing a home that they found online, it’s up to you to give your listing the Botox, image, and runway-approved style that will get it sold in record time and at the highest price possible, starting with your real estate listing photos!

Here are our top tips for producing eye-catching real estate listing photos:

Hire a pro.

Yes, smartphone cameras are getting better (shout out to portrait mode) and suddenly we’re all ready to start charging for our snaps, but that doesn’t mean you should use your phone to capture the images you’re depending on to get your listings sold.

Think about it – your listing images will show up in places like the MLS, Zillow, Facebook, your brokerage’s website, listing flyers – the list could go on & on! They need to scream quality. Find a few go-to photographers in your area that you know have mastered the important factors like angles and lighting, and that you can count on to consistently produce beautiful images.

Use drones!

The quickest way to make a buyer want to smash their head into a pillow? Post listing pics of corners and rooms without adding anything to illustrate the layout and flow of a home.

Drone footage is the perfect way to capture the beauty of your listing in its entirety, from top to bottom. Use the flexibility that a drone offers to give your clients a clear picture of what the acreage looks like, how the property is laid out, and how other major highlights play into the desirability of the property. Painting a clear picture of the home for buyers will help it sell faster – a whole 68% faster compared to those with standard pics according to RISMedia. But again, consider hiring a pro for this one – operating a drone is MUCH easier said than done!

Stage the listing.

There’s no greater crime when it comes to staging than doing it the same way for each listing you put on the market. Every listing is unique and needs to be staged with the specific style, theme, and décor that complements the space the most and helps your clients envision its potential. In fact, 83% of buyers’ agents surveyed said that staging a home made it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home (NAR).

Not only does it paint a pretty picture of the home but staging also makes a difference when it comes to the dollar signs. 22% of sellers agents reported an increase of 1-5 percent of the dollar value offered by buyers when a home is staged, in comparison to similar homes that aren’t.

Whether you’re working with a brand-new house or more of a fixer upper in need of some major love and care, hiring a professional stager who can turn a clean house into a masterpiece is non-negotiable.

Variety

Make sure that your photography inventory contains a wide variety of shots. We’ve all seen those listings that include one single image of the front of the home – that isn’t enough to inspire prospects to reach out. Make sure you find ways to mix it up, make your real estate pics interesting and produce content that keeps your audience engaged. Close-ups, portraits, landscapes – you’ll want to have them all!

The bottom line? When it comes to listing a home on the market, leave the real estate listing photos to the pros and focus on the bigger picture. Put your time and effort into what only you can do – building relationships!