Are you looking to sell your home fast? The best way to attract home buyers is with a stunning presentation.
Statistics show open listings that use home staging photos when marketing their property sell 73% faster than those who don’t. Why? To understand its effectiveness, you have to put yourself in a buyer’s shoes.
Sites like Zillow feature a wealth of listings users can shop by city, state, zip code, or even address. Yet many of these listings are self-made using amateur photos.
These snapshots often suffer from poor lighting, bad angles, or poorly presented rooms that are hard to picture anything in–other than the current owner’s stuff.
So how do you set yourself apart?
You use professional home staging and photos that speak volumes.
4 Tips for Taking Flawless Home Staging Photos
Home staging is about creating an attractive but neutral presentation that home buyers can envision their own style of living within. Below are 4 tips for capturing your real estate’s finest features while making your house appear universally appealing.
1. Stage Your Rooms Prior to Photographing
Staging and interior design are two very different practices. The goal of staging is to provide an open, neutral, and attractive view of a home. Let the buyer picture themselves living there, not you.
Keep to the “less is more” mantra. Get rid of clutter and try to make a room look as open as possible. Stick to neutral colors and remove any personal items, such as family photos, toys, and knick-knacks.
2. Identify the Best Lighting in Each Room
Good lighting is key to an appealing photo. In order to avoid washed out photos or glares, aim to place your light source either to the side of the photographer or behind him or her.
While you want plenty of lighting to showcase a room properly, too much can cause the photo to look muted or faded. If you need to, cover your windows with a sheer, light curtain.
Exterior photos are best taken during early or evening hours where the lighting is more dramatic. Turn on your home’s interior lights and open the windows for a more inviting glow. You’d be amazed at how this one detail can bring your home to life!
3. Explore Different Angles
Not every room’s photo should be taken from the doorway. Get creative! Try various angles while trying to capture as much of the room as possible.
Remember that corners often show the most depth. Try them all to see which offers the best shot. Also, capture high and low angles for variety.
If needed, take a few shots of one room. It’s okay to include more than one picture of the same room in your listing photos.
4. Avoid Capturing Misleading Photos
While it’s tempting to make your home look as large and spacious as possible, you don’t want to put on a facade. A potential buyer’s first impression when they walk into your home shouldn’t be, “It’s a lot smaller than I thought.”
This can make them less inclined to buy your home, even if it has promise. Instead, represent your home in the best light while focusing on its best selling features.
This can be anything from granite countertops to luxurious bathrooms or breathtaking lanai views.
Get Help by Hiring a Home Staging Photographer
Stunning home staging photos take work as well as a photographer’s eye. If you don’t have the time or you simply don’t feel comfortable tackling the task on your own, hire a professional home staging photographer.
I offer free consultations for clients in the Sarasota and Venice, Florida areas. Contact me today and let’s talk about how we can make your real estate listing irresistible!