How to take real estate photos of your home

Think of your home listing like you would a dating profile. You want high quality, flattering photos that show off your home’s best qualities. Photos that say “I will make all your dreams come true” and compel buyers to take a look in-person. It’s worth putting in the extra time and money to get this right. Follow these tips on how to make your listing picture perfect so you can sell your home fast.

Set the stage 

Before you even think of getting the camera out, give your house a thorough cleaning and decluttering. Pretend like someone is coming over whom you really want to impress. Well don’t pretend, that’s exactly what you're doing. We’re talking about fresh flowers, shiny floors and extremely clean windows. Open the blinds and take off any screens so you can maximize the natural light. 

Consider hiring a company to stage your home. Staging is when you prepare your house to sell by making it look professionally decorated. Luckily we’ve got an article about how to stage your home, so do that first before you snap pics.

Put the best features forward

Take a walk around the interior and exterior of your home and make note of the best features. Do you have a cool archway or a big window, a nice yard or new floors? Make sure that you feature it in your photos. And remember the decluttering advice? Removing all the extra stuff will showcase the built-in bookshelf better than if it were full of your books.

Take photos on a sunny day

The sun is your friend when it comes to real estate photography. Sunshine makes your home look bright and cheerful so you’ll want to capture as much natural light as possible in your photos. The best time of day to shoot is in the late morning to early afternoon. Before you schedule your photoshoot, check the weather. 

Use a wide angle lens

It’s important to get flattering photos that are also accurate. A wide-angle lens captures a room without distorting it because it can handle the foreground and background at the same time. This creates a depth of field that feels realistic to the human eye. A wide-angle lens is not to be confused with a fish-eye lens which should never be used for real estate photos.

Keep it steady with a tripod

Great pictures come from a steady setup. A tripod stabilizes the camera, making the image crystal clear and the lines nice and straight. And with all that natural light coming in, you’ll want to take a few long exposures. A tripod helps with artificial light and night shots as well. 

Most photographers recommend positioning the tripod at chest height for photos that capture the floor and ceiling, but not the undersides of kitchen cabinets.

Corner shots

Make the most of your space by taking photos from the corner of the room. It gives you a much better angle to get the whole picture. Try out different corners to see which one is the most flattering. Straight-on shots are good for variety, but a corner shot gives buyers a feel for the home’s layout. 

Level off

When a photo is a little off-kilter, it makes everything look wonky. You don't want that to translate to your house appearing misshapen or crooked. Before you get trigger happy, look through the camera to make sure that the corners of the room are straight up and down in the frame. You might be able to fix crooked lines when editing photos afterwards, but it's better to get it right upfront.

Hire a professional photographer

When you want the best photos of your home, hire a pro. They already have the equipment and know-how to get it done fast. Before hiring them, ask for a resume or to see a portfolio. Many photographers have a website with their work available to the public. Or ask your real estate agent for a recommendation. Photography and staging may even come with your agent’s service.  

After you have those Architectural Digest-worthy photos, list your home on KSL Homes. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes to write a description and upload your pics.