News

Main article content

The quality of your property photos is a make-or-break factor when it comes to successfully marketing a home. But too often, the small details that can take an image from lackluster to showstopper are overlooked. Unmade beds, overflowing wheelie bins, children’s toys stashed under the couch – a quick browse through listings on realestate.com.au will confirm that these property photo sins are committed far too often.

Poor quality photos are unprofessional. Not only do they make the home look dated and small, they reflect badly on you and your business – a real estate agency that can’t even take a few decent snapshots hardly inspires confidence in those looking to list their home. Those browsing online listings are likely to click straight ahead to the next property. If the photos are bad, what must the home be like in real life?

Top notch photos that highlight the interesting, standout features of a property grab more attention, inspire more people to attend your open-for-inspections, and contribute to a better sale price. 

So whether you’re looking to master the art of real estate photography or simply want to see where your photographer could improve, keep these tips in mind to consistently present your properties in the best light. 

1. Declutter

Make the house a blank slate. It must be spotless, inside and out – don’t distract potential buyers with overflowing bookshelves, piles of magazines, or washing drying on the line. At most, artfully arranged flowers or a fruit bowl are acceptable. They’re cliches for a reason.

2. Timing

Different properties look their best at different times of day, in different types of light. Homes with pools and outdoor lighting show up well in dusk photography – switch on all the indoor and outdoor lights for the best effect. 

3. Lighting

As obvious as this one might sound – make sure the property is well lit and any shadowy corners are fully illuminated. A well-lit property has more depth and colour. Consider switching harsh fluorescent globes for ones that emit a softer light, and avoid glare on reflective surfaces like photo frames. Large windows are distracting and can cause exposure problems, so shoot them when the sun is weaker or not shining directly through the glass. Bright but overcast days are good for interior shots because the light is more flattering than stark sunlight.

4. Draw attention

Instantly draw the eye to highlight features like fireplaces, spiral staircases or grand pianos by strategically placing bright objects near them. Remember there’s no way to get a whole room into a single photo, so think laterally and snap the most interesting part of any space. When potential buyers are browsing online listings, the photos can start to look the same very quickly, so make the most of interesting features and use different angles to mix things up and keep people interested. 

5. Angles

Shooting straight at walls makes the photo look flat; shoot into corners to create depth. Low angles are flattering, so don’t automatically photograph everything at eye level – chest height is better (enlist the aid of a tripod). And crooked lines are a dead giveaway of an amuater photographer – the lines of the walls and ceiling must be straight, or the room will look like it’s collapsing in on itself.

6. Quantity

Take more photos than you need – potential buys want to see as many as possible, including interior and exterior, every room, the yard, even an aerial shot of the surrounding neighbourhood. They’re less likely to linger on a listing that lacks photos because they’ll wonder what the agent or seller have to hide.

7. First impressions

The exterior shot of the front of the home is the one that typically appears first on online listings, and 95% of users view it for around 20 seconds. So make it a good one; it hooks viewers and encourages them to keep looking. When taking the photo, choose a day where there’s a blue sky with clouds, which diffuse the light and minimise dark shadows. 

8. Enhance, don’t misrepresent

Going overboard on the visual trickery will backfire. Potential buyers should have a good idea of what to expect – if they arrive at a viewing to discover the home is dramatically different in reality than in the photos, they’ll be instantly put off.

9. Restrained retouching

A certain amount of retouching is acceptable, but tread carefully. Removing a neighbouring home or a telegraph pole is questionable, and in some states actually illegal. The rules around acceptable retouching vary, so check with the Office of Fair Trading in your state if you’re worried about getting too photoshop-happy.

Happy snapping!