Tips to Consider Before You Sell Your Home By Owner
Your photos will tell the story about your home. They give prospective buyers insight into the rooms, lighting and the character of your place. The better you represent your home online, the more likely you are to sell your home quickly.
Remember, more than 80% of home buyers start their home search on the Internet. Great photos can lead to your home selling 50% faster than a similar property with poorly taken or sloppy photos. The long and the short of it -- photos are the first impression buyers receive of your home, so photos matter.
Whether you’re comfortable with photography or a complete newbie, take photos of your home with these 8 rules in mind.
1. Always use your phone in landscape (horizontal) mode to take photos
This will ensure that your photos will look good on all platforms: mobile, tablets and desktop computer screens.
2. Shoot in HDR
If you’re using an iPhone use the HDR (High Dynamic Range) setting. This will make your camera process photos a little differently, bringing more detail to dark and bright spots of your photo.
3. Use a tripod
Stabilizing and leveling your photos with a tripod is a must. You can get a tripod for your phone or camera for under $50 on Amazon.
4. Never zoom In
Never zoom in on your phone to shoot a photo, as it will reduce the quality of the photo. The thought process here is that you should maximize the number of pixels within the photo. The more pixels, the clearer the photo will be.
5. Increase saturation
Increasing the saturation ever so slightly can help bring out the colors in your photos. This is great for making your photos stick out from the pack.
6. Use natural lighting to your favor
Smartphones are fantastic for shooting real estate in natural light. Even without professional lighting you can get great real estate photos by using the natural light. Test taking photos from different angles or corners of the rooms -- this way you’ll be able to get the best shot and minimize shadow.
The best time to do this is when it’s overcast, or during early morning or early evening (otherwise known as the ‘Golden Hour’). The same principle applies for any kind of shoot, no matter the subject. Shoot with even lighting.
7. Declutter and stage properly
Less is more when it comes to staging. Taking things out of rooms, such as coffee tables and cabinets, can open up a photo and really highlight your rooms.
8. Editing
The editing apps available for both Android and iPhone are very powerful. They can correct a lot of photography errors with the push of the button; however, the key is to not over-edit your photos. You still want the rooms to look natural and unaltered to an extent. With editing, especially for beginners, less is more.