Having a professional photographer take real estate photos is recommended, but regardless of their talent, a home needs to be camera-ready.
Just as you want to look your best for photo day, you want to showcase the best parts of your home when getting real estate photos taken. When a photographer comes, they won't have time to stage the house. While they may tweak a few last-minute details, it’s the seller and real estate agent's responsibility to prepare the home for photos.
“Your photo is your first impression," said Kristine Thomas, a New York City and Long Island-based photographer.
Thomas said she provides her clients with tips and checklists on staging and prepping their homes before she comes to shoot them. Investment in the staging pays off in photos.
1. Prioritize decluttering and depersonalizing
Clutter does not photograph well. Your knick-knacks, toaster ovens and gallery walls may be important to you, but strangers looking at a photo online of your listing want to see the room.
"My number one thing would be getting rid of as much as you can,” Thomas said.
Blank walls are better than decorated walls, Thomas said.
"Taking down personal photos," she said. "It's so beautiful to have like gallery walls. They're very trendy, but people would rather see a nice neutral color. They don't want to see your family photos."
2. Remove red and other distracting colors
Red is eye-catching. When trying to capture a home, you don't want to be distracted from the room's qualities by bright colors. Our eye will naturally be drawn to bright colors.
“If there's a big red object… it's just a nightmare,” Thomas said.
Color is not the only eye-catching thing you want to avoid in real estate photography. Some lamps or light fixtures don't photograph well, either.
“That's why I avoid the lights, like if there's a glaring white globe… because that's the only light source I have,” she said.
3. Let natural light in
Heavy drapes and curtains are great for blocking the light while you watch TV, but when taking photos, you want to let as much natural light in as possible.
“If you like heavy drapery, for example, that's covering a big portion of the window… just get them off the window," Thomas said. "It's going to let more light in and it's going to lighten the air, the view, the visual of the room.”
Windows are assets and showcasing them in photos is good for online curb appeal.
4. Power wash the patio
Cleaning needs to happen both inside and outside the house.
“Investing in power washing… If you have this great patio, but it looks dirty, it actually takes away from the pictures and then it gives people this kind of sense of maybe they didn't maintain the house as well,” Thomas said.
If you know you are selling in the fall or winter, consider getting your exterior photos done in the spring and summer for max curb appeal in photos. "I have absolutely done this for people, where they're not ready to go to market, but can you come by in May, June, everything's in bloom and just capture this,” Thomas said.
5. Switch to LED lightbulbs
While natural light is preferred, in incandescent light bulbs in photos can come across as very yellow. LED lights with a higher kelvin cast a more neutral white light, which photographs well.
“Even now, you can get almost every type of light bulb in an LED, which is going to give you a nice cool light,” Thomas said. “So even like a chandelier, you can get a nice LED light, and if you can put that throughout your home, I would highly recommend that.”
Aside from the warmth or coolness levels in lightbulbs, having steady lighting throughout the home also photographs better.
“I do believe in knowing your light bulbs and if you need to go around and they should be consistent — all of the light bulbs in your house, if possible,” she said.
6. Invest in home improvements
If you have older furniture pieces or dated items, consider removing them from the shot because their presence could be a turn-off for potential buyers. Or maybe you took down your artwork and the walls need to be painted. Taking the time to invest in home improvements and staging pays off in the quality of the photos.
“My biggest thing, like I said, is like, if everyone gets on board… a homeowner that wants to invest the effort, a Realtor that is investing the effort and then I come in and invest my effort… it really makes a difference,” Thomas said.