Four Tips for Getting the Real Estate Photos You Want

Research shows photography can decrease your home’s time on the market by more than half. But in this competitive real estate market, you have to go above and beyond a standard set of photos to command the attention (and price) you want.

Here are five tips for getting the real estate photos you want for the greatest impact among potential homebuyers.

Stage for Dreaming, Not Home Décor Shopping

Looking at photos of an empty room makes it difficult for buyers to visualize the space. Appropriately furnishing can identify its purpose, provide scale, and show lighting in the room.

Staging can also effectively emphasize custom elements such as light fixtures, built-ins, and other design features in the home.

The key is remembering to avoid clutter and personal touches. It is difficult for buyers to dream if they become distracted by your personal style and décor.

Hire a Professional Photographer

Digital-savvy millennial homebuyers want stunning visuals – especially when they’re being asked to pay top dollar for a new home.

Professional real estate photographers are experienced in specific types of equipment, photo angles, best lighting practices, and editing your digital images in order to capture the most impressive pictures of your home.

Also, true industry professionals can offer virtual tours and drone imaging services, as well as accurately recommend when they are best-suited for showcasing your home (which isn’t always the case).

Don’t Forget Your Curb Appeal

Believe it or not, part of captivating the kind of buyers you want through a digital home listing includes curb appeal.  

Millennial homebuyers, currently the fastest-growing segment today, are just as interested in the outdoor aesthetic as they are the indoor one.

Listings that don’t begin with the front yard and end with the back have the potential for leaving your listing passed over in the blink of an eye.

Diversify Your Visual Media

There are three primary options for diversifying the presentation of your home for maximum impact. Discuss them with your real estate agent and photographer.

Floor Plans

Behind photographs and detailed information, the National Association of Realtors reports floor plans are the third-most important visual to include in real estate listings. It’s easy to add them, too.

3D Virtual Tours

The amount of home purchases being made sight-unseen has jumped to 45% according to Redfin. One primary reason? 3D-tour technology. It can be especially effective here in Alaska due to our proportion of out-of-state buyers.

Drone Shots

Drone photos are great for hard-to-reach angles that could wow potential buyers, as well as showing proximity to walkable community amenities. The option is usually a must for large, high-end properties and listings with acreage.

Do you have additional questions about snapping the perfect real estate photos?

Contact us! At DMD Real Estate Photography, we have been taking fantastic photos of local real estate since 2009.

How Many Photos Should Your Listing Have?

We have heard the statistics – tech savvy millennials are dominating the housing market; more than half of homes purchased are originally located via online outlets; and yes, 45% of offers are being made before buyers even step foot in the home.

The fact of the matter remains, however, that buying a home is still one of the most expensive, most important, and most emotional purchases we make. As a result, it is your listing photos left bridging the virtual gap.

Because the initial part of the home-buying process is now taking place online instead of in person, your photos must convey the property’s full potential through its photo gallery all on its own.

So, the only question left then is exactly how many photos do you need?

The short answer: it varies.

But here are a few key elements you’ll want to your photo gallery to address to ensure your potential buyers are hooked on your home.

Tell Me a Story

One great way to decide what photos to include is by imagining you are giving a buyer the grand tour in person. When they visit, what would it be like from the moment they step out of the car?

Decide the path you would take them up the sidewalk and into the home, what the must-see features are, and the story you want them to weave around themselves living here.

Show What You Tell

As you take this imaginary tour, remember, for every detail entered in the listing description, there should be a photo that a buyer can pair up with it.

There’s nothing more disappointing than hearing about an amazing upgrade… then having no photo to zoom in on and examine. It could cost you a buyer’s decision to take a closer look.

Less Can Be More

That said, just like any good author, leaving some detail to the imagination can propel interest to keep exploring the story being told. Highlighting design elements and showcasing the most appealing features of the home are important, but you don’t necessarily need a shot of the same space from every single corner of the room.

Ultimately, the point of the listing gallery is to entice your buyers to make the next move – whether it be a call to set an in-person tour, or to actually submit an offer on the home.

It truly depends on the size and features of the property being listed, but research says that fewer than 10 high-quality snapshots can leave you overlooked, while more than 20 has the potential for being overkill.

Personally, our rule of thumb is to try and offer as many photos as you need in order to tell the story your buyer should hear. However, know that a dozen amazing professional images will always draw more buyer interest than two dozen unthoughtful, un-staged, under-lit listing photos any day.

Ready to have photos taken of a new listing? You can book our services through our site if you’d like. Or give us a call at 907-268-7701.

Should Your Listings Have Drone Photography

Maintaining a foothold in today’s extremely competitive housing market means agents everywhere are vying for the latest and greatest in marketing solutions to ensure closing rates. One question many are asking is whether aerial photography is worth the investment.

In our opinion, there are three distinct scenarios in which drone photography can be a huge asset in moving your listing to the forefront of buyers’ “favorite” lists.

The Dramatic Domicile

Sometimes, it is all about the drama. When your buyer has a close to 50/50 chance of submitting an offer online before ever stepping foot in your home, an amazing gallery can very well be the deciding factor.

An aerial shot from a second-story vaulted ceiling down onto an open-concept floor plan, or one that shows a wide-angle perspective across a sweeping second story balcony can be exactly the “drama” a future owner is willing to pay for.

It’s also a great way for potential homebuyers to get a sneak peek behind privacy fences in order to confirm the area is the one they really want to be in.

When It’s Rated Walkable

Speaking of areas homebuyers want to be in, walkability is one U.S. trend sweeping our cityscapes. When your real estate listing is scored as walkable, drone photography is the perfect visual to pair with those description details.

Why?

Because offering a birds-eye-view of the new neighborhood can reveal exactly what is within walking distance, when a potential buyer might want to opt for a bike ride, or which routes (and shortcuts) are available.

There are varying degrees of walkability, of course. But even if your home is rated as only being able to walk to a few areas of interest – a park or a few restaurants or stores, for example – shots from above are a perfect way to share.   

A Sweeping Estate

Last, when you are selling a high-end property or one with extended acreage, drone photography is a must.

Sweeping shots of a ranch, for instance, can reveal wooded areas, watering holes, and the lay of the land for whatever dreams potential buyers plan to realize. Overhead photos of large-scale homes and the property surrounding them can offer scale that individual photos simply can’t capture.

This is one of many bells and whistles a high-end buyer is going to expect as a standard to the higher price point your property will command.

Ultimately, we believe drone photography is worth the investment, but not in every case. There is a fine line between what a buyer sees as a thorough and informative listing and overkill with no reason to pursue a home further.

If you have a particular property for which you are considering drone photography, but aren’t sure whether it’s worth the investment, give us a call. We’ll be happy to offer our advice!