How to Promote Your Home with Professional Real Estate Photography
With 90% of home searches starting online, property photography has never been a more important part of the property marketing package. However, a quick scroll through a selection of properties for sale in London and the rest of the UK reveals just how many homes are being done a disservice by the pictures picked to represent them in online listings and other marketing literature.
Vendors who are serious about achieving the best possible sale need to make sure that they retain control over the images used to represent their home during the home selling process, asserting their photography preferences right from the start.
Real Estate Photography Tips for Vendors
If you want to be in charge of the way in which your home is represented to an online audience, then monitoring the image creation and selection process is a must. Tips for vendors include:
- Have a say in who takes the pictures – when choosing an agent to sell your home don’t be afraid to ask them what their photography policy is. Some estate agents work with professional property photographers while others simply send out an employee armed with a “point and shoot” camera to try and capture your home’s charms. If you are locked into a contract with an agent whose property photography policy is not what you want, you may wish to consider commissioning your own professional pictures and supplying these for use in listings and literature.
- Make sure you have ample time to prepare for a shoot – don’t be pressured into welcoming a photographer into your home before it is ready. If you need a few days to de-clutter and clean before the photo-shoot takes place make this clear. Likewise, if you are considering having your home staged by a professional tell the agents photography must be delayed until after this is completed.
- Listen to the photographer – if your home is being shot by a professional property photographer the likelihood is that they know their stuff! Take on board the recommendations the photographer makes, things that may look incongruous to you mark work wonders through a lens – defer to their professional judgement, or, if in doubt ask if they can shoot both options leaving you with a choice when the proofs arrive (although we can almost guarantee you will choose the recommended shot once you see it!)
- Choose your own photos – ask to see the proofs of your property photography shoot and be actively involved in selecting those that will be made available to potential buyers. Remember that it is not necessary to include a picture of every room or space – choose the rooms that best represent your home and show it off in its best light – people can see the rest once they have been tempted into viewing by these highlights.
