It can be a challenge to gain a landlord's confidence to trust you with the quick sale of their property.
But when you tell them that you're a ListGlobally Global Agent and that their home will not only be seen by the local community but will be visible to a foreign audience on 100+ portals in +60 countries, you're earning their trust. However, if you take careless photographs of their property, you'll be losing what you've gained.
Photographs are the first things a buyer sees, so attracting their attention and drawing them to click and look closely at the property listing is a crucial part of the sales process.
Without a doubt, it is essential to photograph each and every one of the property amenities correctly. Consider some very important details before you do so.
Show the exterior of the property. What is around it? Is it on a wide avenue? Is it next to a park where your family can walk or play? Is it near a river, lake or the sea? And, very importantly, what do you see from the balcony or while sitting on the terrace?
Depending on the house's orientation, at certain times the sun illuminates the rooms better, filling them with light and life. Try to show them in their best light.
Do not hesitate to visit the property more than once in order to capture the best indoor light and showcase the outdoor environment. Make your buyer want to live there by invoking a feeling or emotion from what they see in your photos.
The house is empty:
Showing an empty space that feels welcoming is not easy. Work with the light, maximizing how it fills the rooms, and avoid very dark areas. When the rooms are large, placing a suitable object as a reference will help to create a better visual.
The house is sold empty, but at the time of taking the photos it’s furnished:
This is a frequent situation. As much as possible, leave the basic furniture to serve as a size reference yet leave room to encourage the buyer to imagine the space with their own furniture. A certain amount of minimalism is required. It is important to avoid using items that are of a highly personal taste.
The house is furnished and will be sold as-is:
In this case, removing the most personal items will be enough. Highlight furnishings that make the room more unique—paintings, sculptures, and singular lamps, for example.
Before starting to photograph, you should clean the rooms well and tidy up by removing unnecessary or distracting articles and decor.
Everything you do before taking the photo is time and work that you'll save later.
In a recent article, we explained how to get the most out of real estate photos but here we look at the topic with a slightly different lens.
Contract the services of a photographer with knowledge in interior design and architecture. The photographer will know how to make the most of each situation and will have the necessary equipment and knowledge to provide professional results.
Photographic work does not just involve the photoshoot. Post-production computer editing will optimize the images.
Having a photographer on the team will improve your company image by showing the owner that he has trusted a specialized team. Consider the photographer as an investment that allows you to sell your properties sooner and simplify your life.
If you still feel like handling the photography yourself it is important that the result doesn't look like an amateur's work. Here are some tips:
1) Get a camera, they’re not more expensive than certain mobiles and will give you better quality and more features.
Modern mobile phones can take photos that do not require further manipulation but when you have to edit the image or enlarge it, the quality may suffer.
You don't necessarily need a professional camera worth thousands of dollars/euros. A mid-range camera with an APS-C sensor will suffice.
Camera specifications:
2) A tripod will be necessary for long exposures. Place the camera on the tripod at a medium height, about one meter. Photographing at eye level, especially if you are also tall, will produce a "chopped" effect that increases the distortion of walls and lines.
The ideal for indoor photography is to highlight the details of both the darkest and the lightest areas of a room, while finding a harmony between the two.
The cameras' light measurement systems will calculate the average between light and shadows. If there is not too much contrast, the photos look balanced. But this isn't always the case.
Imagine a living room with a glass window that opens onto a very bright terrace. This is a case of high contrast that can cause:
If we had to choose the first one would be more useful, but is it possible to achieve everything?
Through the regulation of our iris, our eyes can adapt to ambient light and see the details in both cases; then, our brain does the rest.
The High Dynamic Range (HDR) technique aims to mimic the natural responses of the human eye. HDR consists of taking the same photo several times without moving the camera, keeping the same ISO and aperture, and only varying the exposure time.
Here is an example. With the camera on its tripod, the image framed and focused, we use the delayed shutter and take three photos with the following variation.
These three photos edited in the computer, and with the appropriate program are merged using the best of each one.
Modern cameras, and even some cell phones, have HDR programs built-in, but their results aren’t always the best.
You can find tutorials that explain in detail how to do this technique and which programs to use.
In today's world, where visual impact prevails, it is paramount that the listing images attract the potential buyer as they scroll. Once they pause to take a closer look, the selling process has begun! When you have made that sale, it turns out that the picture was not only worth a thousand words but also worth thousands of $ to your bottom line.
ListGlobally operates the largest global network of property portals in the world, advertising across +100 property portals in +60 countries, reaching a monthly consumer audience of +200 Million potential buyers.
Questions? We invite you to reach out to us or open a chat with us on listglobally.com.
Contact our ListGlobally Team and we will help you get started with your enhanced global marketing strategy.
If you are a Real Estate Professional or property seller and you’d like to expand your international network, advertise, or engage with international property buyers, contact us at ListGlobally.