Competition is tough on real estate listing sites. New properties pop up every day, so ten others get listed when you post your property now. As a result, it gets pushed far into the back pages not even a day later after you posted
For that reason, it’s crucial to impress buyers from the get-go. The photo of your property must catch their attention. While it’s more important for your property to look good in person, buyers wouldn’t give it a second look if its pictures are unappealing.
Whether you’re selling a house, apartment, vacation home, or condo, here are the tricks to making it look photogenic on listing sites:
1. Spruce Up the Exterior
Your property’s exterior is what you’ll most likely show first. Hence, spruce it up before taking photos. Clean the yard, replace a dated mailbox, and remove anything unsightly, like a trash can or your parked car.
If your exteriors have already dilapidated, invest in a few improvements. Some buyers may not mind a fixer-upper, but you’ll get more value from your property if it’s in good condition. You must identify the issues that might appear in the photos and repair them before their pictorial.
Some essential repairs to make before selling a property are fixing cracks and patching holes on crucial surfaces. That would be the walls, driveway, or the steps going to your porch. Neglecting these issues can pose safety hazards for the buyers, so it’s wise to fix them up before complaining. Besides, if your buyer sees them in the photos or during an inspection, they’ll ask you to repair them anyway.
To impress buyers and boost your property’s value, consider giving your driveway an asphalt finish. Then, after applying the asphalt, put a layer of seal coat on top of it. It would maintain the asphalt’s durability. Buyers would appreciate it as an asphalt pavement is easier on the wheels and to walk on.
Don’t forget to replace broken siding, roofing, and other broken parts of the property. Listing sites usually require close-up photos, so you can’t hide those issues by keeping the perspectives far.
2. Replace Dated Parts
Dated window treatments, light fixtures, and paint colors appear evident in photos. Replace them with their modern counterparts. You can find new ones that won’t break the bank. For paint palettes, choose neutral hues as they are the most photogenic. Bold and bright colors, like red or orange, can be visually overwhelming.
Selling a property with dated parts won’t attract buyers with bigger budgets. Instead, you’ll receive inquiries only from buyers on a budget who would haggle the price because of your property’s out-of-style aesthetic. Not that there’s something wrong with these buyers, but if you want to sell your property for the best price possible, you will splurge on a few cosmetic upgrades.
3. Stage the Interiors
The beautiful homes you see on YouTube are staged, thus their perfect aesthetics. Luckily, you don’t need an interior designer to stage your property. You can do it yourself if you know the pro’s secrets.
Eric Curry of Chicago and Co recommends tackling all the wrinkles. Steam all the slipcovers, drapes, pillows, and bedding. It would make them polished and elegant in photos.
Sasha Bikoff of Sasha Bikoff Interior Design swears by natural light. Hence, take photos during the day with the drapes drawn open. Sunlight illuminates a space evenly, avoiding shadows. If you want to take pictures with the lights on to show them off, you may need to edit them to erase your shadow.
Tharon Anderson McAvoy of Tharon Anderson Design suggests setting the dining table before taking its photo. Lay some plates, matching utensils, and a centerpiece. You don’t have to make the table setting look fancy unless you’re selling a mansion or luxury condo. A cozy, homey table setting will do otherwise.
You can also leave some imperfections, especially if a professional or skilled enthusiast would take the photos. Details like colorful snacks or books can add personality to the property, adding some soul. And in high-quality images, the imperfections tend to look more like decorations than distractions.
4. Take Your Backyard’s Photo During the Golden Hours
Lastly, snap a photo of your backyard during the golden hours, which occur right after sunrise. The sun is entirely bright but not yet scorching hot at that time. It will allow you to take your backyard’s pictures in multiple angles, and all of them would look vibrant. No filter will be needed but perhaps a few adjustments on the exposure.
Keep these tips in mind as you prepare to list your property. By doing so, your property’s photos may draw lots of attention, like a viral Instagram post.