The Importance of Good Real Estate Photography

When it comes to getting your D.C.-area home ready for the market, quality real estate photography is more important than ever. Buyers will hit the web before setting foot on the front step of your home, and they want to see the photos first. While you’re completing repairs and cleaning your home, consider ways to stage your property, making it “camera-ready” for your real estate company’s marketing team.

Online Pictures

Buyers start their search online, so put your Washington-area home in the best digital light with eye-catching photos. Marketing your home includes understanding how to make your house stand out from the crowd. Because real estate websites and home selling platforms list dozens of properties, your home’s photos must capture the attention of people who are just scrolling through listings. The old saying is true: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Poor-quality photos are often overlooked. As much as we love to take pictures of everything with our cellphones, it’s best to resist the temptation when it comes to listing your home. Professional, high-quality photographs help your property shine in the sea of houses. Hiring a professional photographer to showcase your home is your best option. However, if you have an artistic eye, you can do it yourself with a good digital camera.

Increased Interest

Good-quality photos increase interest in your listing, leading to more showings or potential buyers at your open house. According to PhotoUp, professional photos are also likely to prompt your home’sselling price to hit the top dollar, and around 83% of buyers say good pictures help them choose which properties to visit.

Getting Your Home Camera-Ready

Preparing your home for the market starts with cleaning and performing repairs. Details make a difference! Here are some ideas for getting started.

Exterior

● Complete traditional landscape maintenance like mowing, weeding, and edging. Trim
overgrown vegetation to make your lawn tidy.
● Paint or stain doors, railings, shutters, decks, and window frames. Consider installing
replacement windows to increase your home’s value, curb appeal, and energy efficiency.
● Replace broken and faded house numbers with large ones that are easy to see from the
curb. Add a few solar lighting sticks to the driveway’s edge to illuminate your property.

Interior

● Clean light fixtures, flag holders, door knockers, and door handles.
● Consider adding a few potted plants, a welcome mat, or chairs to your front porch for a
welcoming vibe.
Interior:
● Large, open kitchens are a draw for today’s homebuyers. Tearing out walls isn’t always
practical, but you can still remove clutter from your pantry, closets, and drawers to make
storage spaces look bigger.
● Clean and sanitize your kitchen and bathroom

● Replace your toilet seats and shower curtains and tuck away your personal items.
Staging

Staging

Staging is an important part of selling a home, especially before taking photographs. Staging describes presenting a house and property in its best light, ultimately bringing a higher sales price.

Consider hiring a professional staging company in the Washington, D.C., area, or DIY the job with help from a friend, magazine, or online articles. Your real estate agency can offer advice on what staging techniques would be best for your property, and no one knows D.C. buyers better.

Picture This

Your home is ready for the camera snapping. Good photographic listings include shots of just about everything, and in this case, the more, the better. High-quality photographs are the start of your home-selling journey. Professional pictures make people think twice about your home and help them envision themselves living their best lives inside. A good picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

Guest Post by Teri Silver

Teri Silver is a journalist and outdoor enthusiast. She and her husband live on 5 acres with a vast lawn,
three gardens, a farm, a pond, many trees, and a lot of yard work! The best parts of the year are summer
and fall when home-grown veggies are on the dinner table.