Real estate photos make online home listings stand out


WASHINGTON – July 13, 2009 – Research from a number of sources, including the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), supports the argument that property listings posted on the web with accompanying photographs are more likely than those without to attract buyer attention.

That being said, real estate professionals stress the importance of well-taken photos, which will make a home more competitive than one represented by poorly composed, dark and blurry pictures.

“If a buyer is coming from out of town and they have two days to look at houses, which 10 do you think they’re going to ask the agent to show? The ones that look good,” says Concord, N.C.-based property photographer Jim Schmid. “People make the decision in one to two seconds about whether they’re going to click on that house.”

Lyn Briggs of Allen Tate Co., whose photography needs are handled by Schmid, agrees.

“Getting good photos up there (on the web) is important, but you don’t want to haphazardly put them in there,” she says. “In this market, it has to be in the best condition it can be.”

Briggs and Schmid say that, ideally, the exterior of a home should be photographed on a day when the sun is shining on it; but the picture-taker should ensure that a shadow falls on the lens to avoid glare and sun spots. If the weather is not accommodating, the shot should be overexposed, then lightened or darkened as needed. Schmid and Briggs also recommend using a wide-angle lens to capture as much of a room as possible in one shot; focusing on the home’s best features, such as a luxurious master bathroom; and either using a tripod or holding elbows into one’s sides to straighten the camera out and avoid crooked photos. What should not be a focus, they add, are pictures of the home seasonally decked out – although photos of a nicely manicured lawn and blooming plants are a good idea.

Source: TampaBay.com (06/27/09) Bolling, Christina