Minimum Interior Views of a Home Listing

I'm always amazed to see listings with no photos or with just an exterior view.  Today's savvy buyers expect to see lots and lots of photos.  In fact, many buyers will not consider touring a home they have not already previewed online.

Perhaps your new listing isn't all that photogenic.  That is the case with many foreclosures and short sales, where the owner has not had enough money to properly maintain the property.  One also sometimes takes on houses that really are a fright, because of accumulated possessions that litter every room.

So, what can you do, to give potential buyers a sense of the possibilities of the house - any house?  Take selective interior photos.  That may require that you give the homeowner time to make the house presentable, and even help by making a bed or putting down a toilet seat on the day of the photo shoot.

To provide a sense of the house, minimally take a photo of the living room, the kitchen, and the master bedroom; these are key rooms for many buyers.  If the house has interesting features, such as a sunroom or architectural detail, take photos of those, too.

To augment the number of photos in your listing, and to give a sense of place, include photos of the yard (if presentable), the street, and a nearby park.

What constitutes a "good" exterior home photo?

When you get a new listing, often the only photo you can include in the MLS is a shot of the exterior of the property.  In fact, you should have that already, and have built it into your listing presentation!

So, you want to make sure that that photo presents the property in the most appealing way possible.  How can you do that?

It's a good thing to choose a partially cloudy day, so that the property is lit, but your camera lens is not blinded.  Walk around the front of the house, to determine which viewpoint offers the most attractive view of the property.  Often, an oblique view, rather than a front view, will make the house look larger, and can highlight a pleasing feature not clearly visible from the front of the house.

Naturally, avoiding "clutter" is important.  With your Seller's permission, move garbage cans out of the frame and pick up any newspapers, while you take your photo.  Move them back into place - neatly! - afterward.  If you live in the North and it's Winter, make sure the walks and driveway have been neatly plowed, before you take that picture!

Avoiding including much of the neighbors' houses is important, too - especially if they are not well maintained.  You want prospective Buyers to focus on the property you've listed, not on the adjacent houses.  You can sometimes eliminate peripheral property elements by shifting your view or physical position left or right, or by moving closer to your listed property.

Take more than one shot, and review your photos before you post one.  You'll be surprised what you did not see, at the time!

If all else fails, you may be able to use a photo-editing program, like Photoshop® Elements, to crop out unwanted items at the edges of the photo.  Be sure to maintain the same aspect ratio, however, as MLS systems expect photos to be in standard format.

Clients' Own Home Can "Sell" Your Listing Services

Before you attend a listing appointment, take a good exterior photo of the home.

Use that photo to customize your listing presentation in a more personal way. Also incorporate the photo into sample collateral for your proposed marketing plan, including an online listing.

Seeing their own home in your materials will help persuade clients to list with you.