5 Photography Tips to Improve Your Real Estate Listings

Thirty-two percent!

That’s how fast a real estate listing sells with good photos.

It goes without saying that visuals play a significant role in present-day media. Words always deliver a more powerful message when they are coupled with a strong graphic element. Together, they increase retention, staying with your audience for a longer time.

• Buyers looking at a listing spend 60% time on photos and 20% on descriptions
• 83% of buyers consider real estate photos very critical in making a purchase decision
• Online listings that use professional photos get 61% more views

Ergo, using excellent images in online listings significantly affects your real estate success. They not only influence the impression of a property listing but also impact your brand reputation. They give you a competitive edge, help attract prospective buyers, and convert them into paying ones.

However, creating such photos is often the problem realtors face.

Some people hire real estate panorama photo editing services for cost-effective results. Others fold their sleeves and get down to business themselves. Whatever your inclination may be, we have something to help you. Take a look!

Real Estate Photography In The Digital Era- What’s Different?

Now more than ever, people are searching for homes on the internet. Technology has integrated itself into the way people buy and sell homes. Renting has gained pace. And, buyers are getting increasingly more invested in the entire process.

• In 2017, 56% of homebuyers (up to 36 years old) found their homes online
• In 2018, 44% of all home buyers looked online for properties
• 76% of all buyers found their homes using a mobile device
• 92% of relator firms have a website & 77% use social media to promote their listings

In simple words, the entire real estate landscape is being redefined by technology and evolving consumer expectations. In such an environment, online property listings have appeared as a powerful brand differentiator. If utilized with tact, they can turn up impressive ROIs.

Keeping in line with that idea, property listing images gain a critical position. They can showcase benefits, inform the buyers, and appease them-all in a single glance.

5 Real Estate Photography Tips to Make Your Job Easier

Creating an excellent property shot is certainly not easy. However, once you understand what it entails, it becomes less hassling. Note that you don’t need super-expensive equipment and seven PHDs to create unique and stunning property photos.

Just be smart about the whole process.

If you’re doing it yourself, get decent stuff, like a good enough camera & tripod. Follow instructions. Either learn about post-editing or hire any still image enhancement services for that. Take calculated steps, and you will be able to glean good results without spending a fortune.

1. Make a Standard List of All Necessary Shots

People looking to buy a house, want to see the potential in a property. In every shot, they visualize all that can be done to make that space theirs. So, it is in your best interest to aid their visualization.

Be ready with a list of all the shots that you want to showcase. Remove unnecessary stuff. And declutter the area as much as possible. Such an organization is a time-efficient method to capture all that would matter to a prospective buyer.

Look at a few examples of shots that, as per experts, you will always want.

• Wide-angle photographs of the kitchen, bedrooms, and living area
• One standard photo for usual bathrooms, two-in landscape, and portrait-if it’s specially designed
• One to two pictures of each, the backyard and the curb, in full detail
• One-shot each for additional house features, like the basement, laundry, pantry, patio, garage, sundeck, etc.

Once you know all the must-have shots for a listing, you can easily save time otherwise spent in deliberating. Instead, you can focus on their quality.

2. Fix Perspective Distortion(In the Shot and Post-Photography)

Poor camera positioning can lead to shots that appear distressing.

For instance, if you shoot a house’s facade from the front, but keep your camera at a low angle, the house will seem to fall away.

Perspective distortion occurs when either vertical or horizontal lines appear slanting in an image. To avoid that effect, you need to balance the camera at a height that offers the most natural outlook. However, problems still arise in many cases.

So, when editing real estate images, you should make it a point to check for and fix perspective distortion first. If it takes too much time on your end, delegate the task to an HDR photo blending service. They are more likely to be faster and better at fixing perspective distortion.

3. Light Correction

The type of lighting you use when shooting a house and the way that light hits objects in that space affect the outcome. Depending on the light shade, your image might have additional color tones. If the room has fluorescent bulbs, the image will get a bluish tinge. With the lights off, the image will feel devoid of warmth.

First, decide if you’re shooting in the day or the night. Then, determine whether you want to leave the lights on or turn them off. Each has some benefits and some drawbacks. So, whatever you choose, you will need to work on the photo’s light temperature post-shooting.

• Balance out the light temperature when editing those real estate photos
• Control the white balance of the image to make it look more natural
• Restore the original colors of different items in the image
• Balance exposure before shooting and later, use blending tools to fix any remaining issues

Keep in mind that correcting light temperatures can be tricky at times, like in overexposed images. In such cases, it is better to hire an excellent HDR photo blending service and let them handle the complicated shots.

4. Noise Reduction

A noisy image is grainy. Its pixels behave weird, not truly showcasing the color they are supposed to. Usually, low lighting, long exposure, high ISO, etc. are responsible for introducing noise in an image.

Now, you can’t clean up a noisy photo thoroughly, unless you use a massive industry-grade tool. What you can do is modify the image, so the originally grainy area appears smooth.

Note that there is no standard setting for noise reduction. It depends on the image and the degree and type of noise(color/luminance.) Just remember to zoom 100% into the picture and check how it looks after making every adjustment.

5. Change the Sky Color & Remove Distractions

Almost every real estate image needs a few necessary modifications. For instance, brighten the shadows and lower the highlights. Apply some standard retouching on the picture as well.

• Remove unwanted elements that clutter the image, like wires, switchboards, etc.
• Remove camera flashes, light spots, reflections, glares, or dusty spots
• Add better detail to elements, like adding fire to a fireplace

As for the sky color, that’s an individual’s choice. It is suggested, however, because people want to see how a property looks at different times of the day. But, taking all those shots in a single day is not always possible. By manipulating the image environment, you can give the buyer an almost authentic idea while saving your time.

Additional Tips to Boost Your Real Estate Listings

• Use creative social media campaigns
• Create 360-degree tour videos of the property
• Enhance the listing description with more details and information
• Use paid search to promote your listings
• Integrate your listings with best SEO practices to get them noticed sooner

Get Your Real Estate Listings Noticed with Professional Photo Editing

If you have made it this far, then you understand why property photos are a critical factor for real estate businesses. Not only does it boost sales and conversions, but it does so while promoting your brand image.

But, in case you don’t have enough time to edit all your real estate photos or don’t feel confident in your results, we have your back.

At Photozworld, you will get an experienced team of editing experts from different verticals. We offer an array of image editing assistance, including perspective correction, HDR photo blending, & still image enhancement services. Working in association with client requirements, we make it a point to deliver property photos as quickly as possible.

Want to check out what we can do for you? Get in touch with us at info@photozworld.com.