They say that a picture is worth a thousand words — in this case, a picture is worth an entire real estate listing. Using high-quality photos in real estate listings is one of the most powerful ways to attract more leads and drive sales. Home sellers used to count on curb appeal to make a good first impression on potential buyers. Now, with more homebuyers starting their house hunt online, a home’s “pix appeal” is taking over as the top way to impress buyers. Real estate images require thoughtful composition, staging and preparation, the right camera settings, proper equipment, and ample lighting.

Hiring a professional photographer is always recommendable. But, if this is not possible, there are ways to improve your own skills to make sure you shoot professional-looking real estate pictures. Here are our best real estate photography tips to help you take better photographs if you are selling a property.

1. Plan enough time for your shoot

One of the biggest mistakes made by real estate agents while snapping pics is to merely allocate a limited amount of time and work fast. This is almost always a horrible idea. First, framing your shots properly can take time, and second, you never really know what state the listing is in before you show up. Giving yourself a very short window limits your chances of success.

2. Declutter before you start shooting

For professional pictures, remove everything from the counters and declutter the room. If the seller objects or does not understand why you are moving things around, explain to them that this will make it easier for the buyer to picture themselves living there when they swipe through the photographs. For many homebuyers, the first showing is online and the photos can make them decide whether or not to schedule a time to view it in person. Ideally, each room will be clean and uncluttered, with the right staging of furniture and decorations to make the space feel warm, inviting, lived in, and not too sparse.

3. Maintain stability with a tripod

You don't need a lot of expensive equipment because today's cameras are so remarkable. However, in addition to a wide-angle lens, we advise you to spend money on a sturdy tripod. Real estate photography is all about precision. Regardless of how still you think you're being, the camera will always move a little bit. The problem here is that these subtle motions can translate into blurry images. If your shutter speed isn't fast enough, you'll notice some motion blur in all your hand-held photos. Your camera will remain steady on a tripod, resulting in sharper images.

4. Get the right lighting

As you practise real estate photography, keep in mind that natural light is always the greatest choice. The sun cannot be replaced by any artificial light source. Natural lighting allows for the creation of stunning, rich shadows. LED panels and reflectors can be used to improve the effect created by natural light. They will assist you in emphasising crucial aspects, such as furniture's metal, wooden, or cloth components. Switching on all lighting in the space will also help to ensure that the photos come out crisp and clear and bright.

5. Post the appropriate amount of photos

There is a sweet spot for quantity. Buyers may become confused about the layout and features if there aren't enough images, or they may ask what's not being presented. Buyers may become disinterested if there are too many images of the same room or of irrelevant features, like a close-up of a shelf in a corner of a room. The amount of space and size will also play a significant role in how many pictures would be appropriate to best showcase the home. Ten images would, for example, be significantly too few for a 10,000-square-meter house, but it may be acceptable for a one-bedroom condo.

6. Shoot at eye level with the right perspective

The main thing you need to do is shoot a home to capture the size of the spaces realistically. For this reason, you must maintain a camera at eye level without using odd tilting angles. Naturally, there aren't any measures that apply to every home because a lot depends on the space between the floor and the ceiling. Generally speaking, picking the appropriate viewpoint requires some time.

7. Consider editing for the best results

No matter how good you are at taking photos, some pictures will inevitably have poor exposure, while others have problems with harsh shadows, insufficient light, etc. You might need to execute cropping if you shoot pictures without a tripod and are still learning how to establish a composition. In most cases, there will have to be some editing to fix all defects and adjust photo parameters to get a professional result. Sometimes, it is necessary to alter saturation and hue settings for a more natural result. If you do not know how to edit the photos yourself, hire a professional to assist.

After you photograph

Pair the photos with an accurate, catchy description that paints an appealing picture of the home in question. For greater support in your real estate career, join the best in the business by contacting the professional real estate team at your nearest RE/MAX office.