Monday Morning Tip ~ Photographing Your Property!

A photo is worth a thousand words! Make no exceptions! Since a great majority of house hunters start their search on the internet, put your properties "best face forward".

Below are two examples of ways to photograph a property. Study these, then take photos of your property. If your Realtor shoots bad film, ask for a re-do! Be sure in this buyer's market your house looks best!

This photo, in itself, is a decent photo of house, but it doesn't create atmosphere. There's nothing going on. The front yard tree is blocking the view of the house and from the look in this photo, creating an awful lot of shade. How can you fix this?

1. Don't take this photo in the afternoon (this house faces west so the sun is shining from behind, creating all that shade)
2. Take the photo mid-day or, better yet, early morning
3. Take a photo of this house from the side, avoid having the tree as the focal point
4. Remove the items from the driveway
5. If there is a gravel driveway, such as this, try to include it in the photograph.
   

This photo creates an atmosphere. Lights are glowing from inside the house, it feels warm inside. The outside environment is prestine, there are horses in the background making it seem like Montana. How can you improve on this photo?

1. Add people inside, creating a livey dinner party
2. Take this photo at twilight so that the horses are more visible and there is a hint of alpenglo in the sky.

The second photo is considerably better than the first one mostly because it creates an atmosphere, a feeling of home. There are lots of ways to do that, below are a few:

1. Add kids playing in the front yard
2. Add people inside a well-lit house for a dinner party
3. Take pictures in the early morning or twilight for natural "mood" lighting
4. Have puppies scrambling around in the yard
5. Add two rocking chairs to the front porch, rock one of them just before snapping the shot
6. Add full colorful flowers to the front porch in big planters.

Have fun with your photos! It could mean the difference between having someone schedule an appointment to come see your home!