Clean your room.

In today’s market where the majority of buyers first see the house they will purchase on-line, it is very important to present the house in the best possible way. Even though everyone knows this, there are very few sellers and Realtors that do anything about it. Sellers just move out of the way (most of the time, I did see pictures on MLS with people and pets in the picture where they shouldn’t be) and let the agent snap a few shots. Only after the pictures are all over the marketing material and internet, the seller notices a cereal box on the table, dirty laundry in the bedroom, crooked blinds and curtains, toilet seat up, etc…
As for agents, they should be ashamed to take the picture in the first place and not say anything, unless you are trying to give the commission to the next agent that will market the house.
With that, let me point out a few things to consider when taking a picture for the listing.
Outside:
1. Have the seller mow the lawn. This includes trimming the trees, pulling the weeds, fixing the flower beds…
2. Water the lawn, and driveway, 15-30 minutes before the shoot. This will make the grass look greener and fresher. (Disregard it the winter with the snow on the ground).
3. Garage the cars, or at least move out of the picture. Buyers are interested in the curb view of the house, not your ride.
4. Hide the garbage cans. Need I say more.
Inside:
1. Pick up everything off the floor. This will create more space and make the room look bigger.
2. Make sure all the lights are working. Replace  all burned out light bulbs and turn them on for the photographs (and showings).
3. Take everything off the counter tops. This includes the kitchen and the bathrooms. Buyers want to see your kitchen and bathrooms, not what kind of detergent or toothpaste you use.
4. Vacuum the floors.  Even if you don’t regularly vacuum your home, giving the appearance that you do (by the photo showing vacuum lines) will give the illusion that you are a neat freak and every buyer wants to purchase the home of a OCD clean freak.

These are only some of the things I have noticed in some of Real Estate pictures.

Don't let your house fall over.

If you are wondering what am I talking about, please read on.

This is one of the first mistakes Real Estate Agents/ Photographers make, and for that matter, even some so called pro photographers, when taking a picture to post on line, flyer, in a magazine, etc...

Have you ever seen a picture like this?

It looks great, at least I think so. Great house, it all fits in a frame, beautiful curb appeal, amazing clouds... so what's wrong, right? Just look at the picture little closer! Does it seem like it's falling over? Look how much closer the bottom of the house seems than the top. Look at the corner of the house, the far left or right.

This is a common mistake, and very easy to make. It happens with large objects, like a building. The closer to the object you stand, the more it will distort, and if you use a wide angle lens, this will only be magnified. A wide angle lens allows you to stand much closer to the object than you would with a 'standard' lens, and in order to get the whole house in the picture you will have to tilt up your camera. This will create greater distance between the top of the house than the bottom and thus give the feeling of it tipping over.

Does it make sense? Just look a the picture below and compare it with the one on the top of this post!

Here are a few tips on how to avoid or fix this feeling of tipping over.

* If you have a truck, stand on the the back of it and try to hold your camera level. A ladder will work just as well.

* Stand far away from the house and zoom in.

* There are several great softwares that you can use to tilt your house back up.

I hope this helps you and improves your photographs and advertising. 

Good luck.

Rule of Thirds.

If you have never heard of this rule it's a great one to learn. The 'rule of the thirds' is a simple 'improvement' to your final product and will make you stand out from most of your other friends. Here is what it means and how it works.

Just imagine dividing your picture into the thirds, horizontally or vertically.

Than place your subject on one of the cross hairs. This is as simple as it gets.

Think about what are you trying to say with the picture, without saying a word. Think of the picture above and what do you think happened in it?

Order

Basic - $85

-Photo shoot of the property
-Up to 25 photographs.
-Photo Editing
-CD of all pictures.


Full Package Tour. - $150+

-Photo shoot of the property
-Up to 25 photographs.
-HDR Editing
-Photo stitching for Virtual tour.
-Upload to a site of your choice.
-CD of all pictures.

• $150 - full package tour for homes up to $180,000
• $200 - full package tour for homes between $180,001 and $300,000
  
• $250 - full package tour for homes between $300,001 and $800,000
• $350 - full package tour for homes between $800,001 and $1,500,000
• $600 - full package tour for homes between $1,500,001 and $3,000,000

Evening Shoot. - $45