Best Time to Take Real Estate Photos: A Guide for Stunning Property Listings
When you have successfully secured the listing and are getting the house ready for sale, it is important to plan your marketing strategy and engage real estate service providers. One crucial aspect to consider is the ideal time to schedule a photo shoot, which can greatly impact the quality of the images and promotional materials. This involves determining the most suitable time of day and stage in the pre-marketing process for the real estate photography session. To gain further insights on how to obtain top-quality photos for your listing, read on to know the best time to take real estate photos.
What is the best time to take real estate photos?
When taking real estate photos, the optimal time for shooting mainly relies on several factors such as the sun’s location, the climate, and the marketing strategy you want to adopt. However, photographers can take advantage of post-production editing to adjust the timing of the shoot. Generally, the best real estate photos are taken when the sun is positioned behind the camera or during the twilight hours following the sunset.
Consider the home’s front-facing orientation
As previously stated, photographers have to take into account the position of the sun, particularly when taking pictures of a property’s exterior. For optimal outdoor shots, real estate photographers should position themselves in such a way that the sun is directly behind them. The resulting images are characterized by vivid colors and minimal shadows, unlike images taken when the house blocks the sun. Prior to booking a photography session, it is important to ascertain the direction in which the property faces. In case of any uncertainty, the photography service provider can offer advice on the best time to conduct the shoot.
Here’s when you should book a photographer based on a home’s orientation:
- North-facing properties: 10am-2pm
- East-facing properties: Morning
- South-facing properties: Early morning, evening
- West-facing properties: Afternoon, evening
You can quickly determine the home’s orientation by pulling up the address on Google Maps. Without manipulating the map, north is the top of the screen, east is the right, and so on.
Highlight features with twilight photos
The position of the sun can greatly enhance the appearance of real estate photographs, but twilight photography can also be an effective marketing tool. By taking pictures between sunset and dusk, the unique features of a property can be highlighted. If a listing has outdoor amenities, such as a pool or a city skyline view, or is landscaped with exterior lighting, it may be beneficial to schedule a twilight photoshoot.
Additionally, interior twilights are a fantastic option if your listing offers soft lighting, eye-catching fixtures, and cozy spaces.
Luxury agents often hire professional real estate photographers to capture daylight and twilight images. That way, prospective buyers see the property’s appearance throughout the day.
Best time for real estate photography
Before putting your property up for sale, it is essential to make sure it is ready for the listing photoshoot, open house, and showings during the pre-marketing phase. To ensure that your property looks its best for the professional photographer, there are several crucial steps you need to take before scheduling the photoshoot. Here are some tips to help you prepare your listing for the photoshoot.
Declutter the space
To ensure stunning listing photos, it is essential to declutter the space beforehand. A messy environment can negatively impact the visual appeal of the property, and potential buyers prefer to see the home’s real potential without any distractions. Therefore, it is advisable to walk through the house and identify items that should be hidden from view during the pre-listing process. You can also share clutter-free listing images with your clients to help them determine what they should keep or store away.
Wipe down the surfaces
After the homeowners declutter, encourage a standard cleaning. Dusty baseboards won’t appear in real estate images, but crusty countertops will. Additionally, make sure the windows are clean with minimal to no streaks.
De-personalize and stage
After decluttering and cleaning the house, it is important to advise your clients to depersonalize the space by removing any family-related items such as pictures, cards, notes, and drawings from visible areas like the refrigerator. It is advisable to leave framed family pictures, but the homeowner may not want to display photos of their family along with the home address. In case the homeowner decides to remove all family images, it is recommended to stage the empty walls with abstract art frames. One can either hire a professional stager or use their own inventory to decorate the home.
On that note, collecting some staple pieces you can lend to your listings for the real estate photoshoot is a good idea.
Spruce up the curb appeal
The front exterior image is usually the first photo potential buyers see. A well-maintained façade can capture attention and encourage viewers to click through the rest of the listing’s pictures. Similar to decluttering, do a walkabout with your sellers to determine what landscaping tasks create the most impact.
Sprucing up the curb appeal can be as simple as mowing the grass and laying fresh mulch. Ask the homeowners to temporarily remove flags, vehicles, holiday decorations, and toys before the photographer arrives.
High-quality real estate photos
While scheduling the best time to take photos is crucial, you must use a photographer who consistently provides high-quality photos. Both marketing consistency and quality are key for your real estate business to succeed.
Once you find a professional photography provider you love, consider them your business partner for all your listings.
Use Havah as your one-stop-shop
Havah provides exceptional real estate photography solutions and additional services. Collaborating with Havah can enhance your pictures that have been proven to sell at a higher price than others.
Havah is a comprehensive resource for all your real estate visual marketing needs. They offer supplementary services such as blue sky guarantee, aerial photography and video, floor plans, and individual property websites.
