9 Steps To Help You Take The Perfect Real Estate Photos For Social Media

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9 Steps To Help You Take The Perfect Real Estate Photos For Social Media

Let's dive right in...... One Of The Most Effective Ways To Gather Attention And Potential buyers to your Listing Is To Advertise It On Social Media. If you are a realtor, this is probably common knowledge.

And, While the rules about targeting might have changed*** there are still effective ways to market your new listing to the local buyer community through social media.

*** (Facebook's platform limited the level of advanced targeting you can add when it comes to selling housing.)

 

Market Your Property Well On Facebook and Instagram and You could see leads the first day!

With tons of competition AND limited targeting options on social media, you'll need to Create The best possible social media Posts that you can. That means Taking the Best photos or videos you can day 1.

 

 

Today I'm Going To Walk You Through The Following:

  • How 2 Take The Perfect Photos Of Your New Listing For Facebook; The most important step in creating The Perfect Home Listing Facebook Post. 

 

Learning How To Create The Perfect Real Estate Listing For Social Media Starts With Giving The People What They Want; The Perfect Images

 

Sure Sure, Facebook Is Pushing Into Longer Editorial Articles And More News, but that is years down the road (and the wrong move I.M.O.) Right Now, Everyone is about video and short content; like image slideshows.That works out great for realtors!

When It Comes To The Majority Of Viral Posts On Facebook It Is All About Great Images; same with Instagram.... Videos do even better, but images seem to convert better (get more leads).  Using a combination of images and video would be best.

Videos Or Anything Visual That Doesn't Include Reading are your best chance for getting those views, likes and shares on Facebook and Instagram.... and most importantly, when it comes to getting those leads.

With That In Mind You Want To Start Off Your Perfect Facebook Real Estate Post, The Minute You Get That Listing, By Taking Tons Of Amazing Pictures; inside and out. 


 Getting the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to social media ads All hinges on the quality of your Pictures and videos (of The Property).


Let’s Learn How To Take Great Photos Before We Cover The Steps Of Shooting New Property Photos

All Of Your Real Estate Photo Shoots Should Follow These Tips.

  • When You Take Pictures Of Your Real Estate Listing You'll Want To Take Hundreds Of Photos If Possible. This Is The Most Important Rule To Remember. You never know what photos you will like later.  Take tons of photos from every angle and distance.  
Pretend You Are In An 80s Movie And You're The Photographer At A Fashion Shoot; Be Fabulous, Be Amazing And Be The Person Who Takes Hundreds Of Photos The First Time You Visit The Property!
    • Photos Must Be Level. Most Camera Apps Or Cameras Themselves Will Have A Level On Them Which Will Show You Where Level Is For The Picture you are taking; Or How Many Degrees You Are Off From Level.

    Or just buy a gimble or a tripod.  It will help keep you on the level.

     

    • Make Sure You Take Photos Vertically And Horizontally For Every Section You Shoot. For Example, If You Were Taking Pictures Of The Front Door Presentation (Taking A Photo From About 20 Paces Away From The Doorway) Make Sure You Take A Vertical And A Horizontal shot. That Way, Later, When You Are Editing, You Can See Which Ones You Like Better.

     

    • Use A Tripod.   I Highly Recommend Using A Tripod. Even The Cheap Ones Will Have A Level On Them, Or Several Levels On Them, Which Will Help You Keep Your Phone Or Camera, of course, Level. A level shot is a happy shot. You Don't Need An Expensive Tripod. And, Most Of Them Come With Attachments That Will Hold A Phone. Mine Was $20 for the tripod and the attachment (all together). :-) 

    ** and if you can swing it, buy a gimbal stick.  Not sure what they are?  Google them.  (they are a selfie stick wtih a gyro that keeps your camera steady and level. All wtih science!) 

     

    •  Each Room Should Have 3 Pictures Minimum (Usually Many More!)  We Want Each Section Of The House To Be Its Own Photo Album. Here Is What I Recommend.
      • Take A Shot Of The Doorway Or Initial View Presentation Of Any Room,
      •  Take Pictures From Every Angle Of The Room And Around Any Presentation Piece (Like A Master Bed Or Dining Table, Or Even The View!) 
      • Take A Series Of Photos From The Middle Of The Room (Your 360 Degree Shots)
        • For Example, The Master Bedroom Should Not Just Be One Photo. It Should Be Photos Of The View From When You First Enter The Room (While Still Under The Doorway Threshold), The Master Bed Itself (Unless It Is Completely Awful), And A Series Of Photos Of The Entire Room From Each Corner, A Shot From The Bed Looking At The Entertainment Center (If There Is One) And A 360° Set Of Shots From Right In The Middle Of The Room. You Should Have Enough Photos That Someone Can Simply Fall In Love With The Master Bedroom And Nothing Else.

    ***The 360 shots will be something you can use for VR tour software; if you want to create a virtual tour of the home.


    •  Lighting =  Time Of Day.  It Can Be Very Difficult To Get Lighting To Play In Your Favor When Taking Photos Of A Home From The Outside. Realtors Often take photos that look washed out from the sun.
    Most Of The Time I Will Recommend Taking Photos In The Early Afternoon Or Evening. This Should Give You The Best Lighting; However, You Have To Experiment With Lighting Yourself. Lighting Can Drastically Change How Amazing A Home Looks (inside and out), So Make Sure You Avoid Posting Photos That Are Washed Out By Too Much Light.

       ***One tip suggested by a client of mine; bring your own white florescent bulbs for the kitchen and bathroom (or anywhere there might be yellow or off white, or just old, light bulbs.)  That extra white light can really brigthen up a photo.  

       

      • One Way To Cheat And Something I Highly Recommend, Is To Use Photoshop Or Use A Developer Who Knows Photoshop to Upgrade Your Photos. Modifying Your Images To Help Take Out The Washed Out Look, enhance color, or even paint walls and add lighting, Can Drastically Improve The Photo Quality And Overall Look Of Your Photos. 



      Now That You Know How To Take The Pictures, Let’s Actually Do It! - The 9 Step Process


      1. Take Pictures Of The Curbside Appeal First, Start With Pictures Of The Property From The Outside. Take A Picture Of The Entire Property From The Curb To Showcase The Curbside Appeal Of The Home.


      2. Take A Picture From Each Front Corner Of The Property. What I Mean By This Is Don’t Just Shoot One Photo Of The Outside. Take The Front Shot Sure, But Then Walk To Each Of The Corners Of The Front Of The Property (But Still In The Street) And Take Another Picture. This Way You Get A Minimum Of Three Pictures Of The Front From The Curb.


      3. If It Is Appealing, And Only If It Is Appealing, Take A Picture From The Front Door Looking Out Before You Head Inside. If There Is Any Sort Of View It Will Be A Good Idea To Showcase This In The Listing.


       4. Next, Take A Picture Of The Front Door Presentation; This Is Not Just The Front Door! What I Mean By This Is, Take A Picture Of What The Home Looks Like From About 15 To 20 Feet From The Door.

      Are There Elevated Steps That Are Amazing 19th Century Brick?

      Maybe There Are White Columns On Either Side Of The Outside Entryway That Really Present The Home Nicely. 

      We Want To Give Someone A Sense Of What It Feels Like To Come Home to this property.


       5. Take Pictures Of The Side Yard, Rv Area, Backyard. Now, Head To The Backyard; If There Is Any Side Yard Make Sure You Start Their First.

      If There Is Any Rv Parking Make Sure You Take Photos Of That As Well.

      You Should Take At Least 50 Shots Of The Backyard. You Might Only Use 10 Of Them But With Digital Photos, It Costs You Nothing To Take Many Many More. And, it will help you in the long run whe you go to edit.


       Last Note, If There Are Any Barbecue Areas Or Gazebos, Hot Tubs Or Other Hang Out Spots Make Sure You Take Pictures Of Those As Well.

       


      6. Take 3 Stages Of Photos For Each Presentation Area**.

      **A Presentation Area Is An Area That You Want To Present To Someone.  For Example, The Kitchen Is One Presentation Area The Dining Room Is Another Presentation Area The Dining Room Table Is Another Presentation Area The Living Room Is A Presentation Area And, If Applicable The Entertainment Center Is A Presentation Area. The Master Bedroom Is Also A Presentation Area As Well As The Master Bed Itself.    You get the picture right?  


       6.1 - Stage 1. The Wide Angle Shots.  Using The Kitchen As Our First Example, You'll Want To Stand A Few Paces Away So You Can Take A Single Photo From Straight-on Of The Full Kitchen. You'll Then Want To Move To One Of The Corners Of The Kitchen And Take Another Photo From A Few Paces Back; Again Encapsulating The Entire Kitchen. Do This For Every Quarter Point At The Kitchen If Possible.


      Wide Angle Example


      6.2 - Stage 2 - Take A 30 Degree Shot Of Every Presentation Area. This Means That You Want To Take A Photo Of That Same Kitchen, But This Time, Take Photos Closer In; Focusing On The Separate Sections Of The Kitchen (The Stove Area, The Center Island, The Cook Prep Area, The Sink, Etc.).  Take The Photos As If The Camera Were Right About At Chin Level.  Aim Your Camera, Angled Down At About A 30 Degrees. Take A Picture Of Each Of These Separate Sections (Or Several Photos. 

       

      Always Take One Photo Straight In Front Of The Section, And One Photo At Each Corner Of It; All From About 5 Feet Away. 


      Corner Shot Example

       

      Straight On Shot Example


      6.3 - Stage 3 -  Take A 360-degree Shot Of Every Presentation Area.  What I Mean By This Is With Your Camera Or Phone On Your Tripod Take Photos With Your Tripod Sitting In The Middle Of The Room; All The Way Around (In A Circle).


       Take A Photo, Spin The Camera On The Tripod Slightly To The Right And Take Another Photo; Now Continue This Process Until You Have Shot All 360 Degrees Of The Room.  This Will Create A Panoramic View Of The Room.  Do This Same Thing For Every Room. 


      You’ll Want To Do The Same Thing With Our Dining Room Are Or Any Other Separate Section of The House (Like A Master Bed, Amazing Entertainment Center, Etc.). With The Dining Room Table Example (Or Any Other Main Focus Piece, Like A Fire Pit) You'll Want To Make Sure, Again That Your Camera Is Level And Square To The Dining Room Table; Then Take Photos From All The Way Around The Dining Room Table Moving Your Tripod A Few Paces To The Right Each Time; Until You Have Taken Shots From Every Angle Of The Table; All At The Same Height And Angle. That Way You Get 20 To 30 Photos Of The Presentation Area Or Focus Piece (In This Case The Dining Room Table)  From Different Angles; All Of Them Square And Looking Great! This Will Be Important Later For Our Vr Tour.

      *** If The Dining Room Table Is Ugly Ignore It.  Do Not Shoot That Table As A Focal Point.  Just Move On After You Have Taken Your Three Presentation Shots (Straight On And At Each Angle; See The Above Steps For Examples)



      7. The Walkthrough Shots. After You Have Taken All Other Photos, Go Back Through The House And Take Photos As You Walk.  When You're Walking Through The Home Continuously stop Take a Photo, then move forward 5 feet or so. This Will Help You To Develop A Seamless Experience When You Upload Your Photos To A Vr Tour Creator.  If you are not creating a VR tour, you can skip this step.

      It Might Seem A Bit Odd To Just Walk And Take Photos But It Will Be Highly Advantageous Down The Road. Walk Through The Home Like You Are A Buyer While Taking Photos At The Same Height (Hold Your Camera About Two Inches Below Eye Level;  Looking for about 5' 6" high for the lense of the camera).
      Walk Into Each Room Taking A Photo Every 5 feet or so.  These Walk Through Shots Will Be In Addition To All The Other Photos You Took. Do Not Skip Over Areas Because You “Think” You Already Took A Picture From That Angle.  Just Walk And Keep Hitting The Picture Button. 



      8. The Views Shots. Once You Are Done With All Of Your Photos It Is A Good Idea To Go Back To through the Home And Take Pictures Of Any Viewpoints From The Property. This Might Be On The Back Yard Steps Overlooking The Hills. It Might Be A View From The Kitchen Looking Out Over The Backyard Or Front Yard; Where Someone Might Watch Their Kids Play.

      You Will Compile These Shots Into A Separate Album Called Views. This Way People Can Experience The Amazing Views Of The Property All At Once. Wherever There Are Amazing Views Take Several Photos As If You Were The Person Living There, Experiencing That View.  

      ***If the property does not have any great views.. skip this one. 

       

      9. The Gadgets Shots.  One Of The Small Tips That I Think Is Too Commonly Overlooked Is The Taking Of Photos Of Different Gadgets Or Electronics Setups Throughout The Property. If The Home Has An Amazing Sprinkler System And Automatic Timer, Take A Picture Of It.

      If The Home Has A Pool With A Brand New Easy To Access Lighting Panel Full Of Electronics, Take A Picture Of It.

      If The Home Has A Workshop Or Any Other ManCave Or SheCave Areas, Take Pictures Of Them.

      Know Your Audience. Certain People Love Gadgets; And Homeowners In General Love Ease Of Access To Different Electronics And Equipment Around The Property. Showcasing These With A Few Photos Can Really Help Put Your Property Listing Over The Top.


         Good Luck Out There Selling Properties! I Hope This Guide Helps You Sell Even More!