I was going thru some of the photographs that folks have sent me over the years and I wanted to offer some tips on ways to make your photo’s showcase your house in the best possible light.

One really simple one is don’t shoot your outside photo’s from your car (and if you do at least crop the photo so your car isn’t showing!  Take exterior photos from all angles, including photographs of street, on blue-sky days.  While electrical lines are unattractive, trash cans, debris, dogs on chains, and random piles of toys/wood/vehicles/snow-gos are hideous.  Plus when prospective buyers come to actually see the house those things scream “I don’t take care of my house”

Inside, don’t be afraid to move things around; if there is a nice big window you want to highlight, clear out things on that side of the room.  Do make beds with pretty bedspreads and lots of comfy pillows, and pay attention to the curtains! Nothing makes me cringe more than a photo of damaged blinds!

Take your picture from a lower angle so that you get as much of the floor in the photo.  If the bedroom is tiny and seems like all that fits in there is a bed, add a small nightstand to show that there is room enough to make it comfortable.

Bathrooms are the most challenging area of the house to shoot.  There are some pretty important things in a bathroom that buyers will use daily, so don’t avoid it just because it’s challenging.

Try to use a very wide angle camera; if you don’t have a wide angle camera, you can use the pano setting on your phone, just don’t overdo it.   Move the plunger and trash can out of the room for the photo.  Make sure the toilet paper roll is full, the shower curtain is arranged nicely, and the deodorant/makeup/toothbrushes/etc are hidden or removed.

I’m just beginning to use video and interactive, once I’m proficient at that I’ll make sure to post some tips for those tools also!