Camera Ready
What Does “Camera-Ready” Look Like?
Twist Tours tips on getting your listing photoshoot ready so it sells faster!
In the real estate industry, speed is everything. It’s all about the time between when a homeowner decides to sell to the moment a buyer has the keys to a house in their hand. In between these situations, there are tons of steps but one of the most important ones is capturing purposeful images and videos of the property for marketing purposes.
When we say “purposeful,” we aren’t just referring to photos that look passively pretty. We are talking about photos that will get someone to take meaningful action. This could be clicking to learn more, viewing additional marketing content (drone videos/floor plans), or contacting the listing agent. At Twist Tours, we specialize in adding value to the marketing efforts of realtors, architects, interior designers, and more by creating a tipping point that will turn a “real estate browser” into a “potential buyer.” Our expertise speeds up the buying process and makes the lives of all involved much easier.
Over the years our team has researched, studied, and dissected real estate marketing collateral in order to truly understand what elements matter the most when selling. These elements are what makes a home “camera-ready,” — let’s learn about them!
Professional Staging
Staging a home is an incredibly important part of the home selling process. It directly impacts both in-person and online real estate tours and can contribute to speeding up the sale of a property. Staging allows potential buyers to visualize a space and not feel emotionally tied to any objects in the room (strange decorations, family photos, outdated furniture.) It provides a tasteful yet neutral combination of elements that encourages someone to want to see more while still being able to create a mental image of what a residence would look like if they occupied it. For photo purposes, homes that are staged allow professional photographers to move comfortably throughout the home, capturing images that are trendy, clear, and taken in a way where there are no “off-limits” spaces. The more someone can see the interior of a home, the better. Not to mention, staging a home results in an ROI of 586% so you almost can’t afford not to.
Over our many years in the field, we’ve photographed impeccably staged homes and some that could use a finishing touch and have developed a comprehensive list of tips that you need to know. Click here to do some learning! There’s nothing we want more than to see your latest listing fly off the market above asking price.
Exterior Preparedness
When one of our Twist Tours photographers comes to a property, we never get just a few interior photos and leave. We capture the entire property, inside and out. This includes the landscaping, so keeping plants, grass, and sidewalks well-manicured is crucial. Since nearly every real estate listing images start out with an exterior photograph of the property, creating a positive first impression is essential.
Beyond landscaping, it’s also important that the windows of a home are clean, there are no cars in the driveway, and there are no toys lying around on the porch. Forgetting to prepare can turn off a potential buyer, which is the last thing anyone involved in the real estate transaction wants.
As we mentioned above, one of the most important factors that makes a real estate transaction a “success” is speed and the last thing we ever want to do is postpone a shoot. Some reasons for postponing are weather, contractors actively working, or the home not ready. Not only is postponing a challenge for our photographer but it extends the process of getting the listing on the MLS. To simplify this process for our awesome agents, we recommend checking in with contractors to make sure a home is actually ready for photos ahead of time (sinks are installed, all interior/exterior lighting is working, landscaping is manicured, ect.).
Timing
When taking pictures for real estate marketing purposes, the sun is your best friend. Many photographers prefer to break out the camera and start snapping photos of homes in the late morning or early afternoon when the sun is shining the brightest. Having proper lighting from the sun results in more vibrant photos than ones that are taken on a cloudy day/at night.
That being said, there’s an exception to most rules; this one being Twilight photo shoots! Twilight photography has become very popular, especially amongst real estate agents selling homes that have an illuminated pool, thoughtful exterior lighting, fabulous patio setups, or overlook stunning vistas. To accommodate, we offer special twilight photo tours (ask us about these!).
Now, if timing isn’t on your side, hope isn’t lost. As a professional real estate marketing organization, our Twist Tours team specializes in post-processing, meaning that we can enhance specific attributes of a home, resulting in attractive images, even if the weather isn’t optimal.
The Right Photographer
In our eyes, the most important factor that makes a home “camera-ready” is having a knowledgeable photographer standing right in front of it ready to capture valuable images. Not just anyone can snap photos of a clean, well-manicured, and staged home; it takes a professional to obtain the best pictures possible. There is a reason why our professional real estate photographers are “professionals,” and it really boils down to their expertise, knowledge, technology, artistic eye, and so much. Real estate photography is a game of angles and being just a few inches off can result in awkward images that poorly reflect the size, appearance, and feel of a space. The wrong photographer can make all of the above “camera-ready” factors obsolete, so it’s important for anyone interested in selling a property to do their due diligence and hire a team that knows exactly what they’re doing.
Putting together an online tour that encourages potential buyers to take meaningful actions all begins with making sure a property is “camera-ready.” This is comparable to putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Orchestrating the perfect photoshoot can be tricky, however, when everything goes smoothly, and the pieces fall together.
Even though we aren’t stagers or designers, our photographers are career professionals! They have seen it all – the good, the bad, the fabulous, and the nightmarish! They are happy to give their professional opinion if you have any questions for them about what looks (or does not look) good — as is our office! We’re always here to help as much as we can, because we know being “camera-ready” is more than just helpful for us, it helps all parties involved in the listing to be successful.
Keep this article handy and contact us today to speed up the time your property is on the market. We specialize in everything from photography to online tours to 3D models and more!
