Real Estate Photo Mistakes
Here are some things to avoid with real estate media, pulled from current listings in February 2021.
The Dutch Tilt
The Dutch Tilt is a filmmaking technique where things that would normally be level are purposefully skewed. It was first developed by German expressionists in the 1920s and was used to create “a sensation that something is wrong, disorienting or unsettling”
This is the last thing you want your audiences to see in your listings.
Improper Resolution or Size
Too small photos or ones taken in vertical position on a cell phone will often look like this on the MLS.
Too few photos
This half million dollar listing has 8 photos. That’s a low number. But the number itself isn’t the problem. The problem is that the photos don’t tell any story of what life would be like in this home. Realtors should aim not for a specific number but for a story to unfold that mimics the way a person would walk through the home. Start at the outside front, work toward the front door, into the entry, through to the kitchen and so on. Marketable features like fireplaces, built ins, great lighting, backsplashes and other items that stay with the house should be highlighted.
Lazy Photos
This spot could have been a fine location to tell the beginning of a story about an acreage lot with room for horses. Instead it says that this listing is not important enough for me to get out of my car.
Bare Land Photos
If your seller is offering bare land, skip the ground photos (which all look exactly like this) and opt for aerials from several different altitudes and angles. Buyers will be able to see size, scope, and features of the area so they can imagine where to put the house, the barn or where the views from the house will be. This is especially true if the land is near water.
Avoiding these mistakes will go a long way to proving to your potential clients that you have a brilliant real estate marketing process and that you are the only agent they should trust for helping them achieve their dreams of buying or selling a home.
Additionally, providing brilliant imagery on your listings will create interested buyers who are more emotionally connected with the property and more likely to buy.