House staging and well-composed photos go together like peanut butter and jelly. A single ingredient just doesn’t hit the spot the same way. A perfectly-staged house without photos — or photos of a cluttered home — won’t cut it if you’re looking to sell a property quickly or start a bidding war.
Follow these professional tips to stage residential properties like a pro and photograph them like an Instagram influencer to attract buyers and bring in a multitude of strong offers.
Staging Mistakes to Avoid
Decluttering too Much
The real estate agent mantra for staging homes is “declutter.” The biggest mistake amateur stagers — or homeowners attempting to DIY — make is removing too much furniture and too many decorative items.
Eliminating too many pieces can make a house feel cold and uninviting. Furniture helps to define a space and provide a frame of reference for room size. Instead of removing too many items from a room, create a more neutral color palette with pops of color. Visually, this choice reads as less cluttered, while still conveying a sense of home.
Items left in place should draw the buyer’s eye around the space, without detracting from the architecture and features of the home.
Poorly Done Paint and Flooring
Chipped or sloppy wall and trim paint, stained carpets, or bare wood floors without an area rug to anchor the room will draw the eye away from the quality of the home and discourage buyers from making an offer.
Repainting or touching up paint, having carpets professionally cleaned, or adding an inexpensive area rug are easy solutions.
Lack of Curb Appeal
Everyone sees the exterior of a home, so curb appeal is vital. Make first impressions count by dressing up the front of the home for sale. But you don’t have to go overboard.
Start by removing any dead foliage and raking up leaves or other debris. Seasonal potted plants make a statement without digging, and upgrading exterior lighting is a fast way to bring a dated home exterior into the modern era.
Stow tools and garbage cans inside a garage or shed to keep the focus on the house and create a sense of adequate storage.
Photography Tips
Modern smartphone cameras take higher-quality photos than many digital cameras, so even a photography amateur can succeed in producing Instagram-worthy images by following these tips from professional photographers.
General Tips
- Try photos with and without your flash turned on.
- Hold the camera straight and parallel with the floor. If you struggle with this, use a tripod.
- Shoot photos at eye level.
- Take more photos than you need, so you can choose the best ones from many; otherwise, you may find that you’re stuck with lackluster options.
- Color-correct and adjust the white balance in photos as necessary before posting to Instagram or the MLS.
Tips for Realty Photography
Before taking photos, walk around the house to get a feel for the flow and which areas and angles would create the best photos.- Shoot photos in daylight. This is when natural light will be brightest inside a home. However, shooting exterior photos at twilight with all interior lights on can create atmospheric, dramatic images.
- Capture standard photos to share online, including two wide-angle shots of each bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room; one bathroom photo; up to three photos of the backyard; and one photo of the laundry room, garage, or other special features.
- Skip photographing the interiors of closets unless they’re remarkable in some way.
- Move objects out of the way to capture the best vignettes, if possible.
Before taking photos, walk around the house to get a feel for the flow and which areas and angles would create the best photos.
Posting on Instagram
There’s a secret formula for posting home photos on social media to get views and engagement from your target audience. The most beautiful image in the world won’t garner the attention it deserves without following these tips.
- On Instagram, use three to five hashtags that are relevant to real estate and the home you’re selling. Don’t overdo it; less truly is more.
- Opt for carousel posts — ones that let the user scroll through multiple images. They get more engagement than single images or videos on your Instagram grid.
- Post consistently. Your followers and target audience expect to see you in their feeds. Show up for them.
- Write your posts for your ideal follower. If you post for everyone, you post for no one. Speak to your audience directly.
- Don’t include a call to action on every post, and remember that URLs don’t work in Instagram posts.
- Try posting to Instagram Reels using trending sounds. An engaging hook will help your video catch on.
Build a Social Media Strategy Around Beautiful Images
A digital marketing agency can guide you to an effective social media strategy that incorporates the Instagram-worthy photos you took of those beautifully staged homes. And bonus: these images will drive traffic to your real estate website, and ultimately to the houses you sell.
Partner with an agency that provides you with in-depth analytics that illustrate the return on your investment. iFocus Marketing helps clients achieve measurable business outcomes through meaningful marketing strategies and analysis. Voted Best Marketing Agency in Kansas City according to The Pitch, iFocus serves clients around the country, with extensive experience in property management and real estate marketing.
About the Author
Jenifer Calandra’s decade of marketing experience in a range of industries gives her a unique perspective on strategy. A professional writer by trade, Jenifer crafts the story of your brand to positively affect your website’s search engine optimization and authority with your target audience.
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