One of the most important aspects of selling your home is pictures. A home could be the biggest home on the market, but bad pictures could prevent a sale. We are going to give you tips on how to take pictures of your home – yourself – but make them look professional.

1 – You Don’t Need A Professional Camera or Previous Photo Experience

Nowadays most smartphones are all you need to take the perfect picture of your home. This means even the most amateur photographer can take pictures. The key is placing your phone in landscape mode. This gives the widest angle for capturing the most in every picture. Also make sure to hold your phone about level with your nose; this gives you the best angle. You want to make sure you are not too zoomed in as well, your camera should be zoomed out all the way and you should be standing either in the corner of the room or as far back as you can go. This position captures the best angle to make rooms appear large.

2 – Lighting

Make sure to always take your pictures during the daytime – natural light makes pictures look so much better. The best times for natural light are dependent on if your property faces East, West, North, or South. For East and South facing properties the morning is the best time to take your pictures. For West facing you want to take them in the afternoon and North Facing you can take them anytime between 10-2. This makes sure homeowners can experience the natural light of the home, as lightbulbs sometimes cast a weird glow on the home.

3 – Preparing Your Home For Pictures

There are many steps you want to do before you start taking pictures below, we will break down each step by room.

Bathrooms:

• Put down toilet seats
• Wipe mirrors, counters, and faucets
• Make sure counters are either cleared or only have one or 2 items such as soap dispenser (a tip is to place all items inside your bathroom cabinet for the picture)
• Make sure all towels are folded neatly if in the photo
• Stand in the doorway to get the best angle

Bedrooms:

• Make all beds
• Make sure nothing is on the floor
• Remove any décor on top of dressers/nightstands for the picture
• Make sure closet is either organized or closed for the picture – a messy closet is not appealing in pictures
• Stand either in the doorway or the corner of the room to get the best angles

Kitchen:

• Wipe countertops
• Remove any pictures or magnets off of the fridge
• Try to make the countertops minimalist – potential buyers are not looking at your appliances they are looking at the countertops
• If you have a kitchen island or table consider placing some dishes to add to the picture

Living Room:

• Consider removing some furniture for the pictures to make the room seem less cluttered
• Vacuum rugs or carpets
• Remove any family pictures from the mantle or the wall (this allows buyers to picture themselves living in your home)
• Make sure the TV is turned off

Backyard:

• Lawn needs to be cut
• No dead plants or weeds should be visible
• If you have kids toys make sure they are either picked up or neatly organized