The Ultimate Real Estate Photography Checklist

If you want to buy a house or commercial property, you start by checking the real estate agent's brochure or website. You like two houses. The pictures of the first house are clicked in natural light, and the house appears clean from the outside, well-planned, organized, and neat inside. The other house's photographs are clicked after sunset; the exterior is half-blocked by a car, and the bedroom and room pictures show an unorganized house.

Which of the two would you be visiting? The answer is quite apparent, which is why, as real estate agents or property owners wanting to sell the property, you must ensure that the real estate photo shoot is done with the best team and equipment.

High-quality real estate photography can make or break the deal and is a vital part of the real estate sale process. Before listing the house or property, it is important that a professional real estate photographer stages the house and clicks good pictures covering all the focus points of the house under natural light, as well as following a photography checklist for real estate.

Clean and well-staged houses get sold faster than cluttered and unorganized ones, as a clean house's pictures would give the potential buyer a chance to visualize the home and furnishing in their way and as per their liking.

Thus, having a real estate photography checklist is handy whenever a new property is to be sold. This photography checklist for real estate will help you stage a house and capture it better.

‍Real Estate Photography Checklist

Having a checklist for real estate photography is helpful when you have to click pictures for a house or any commercial property. By following the checklist, you ensure that all the steps are followed and remember everything necessary while capturing the property photographs.

The first step would be to communicate with the client and understand their expectations and how they want to portray their property. Which features of the house would they like to highlight, and if they do not want something to be shown in pictures? This exercise will give you a clear idea and help you easily make the real estate pre-shoot checklist.

To make the real photography checklist more effective, go around the entire property and note which space is cluttered, which elements to highlight, and what area needs cleaning.

• Preparing the Exterior: A potential buyer will first see the house's exterior, so making the exterior look appealing is essential. When clicking pictures of the exteriors, ensure you click the entire house, front yard, and back yard, and ensure the lawns and exteriors are cleaned well.
• Curb Appeal Essentials – Trim and mow the lawn, highlight the, clean the exteriors, and remove any debris, leaves, or garbage.
• Front Yard Presentation – Remove the car, close the garage door, and remove any toys or balls from the play area.
• Backyard Preparation – Clean the pool and skim the leaves, remove pet items from the backyard, and clean and arrange the outdoor furniture.
• Preparing the Interior: Interiors are an important part of the real estate photography checklist. The photographs should capture the essence of the property and showcase all the essential features.
• General Cleaning Tips – Dust and vacuum the entire house, mop if required, and clean the windows to remove any stains or dust.
• Decluttering the Rooms- Remove personal items, clear all surfaces, and clean the bedrooms.
• Optimizing Lighting – Replace any bulb that does not work, adjust the curtains and blinds, turn on all the lights, and switch off any screens or TV.
• Kitchen Presentation – Clear the countertop, put away soaps and cleaning items, avoid trash from being visible at any cost, and put a small vase with fresh flowers on the counter.
• Bathroom Essentials – Remove all personal items, damp towels, etc., close the toilet lid, put fresh towels on the rack, and clean the shower area well.
• Living Area and Bedroom Tips – Arrange the furniture well and appealingly, add a few decorative elements like flowers, small showpieces or crystals, etc., and remove all the clutter, including old newspapers and magazines.

If there are any pets of the home seller, take that into account and add it to the checklist for real estate photography. Pets must be managed well during the photoshoot to ensure they don't disturb the photoshoot. But it would be a good idea to capture a candid shot of the pet playing in the front yard!

As a part of the real estate photography checklist, ensure all the equipment is ready and charged.

• Camera and Lenses: A DSLR or mirrorless camera is always better, as well as a wide-angle lens to capture the entire room in a single frame.

Check Out: Best Cameras for Great Real Estate Photography

Also see: Best Lens for Real Estate Photography

• Tripod and Stabilizers: You will need sturdy tripods to maintain stability.
• Lighting Equipment: Keep reflectors, flashlights, etc. handy.
• Memory Cards and Batteries: It is always a good idea to keep extra memory cards and batteries in emergencies.

The correct camera settings can significantly impact the quality of the pictures.

• Shooting in RAW will give you flexibility in editing.
• Set ISO to the minimum value; it will minimize noise.
• For optimal depth of the field, use aperture priority mode (f/8 – f/11)
• Adjust the white balance as per the lighting conditions.

Learn More: Best Camera Settings For Real Estate Photography

Conclusion

Most often, property owners must be made aware of the importance of a real estate photoshoot. Photographers must clear up the spaces, declutter the house, and make it look tidy before capturing the property. Getting the property ready for a shoot can be time-consuming if they are not well prepared. So, having a real estate photography checklist is necessary and can be very helpful and save time. To elevate your real estate photography even further and take it to the next level, use the Stydod Image Enhancement Tool! Try the checklist and the image enhancement tool for your next real estate photo shoot and see how easy it makes the shoot!

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