Photography and real estate sales have changed over the years.  I don't know if the premise behind pictures and the sales has evolved much but the marketing certainly has.  Before the internet, Realtors were your personal tour guide of knowledge.  They would find out what you were looking for based on basic criteria, scan through a large book of listings that highlighted a single image of the home and then chose from that information what would be of interest for you to visit.  In many cases as a client you never even got to look through the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS) book on your own.   Open houses were common place and marketing materials were not elaborate.
 

Today, we do have the internet.   The homeowner can do many of their own searches from the comfort of their own home with search engines acting as the tour guide.  If you have ever put in some basic criteria you know what a slew of images may appear... how do you sort through these? By looking at the first picture.  If the results do not produce a lot of listings then you will probably zing through the next 10 or 20 photos to see if the home or property has any appealing qualities. When the answer is YES you save the home and maybe contact an agent.  When the answer is NO you move on to the next property, automatically discounting it.  In todays high paced world buyers do not mind traveling further or paying more for a home that speaks to them and includes amenities that they desire.  The best thing a seller can do is have a professional photographer out to highlight the amazing details of the home so that the real estate agent (if they are using one) or the seller themselves (for sale by owner) can use the images in a medley of marketing tools.  
 

For the purposes of this article I will be focusing on Land and Residential properties.  The concepts for all other property types is the same and will be touched on in another blog post, however, I did include them in the list here to be complete.  
 

Here is the main breakdown of categories as listed on RMLS:
 

• Lots and Land - Any use, may or may not be buildable.
   
• Residential -  This is the one most of us think of when going to list our home.  A home/ property you can reside in like a mobile home, house boat, stick house, condo, time share, etc.  This home may have acreage or an HOA, you may have a community golf course or a private shop and barn. Residential homes are vast in there types.  RMLS choses categories that are more searchable for the consumer but in the interest of the photographer the biggest difference comes when photographing multiple buildings and spaces vs. one home and a small yard.
  • Country/Acreage
     
  • City/Suburb
     
• Farm/Ranch - income producing property that has an agricultural base
   
• Multifamily - apartment type housing
   
• Commercial - for businesses, churches, warehouses, etc.
   

1) If you are a homeowner and the agent suggests a photographer, be sure to find out who the photographer is and get contact information.  In some cases the realtor will come to the house with the photographer or visa versa.  In a perfect world I like to have had the chance to talk with the homeowner personally to find out any special details that I should include in the images that makes their home special to them.  I do not require the agent to stay at the photography session but if one is representing you and you still live in your home it is nice to have them there for introductions. 
 

2) Know what is going to be photographed. RMLS only allows 16 images to be placed for viewing purposes.  Other listing services such as Zillow or REALTOR allow 36 or more.  Lets focus on the RMLS listing allowance of only 16 and consider all others just a great bonus if they are needed.  The photographer and agent will want to focus on some general areas as follows:
 

For all residential homes:
 

1. Front of house/ entry
    
2. Kitchen (often this takes 2 photos)
    
3. Living Room
    
4. Bedrooms - especially the Master
    
5. Bathroom(s)
    
6. Laundry / Utility
    
7. Garage
    
8. One or two interesting detail or perspective - the stairs, a view from the window, a fireplace
    
9. Back yard
    
10. Back of House
     

Portland Single Family - Listed by Casey Franklin of Windermere Real Estate, Lake Oswego Branch.SE Portland Home. Image was taken as a twilight photo with all the lights on to give it a warm and welcoming glow. Portland Single Family - Listed by Casey Franklin of Windermere Real Estate, Lake Oswego Branch.Neat and tidy with a little bit of staging in this SE Portland home. Portland Single Family - Listed by Casey Franklin of Windermere Real Estate, Lake Oswego Branch.All the lights are on, blinds are down but open to allow in light, all the doors should have been closed.
 

If there is property or featured amenities the following should be included:
 

1. Exterior of outbuildings or fencing
    
2. Water, trees, gardens
    
3. Interior of outbuildings
    
4. General Landscape
    
5. The golf course, the airport, the local and hip street to dine out.  In todays culture it is not just about the house it is about a lifestyle and a community can make or break it.  As a seller you know what you, or your neighbors love about the area better than anyone.  Make a note and don't forget to tell your agent or the photographer.  
    

Aurora, OR Equestrian Farm - Listed by Casey FranklinOutbuildings and pasture space on a farm. Oregon City, OR Equestrian Estate - Listed by Casey Franklin of Windermere15065 S. Kirk Rd. Oregon City, Oregon. Private gated entry is neat and tidy and certainly a selling feature.   Street Photo in PDX, Montevilla Neighborhood Shoppes.Street Photo in PDX, Montevilla Neighborhood Shoppes provide lots of local attractions and excellent dining.
 

3) Make things tidy and consider staging.  We all understand if you still live in your home what that is like, however, how you live in your home and how a buyer may live there are two different scenarios. 
 

For the inside of the house: 
 

• Clothes, papers, dishes, ect. should be put away.
   
• Clean - everything should be dusted, floors swept and mopped, walls wiped down - pictures are meant to capture details... lets be sure they are the right ones.
   
• Consider a garage sale or storage of additional, not often used, items so that clean up is made simpler and an abundance of furniture can make images messy and cluttered. 
   

For the Outside:
 

• Pick up clutter once again.  Hoses should be hung or wraped nicely, leaves and grass removed from sidewalks and porches, toys put away.
   
• Mow the grass and pull weeds. Go an extra step further and bring in fresh bark chip, plant some flowers or trees and fix the broken board fence.
   

 4) Just before the photographer arrives be sure that some finial things are done:
 

• Keep pets and children contained so they are not a staple in the home photos.
   
• Turn on all the lights in the house and open blinds - YES, I really mean this, the homes lighting is very important and gives it warmth.
   
• Remove cars from driveway and ideally from the property so they are not inhibiting a nice scene.
   

5) RELAX! You have done a lot of hard work to get to this point and now all you need to do is wait for the team you hired to put it all together for you.  Your agent will pick out the best images to use.  If you are a homeowner that personally hired a photographer ask to see if all the images can be available to your agent (if you have one) as well. 

I wish you the best luck in finding a new family for your home and in the future transition you (and maybe your family) are making.