Real Estate Photo Flops

With the technology available in smartphones and cameras these days anyone can take a professional looking photo right? Well, not exactly. We looked around real estate listings in the Seattle-Tacoma area and found some entertaining proof that there’s still room for improvement. Here are 15 of the best, mostly unintentional real estate flops in the Seattle area.

1. Just like Michael Jackson said, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror!”

2. Welcome to the twilight zone. Which way is up again??

3. Don’t mind the Minion, he’s just here to watch.

4. Oh, this house comes with standard sink hardware? SOLD!

5. Wanted: Dish boy for last week’s dinner dishes.

6. Your kids will love the backyard with the rusty (not rustic) trampoline!

7. What? What cracks on the door? We fixed them months ago with Adobe.

8. This isn’t your dog’s big break, but SO close!

9. No, the sock doesn’t come standard. It’s considered an upgrade.

10. Every well-dressed elephant needs their own fan, right?

11. Is this the door to Narnia?

12. We call this our ‘accident corner’.

13. WHO, WHO, WHO wants to come over for some lunch?!

14. This toilet is out of commission. Thank goodness there is an ‘accident corner’ nearby!

15. Dun dun..dun dun..dun dun..

While there’s a lot of humor in these pictures, for the real estate industry it’s important to remember the moral of story: photography can make or break the sale of your home.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, but as a real estate agent or an independent home seller it’s your job to make sure those words are all positive. To avoid getting into situations like the ones above, it’s important to remember the four key elements of a good photo of your home:

Angles – Take a lot of pictures. Don’t just try one and call it good. Making sure you can see the room as a whole rather then one specific wall (or sink) will give home-buyers the realistic view they need.
Cleanliness – When a home-buyer looks at a picture, they want to imagine how their life would look in the house. Clutter and messy rooms (spare socks included) are distracting from the beauty your home has to offer.
Lighting – It’s hard for a room to look nice if no one can see it. Even if you don’t have access to professional lighting, you can still photograph in the best daylight hours.
Quality of Camera – Smartphones these days have great capability for photography, but just make sure to avoid things like Snapchat filters that take away from the professional quality of your pictures.

At the Marketing Desks, we know how important real estate photos are to you, your home, and your listing. We work with our clients to efficiently produce attractive, professional photos that will make you listing pop, not flop. For more information on what photography can do for you or your business, check out our photography packages and contact us with questions!