Your real estate agent will need plenty of photographs of your home when placing it for sale. Photographs are used in online listing, brochures, social media posts, and more. They are an essential and extremely important part of marketing your home to potential buyers. It's best to hire a professional photographer to capture your home in its best light. If you need to do it yourself or feel very confident in your own photography skills, here are some things to keep in mind when photographing your single family home for sale.

Set Goals for Your Photo Shoot

To have a successful photo shoot of your home, you need to have specific goals in mind. For example, you may opt to have a home that's free of clutter prior to the shoot. On the day of the shoot, you may choose to capture 100 or more shots of each room so that you can have plenty of options for selecting the most appealing angle and shot. You may also choose to make a "To Do" list of shots that you want to capture, then check them off as you photograph the house.

Take Lighting Seriously

Relying on lamps and overhead lights that you use each day on your home won't cut it for a photo shoot. You need to prepare lighting for the photo shoot. Open the windows to allow in as much sunlight as possible. Beyond that, you need to get a flash on your camera that can illuminate the shots. If your budget allows, bring in professional photography lights and move them from room to room as you photograph the home.

Spend Plenty of Time Outside

A common mistake that amateur photographers make when capturing pictures of their home is neglecting the exterior. However, many home buyers are very interested in what the home looks like from the outside. Be sure to photograph the front, back, and sides of the home. Also take angles of the driveway, garage, and other areas of the house. Be sure to clean the yard and clear any clutter or trash out of the way before taking the pictures.

Finally, when you go to photograph your home, it's important to treat the photo shoot as though it is a serious matter. Prepare your home for the shoot for days. That means cleaning and arranging things to show off the home in the best light. Make an appointment with yourself for when you will photograph the home and take a lot of time to set up each shot like professional photographer would.