Six Must-Have Online Real Estate Photos

For a faster, more profitable home sale

Online real estate photos are the first place home buyers go when they're searching for a new house-- over 90% to be precise! 

In a recent survey, 86% of buyers stated that the online real estate pictures were the MOST IMPORTANT and useful feature of their home search, and that they always looked at the pictures first before checking out the specs.

Additionally, most buyers said they skipped right past listings that didn't include any real estate pictures to view.

If you want to make a fast home sale, you MUST include visual elements of it online.

Avoid disappointing buyers by leaving out the six most important areas of your home that should be included in your online real estate photo gallery. 

Six must-have online real estate photos

1. Home exterior pictures

A picture of the front of the home exterior should be first in your online picture gallery.

When I see real estate photos that are missing an exterior shot of the house, my immediate thought is, “What don't they want us to see! Is there a gravel pit next door?" 

A collection of listing photos should always include a good mix of interior and exterior shots. 

Home exterior shooting tips:

• Remove cars from the driveway, toys from the yard, garbage cans, and anything with your name on it before taking outside pictures.

• Don’t shoot the home exterior dead on. Take pictures at an angle, from a corner of the yard. Doing so will emphasize the depth of your home. 

• If you have an attached garage, avoid the mistake of shooting from the garage side of the property. This will make the garage look enormous and out of proportion with the rest of the house.

• Take seasonal landscape pictures, as well. If it’s summer, who wants to see a property buried in snow? Think holidays too. Prospective buyers who are searching for homes during the holidays are usually serious buyers. Tasteful holiday decorations can be emotionally appealing for many home buyers. 

• Take exterior house pictures from a ladder or elevated part of the yard, especially if using a wide-angle lens. 
  

• Avoid shooting pictures in the full glare of the sun, as the house windows may reflect back the sun’s glare and cast shadows on your home.  

• Frame landscape pictures by shooting from behind a hedge, shrub, or other decorative feature... This will add perspective to your photo. 
  

• Shooting from one corner of the yard to the other just makes a yard look more appealing.

• Highlight attractive landscaping-- a beautifully landscaped yard will add tremendous appeal (and value!) to your listing. Buyers will judge your home by the condition of the yard. Showcase mature shade trees or a well-tended garden in your online real estate photos.


• If your house is in a rural setting, be sure to include pictures of any fenced-in gardens,  outbuildings, greenhouse, and even a chicken coop. That chicken coop may be the deciding factor for many buyers, as chicken keeping has recently become quite popular.

2. Outdoor living spaces

If you have it, flaunt it! Present a fun lifestyle to buyers by including pictures of a sparkling swimming pool, a hot tub, patio or deck with a built-in barbecue, a porch swing... make a quick home sale by showcasing the good life.

Home buyers with children will be interested in property with play equipment in the backyard, while others may be looking for the privacy of a backyard wilderness.

Be sure to highlight any attractive outdoor features your property has to offer. 

3. Kitchen photos

Most buyers regard the kitchen as the yardstick by which they measure the rest of the house. If the kitchen design doesn’t meet their expectations, it may be the deal breaker, no matter how great the rest of the house is. You MUST include the kitchen in your gallery pictures lineup.

If you have any outstanding features in your kitchen, by all means, showcase them.

Take close-up shots of high-end details like; a farm-style kitchen sink, chef’s range, granite countertops, glass-faced cabinets, beautiful tiled backsplash and stainless steel appliances.

Know what the current target audience wants. If you have it, be sure to include it in your pictures.

4. Master bedroom photos

Today's buyers are looking for a master bedroom as a place of retreat from the stresses of the world.

When photographing your staged home, make it more attractive to potential buyers by presenting the master bedroom as a haven of luxury and rest.

Emphasize intimacy and comfort in your photographs by staging your bed with luxurious-looking bedding.

If you have an extra large master bedroom, set up a cozy sitting area with an upholstered chair and small table. Create a tempting vignette by staging with a lamp, books, tea set or other comforting items.

A walk-in closet is always on a buyer's want list. If your master bedroom has a walk-in closet, be sure to feature it in your online real estate photos.

If it has a built-in closet organizing system, post pictures of that as well. Showcase your walk-in closet by organizing and staging it attractively. 

5. Master bath photos

Like the kitchen, a bathroom renovation can bring you a big return on your investment when you go to sell your home.

Today's home buyers have a strong preference for an en suite bathroom. Everyone wants that spacious, relaxing, spa-like bathroom right off the master bedroom. 

Make a quick home sale by showcasing the master bath’s best features by featuring them in your online real estate photos.

If you have a  jacuzzi or soaking tub, a beautiful glassed-in walk-in shower or double sink vanity, be sure to include photos of these luxurious details in your gallery pictures.

Highlight any extras like storage cabinets, as well. Buyers love lots of storage!

It’s often tricky shooting pictures in a bathroom without getting a "mirror selfie." You may have to stand outside the door to keep your image out of the photographs. 

6. Living room photos

The living room is one space where proper home staging will pay off. This may be the most important room of all, because of all the family activities that take place here.

Your goal is to present an inviting lifestyle, by showing buyers a room they can relax and/or entertain in. 

Highlight the most attractive features in your real estate photography. Shoot pictures of focal points like; a fireplace, French doors, crown molding, beautiful windows, a great view, wood beams, arches or high ceilings.

Float furniture (away from the walls) and arrange into cozy conversational seating. This will make your living room appear larger and more inviting, instead of cold and impersonal like that waiting room with furniture against the walls.

For added warmth, color and style, lay down a large area rug and build your furniture arrangement around it. For a large, rectangular room, use two area rugs to create separate zones, one on each end.

If you have a great view, stand in the far corner of the room opposite the window view to shoot your photo; try to encompass the outdoors into your living room shot.

Capturing the outdoors into your living room shot will create a feeling of spaciousness and depth, as in the photo above.

How to post your house photos online

1. Don't post blurry photographs. It's frustrating for viewers.
2. Post about 20 to 30 photos and be sure to label each picture so viewers know which room they're looking at.
3. Make sure your photos aren't upside-down or sideways. Yes, unbelievably this occurs a lot. By real estate agents too!
4. Post your pictures in an order that makes sense, as if you were walking through the house. Start with the exterior front, entry, dining room, etc, ending with the backyard. Include a number of photos of each room from different angles, especially the kitchen.    

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This page last updated 10-29-2022