Producing Quality Real Estate

At Reasonable Rates

Monday, December 20, 2010

When Less is More...

The perception of space and roominess is a great selling point. For some tips on how to show rooms through images with this in mind...

Less is More
Make sure counters in bathrooms and kitchens are bare, with only a few accent pieces. Remove magnets from the refrigerator, and check to see that there is as much open floor space in each room as possible (consider picking up small floor rugs, hiding trash cans, and removing extra chairs from the dining room).

The goal is twofold:
1) to draw the viewers attention to the physical features of the home and
2) to create images that show the room or space at its largest size.

I have on occasion taken photographs of very lovely homes filled with beautiful antiques and gorgeous furniture of every shape and size. Unfortunately, while these homes were very pleasing to the eye, it did not translate to the camera. The final images looked busy--too much information! And unfortunately the actual marketable features of the rooms were often difficult to see.

Too Much Space
Ideally we want to make it easy for the potential buyer to imagine how their furniture will look in each room. But in some cases, too much empty space can be a bad thing, a vacant house, for example. When the potential buyer looks at photos of empty rooms, the sense of proportion/ perspective is more difficult to visualize.


In these instances, consider adding a small table, or a couple of chairs to the room. A large potted plant in a corner, a book case, or a rocking chair also can fill that empty space. Watch out for those broad and curving countertops. They will show better with a vase of flowers or a brightly colored bowl of fruit. Something simple to add interest to the scene is what you are looking for.