In the past, it was necessary for agents to have a really nice camera in order to get great photos for real estate listings. Nevertheless, these days modern smartphones have some pretty advanced cameras and it’s totally possible to get great photos just with a cell phone. That is if you know some of these cell phone cameras hacks to make sure that you’re getting the best possible photos:

Get The Lighting Right

You should never use the flash on your cell phone camera. It will make pictures look grainy and overexposed. The best way to get great photos indoors with your cell phone camera is to make sure that you get the indoor lighting perfect. Natural light is best, so open all the shades and drapes to illuminate the room. But if the day is cloudy or you’re taking photos at night you need to have professional studio lights. The good news is that these days portable photography lights can be purchased for very cheap on Amazon and other sites. For around $20 you can get professional quality lights that you can easily transport to houses. It’s a great investment that is well worth the cost.

Don’t Use Filters

You may be tempted to use filters on your photos in order to correct the lighting or make the photos look more appealing. Don’t. It’s easy to see when filters are being used and if you use them the potential buyers will wonder what you’re trying to hide by using filters. Don’t get too artsy with these photos. You’re trying to sell a home not make an Instagram art installation.

Use A Mount Or A Stand

If you’re taking photos in a low light environment, like indoors, the camera shutter will slow down to let more light in to get a better photo. That means there is plenty of time for your hands to shake, or jerk, or move and ruin the photos. The best way to get great photos of a home’s interior is to use a stand, a tripod, or some kind of mount so that you will be sure that the camera stays steady. You can use the auto self-timer on the phone camera to make sure that you have time to line up the photo and put the camera on the stand or mount before the phone takes the camera.

Don’t Use Fish Eye Lens

You might be tempted to use a fisheye lens to try and get more of the room in the photo. But a fisheye lens distorts the photo and makes it harder for people to gauge the size of the room. Take simple photos without any special lenses to get photos that accurately represent the room. 

Potential home buyers do notice the small stuff, even the stuff that homeowners might think won’t get noticed. Things like clutter and personalized photos can make buyers lose interest in a home. But so can many other small details. So when you’re working a homeowner to get a home ready to sell make sure that they don’t forget about those five small details that potential buyer is going to notice:

The Front Door

The front of the house needs to make a great first impression or buyers will lose interest immediately. But there’s more to the front of the house than just the paint color or windows. The front door can either welcome potential buyers into the home or make them want to walk away without even going inside. The front door should always be power washed at the very least. But if possible it’s better to give it a fresh coat of paint and make it look bright and new.

The Driveway

The driveway is the first thing buyers will see when they pull up to the house. The driveway should be swept and look clean if it’s in the spring, summer or fall. In the winter it needs to be plowed or shoveled and should be free of ice. If there are cracks or defects in the driveway those should be fixed before the homeowner starts showing the house. The path to the house should also be clean or shoveled and any broken concrete or paving stones should be fixed.

Bathroom Grout

Dirty grout makes bathrooms look old and dirty even if they have been professionally cleaned. A quick and cheap fix is to through and regrouts the shower, tub, and other areas so that the grout looks fresh and clean when potential buyers are going to come to the house. Paying attention to small details like the grout can make even older bathrooms and kitchens appeal to buyers.

Smells

Don’t bother trying to disguise a bad odor in a home. The potential buyers will notice immediately. Avoid using wall plugins and other home fragrances. They can smell cheap and can trigger allergies in those that are sensitive to scents. Instead, make sure that you eliminate the source of any smells. Get carpets professionally cleaned, especially if pets were living in the home. Use a fabric refresher on upholstered furniture. If you want to make the house smell great bake something like cookies or pie.

Cracks And Blemishes

Homeowners might have lived with small cracks in the walls, paint blemishes and other defects for so long that they don’t even really see them anymore. But potential buyers will definitely notice them. Spackle any nail holes or cracks in the walls and make sure the rooms and the trim in the rooms get fresh coats of paint before showing the house. 

The winter months are usually a slow time when it comes to selling real estate. But if you stage homes that are for sale properly that will boost potential buyer interest in the home quite a bit. The key to getting homes to sell during this slower period of the year is to make sure that your staging is beautiful and will make potential buyers want to have their own holidays in the home. Decorate with heavy throws, pretty window treatments, and seasonal décor to play up the potential of the home to be a great family gathering place. Here are some winter staging tips from expert home stagers to inspire your own winter staging strategies:

Keep Snow Where It Belongs

A cozy home with a beautiful snowy landscape will impress buyers, but you should make sure that the snow stays in the yard where it is supposed to be. Make sure that all walkways and the driveway are cleared of snow and salted. You need to be sure that buyers can get safely to the door and move safely around the property. Make sure there are no large snowdrifts on the edges of the driveway or on the patio or deck.

Turn Up the Heat

You are selling the idea that the home is warm and cozy in the winter cold. You can’t do that if it’s freezing inside. Make sure the heat is set at leave 70 degrees and give the house time to warm up before you have potential buyers in the home. That way when people come in from outside they will subconsciously think the house is warm and cozy.

Bake Something Seasonal

The smell of baking cookies, pies, or other sweets will enhance that cozy sensation for buyers. The home will seem like a perfect home for the holidays when they walk into the sweet smell of holiday goodies. It’s also a good idea to set up a coffee and tea station with seasonally flavored drinks so that they can help themselves to a hot beverage.

Organize the Front Hall or Foyer

When people come in, they are going to be wearing coats, snowy boots, hats and other winter gear. Set up a hanging rack or a pretty entry way storage bench with a floor mat so that people can wipe their feet or remove their boots, hang up their coats, and keep all their hats and mittens and other items organized. This will not only protect the home’s interior from wet or muddy shoes it will also show potential buyers that the house is functional in the winter and there is plenty of room to take off winter gear when people come in the house. If the home has a mud room come in that way instead of through the front door.