correctmyphotos

Is the Color the Best it can be?
The other day while picking up some printing a neighbor, Rich, was picking up a nice glossy photo poster of a house he is selling. Rich is a realtor and a very good one. He showed be the poster and while I was impressed with the layout and the composition of the photos I was struck with how “dull” they looked. Of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and said, ‘Nice layout, but the colors are wrong.” Rich actually agreed with me (or humored me) but said he really didn’t have time (or knowledge) to do anything about it. He is like the majority of real estate professionals that use their own “point and shoot” digital camera to photos to post on the web and for promotional material. They don’t or can’t afford to use a professional photographer and, as a result, most of the  real estate photos you see on the web are not very good.  That is really too bad since the first impression most people searching for a house is made from the photos posted on the web.

You don’t have to be a pro to take good real estate photos.

Better Color Makes the House More Interesting

 Here is an typical example of a home listing in the Minneapolis area. Using CorrectPhoto with OneClick color I made the color better in less than two seconds. The composition of the photo is pretty good so I did not crop the photo. Interior shots are generally the worst both from a composition and color standpoint.  The house lights and camera flash make for a bad combination for good color.  By getting rid of the color cast and boosting the brightness and saturation a little make the kitchen much more appealing.

Which kitchen is more appealing?

A little Cropping Often Helps
Here is an example of how cropping and color correction combine to give a better impression of the dining area.

Combine Cropping and Color Correction for Better Impression

And, one more photo of the outside. 

OneClick Color removes color casts and boosts saturation

Do Better Photos Help Sell Houses?
I can’t promise that you will sell more houses faster if the photos are better. But, it certainly can’t hurt and with the market being what it is today why not show off your listings better than the competition. And, it is not hard nor will it take a lot of time. You could learn Photoshop or Elements, but you won’t and don’t have to. CorrectPhoto with OneClick Color was made for amateur photographers like you and me.  I wrote another posting on editing real estate photos. Here is the link. http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/04/01/real-estate-photos-need-to-be-fixed/

So, if you are a real estate professional why not take a little extra time (maybe 15 minutes) to crop and color correct your listing photos and give yourself that competitive edge. Remember, you only have a few seconds to grab the interest of a potential home buyer searching the web.  A better photo might just be the thing that gets you that call for a showing. Why not try it?

Wayne   http://www.correctphoto.com