Take better listing photos, or don't take them at all!

Last month I was asked if I would give a presentation on photography for Realtors with tips on how to photograph homes. I decided to look at the photographs in the MLS to get some ideas on where to start.

It did not take long to find a blurry partial dining room picture taken in a dimly lit, half-million-dollar home and a picture of a family room with part of a human body and an entire dog in it representing a $300,000 home.

A recent study by Redfin estimated that only 15 percent of listings are marketed with professional-quality photographs, and found that the homes featured in those listings sold for closer to their asking price than those shot with point-and-shoot cameras.

If professional photography is not being used to market a home, it isn't really being marketed, Redfin's Michelle Broderick concluded in publishing the study's findings.

There are many photography sites that give instructions on interior photography, exterior photography and architectural photography of all types. There isn't a lack of information on the topic online or offline. The manuals that come with cameras contain a wealth of information.

Baytown real estate