When scheduling a photoshoot, there are certain considerations that should always be taken by an agent advising a client. It is obviously advantageous for a home to be cleaned and looking nice, for curtains and blinds to be open to allow for natural light, etc. However, with each season, there are additional factors to consider that are unique to that time of year. With autumn coming up, let's take a moment to review a few considerations to make the most of your appointments.
Fall is one of the greatest times of the year for home decorations: warm color schemes, pumpkin everything, seasonal imagery of leaves and apples, and spooky Halloween decorations. It makes you want to throw on a sweater and grab a mug of cider just thinking about it. However, it is important to make sure that seasonal decorations are kept tasteful and minimal while a home is being photographed. Exterior decorations, especially, should be kept to a minimum. While a spooky graveyard scene in the front yard may attract trick-or-treaters, it is likely to be distracting in photos or video.
It is always important for sellers to maintain a home through your photography session and the selling process, but it is especially important given the additional outdoor tasks of the fall. A tree that has leaves alight with the colors of autumn is sure to make a yard feel inviting, but bushes that need pruning, mulch that needs topping, and gutters full of leaves are not as welcoming. Fall comes with a lot of home maintenance tasks, and it is important for sellers to stay on top of them as the seasons change.
When scheduling your appointment, it is important to recognize that with autumn comes shorter days. While our photographers will work with you to capture the best possible photos of a property, there are certain considerations that must be taken with regard to the shorter days. During the fall, peak light comes later in the day and light levels fall faster through the afternoon, so slightly longer shadows should be expected from appointments at the end of the daily booking availability.
Along with considering the results of less light hours for your photos, sellers and agents should consider that there is also less light for buyers to use when looking. That means that they can look at less houses per day, so it is even more important to attract them to your listing. One way to drive more traffic is by providing additional, detail-rich marketing material. Virtual tours, drone photos, Matterport Virtual Tours, etc. are great ways to attract buyers. They also serve as resources for buyers to review if, for example, they see your listing at a time of day when the lighting makes the details of the home harder to discern.
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