Awesome listing photos can be one of the most powerful ways to attract attention to a property.
Yet too often we see listings that feature only one photo, or a handful of generally low quality photos.
It’s true, some real estate is definitely more photogenic than others. Still, a professional photographer can find the right lenses, angles, lighting and composition to flatter any room as much as possible – no matter how small or basic it may be. And let’s not downplay the importance of good post-production editing!
Great listing photos serve many purposes:
- they keep prospects engaged with your listing for longer,
- they impress and please your seller,
- they make you and your real estate brand look great,
- they are attractive main listing photos in a list, inviting more prospects to click yours,
- they are more likely to be engaged with and shared on social media (aka more eyes on listing),
- they can help tell a property’s story – creating a connection with prospects before they visit,
- they have been known to help sell listings more rapidly and for more money (Redfin.)
If you haven’t ditched your iPhone for a DSLR or a professional photographer yet, the photos you see below might make you change your mind.
I’ve gone through hundreds of RealtyNinja customers’ online listings and picked out my 20 favourite active listing photos to share with you this week. Partly because, well who doesn’t like 20 beautiful real estate listing photos? And partly because these awesome listing photos are a reflection of an ordinary local REALTOR® who has adopted the modern marketing mindset – I love letting them lead by example.
If you are a RealtyNinja customer and have any awesome listing photos of your own to submit, please link us in the comments below. Hope you enjoy!
1275 Haywood Avenue, West Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Explore new ways to photograph the same space. Capturing the kitchen from above provides a unique perspective on the room.
9324 Autumn Place, Whistler BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
The funky geometric shapes and contrasting colours really stand out in this photo. Find a different way to look at a room and capture that.
5790 Macdonald Street, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Everything is so clean and perfectly staged. This photo is straight out of a magazine. I know what you’re thinking: Not all kitchens are created equal. To that I say, neither are all photos.
26-3650 Citadel Place, Victoria BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Pick the right day for your real estate photos (weather permitting, of course). I love how the whole house is captured so pleasantly in the warm sunshine. I can see myself drinking a cold beer on that patio.
HSC Lottery Cottage in West Hawk Lake ON
View this Listing
Beautiful woodwork everywhere, from the cabinets to the ceilings. You can really feel the spirit of this cottage in the pic. Is there any way you can tell a short story about your new listing through a photo?
20232 Powell Avenue, Maple Ridge BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
This aerial photo doesn’t have to be fancy to be useful and awesome. It gives you a glimpse of the entire property at once, with a car for scale. If you’re not exploring drone photography for your listings yet, I challenge you to look into it.
201 133 E 8th Avenue, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Even a small space can look bigger with the right staging and photo angles. Keeping surfaces uncluttered and doors & windows open in smaller spaces can make an impact on your photos. The right camera lens doesn’t hurt either.
1325 Kingston Street, Coquitlam BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
There is so much happening in this vibrant photo – so many rooms and features to see – yet it doesn’t feel cluttered or noisy. If you’re dealing with a larger property, don’t shy away from capturing a lot in one photo. Nobody said you have to snap each room individually.
305 141 Water Street, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Another example of using the right angles to open up a space – especially if it’s a loft! Try to leverage neat apartment features such as a giant “+” shaped wall, by angling your camera just so.
5770 Larson Place, West Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Due to the shape of this room and the slant of the ceiling, this photo drives your line of sight from both the left and right directly to the center. If you look at where the two ceiling lines meet the wall line in the back corner, you’ll see a ‘Y’-shape being created where all three lines meet. That’s no accident, that’s great composition (nice leading lines.)
112 1655 Nelson Street, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Dividing the living room near the left by using the brick pillar makes this 487 sq ft apartment look a little bigger! Tricks like these combined with some natural (and unnatural) lighting and a DSLR camera do make a difference to the end result.
342139 Con 14, Georgian Bluffs ON
View this Listing
This photographer flew their drone up to just above the treeline to showcase the privacy of their beautiful listing while also giving you a peek at the good stuff (aka the huge swimming pool.) Not only is this a great aerial photo of the listing, it also tells the story of warm summer days on your exquisite, private country estate.
63 40137 Government Road, Squamish BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Yes, it’s a beautiful brightly lit kitchen – but the matte chalkboard wall on the left balances out the beaming hardwood and stainless really nicely in this photo. Find ways that rooms themselves can natural contrast in your photos to make an impact.
609 1288 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Less is more – this space is so clean and simple you can easily imagine yourself living here. This apartment knows that it’s nothing super fancy, but it is full of bright natural light and it is spacious. Make sure you know your listing’s strengths and cater your photos to those strengths.
4055 W 39th Avenue, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
When you’ve got a glass kitchen on your hands, you might as well wait for the sunshine to help it sparkle for your photos. Weather plays a big impact on real estate photos – not to say that this shot taken in the evening wouldn’t be awesome in it’s own way.
4460 Ross Crescent, West Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Always a classic, the exterior photo at dusk. Provides a beautiful effect when all lights in the house are on – but really drives the feeling home if there’s a pool and hot tub too! You may want to experiment with taking some day photo and some night photos of your next listing.
1044 Cedar Grove Lane, Pemberton BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
The beautiful wooden roof beams help lead your eyes to the different corners of this photo. Another example of leveraging a cool room feature to take a sweet photo – and coincidentally this room feature is also in the shape of a “+”, only it’s a roof beam this time.
Penthouse 1 289 E 6th Avenue, Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
I might have picked a better evening to take the photo, but I do appreciate the experiential nature of this photo. You can almost close your eyes and attend an awesome rooftop BBQ party here in your mind. The TV is on, the lights are on, the fire is lit, the city is sparkling in the backdrop, and you can only assume that something is cooking in that BBQ. Try to create an experience with some of your listing photos (when possible!)
530 Eastcot Road, West Vancouver BC
View this Listing
Enlarge
Sometimes waiting for the perfect time of day is all it takes to make a beautiful listing photo. Not all patios are made for foosball and moves, some are more for after dinner cocktails and laughing with friends. This patio space paints a different picture for a different audience. This listing is worth $6,988,000 – this listing photo (and the others in the series, ie the one with the Aston Martin parked out front) are deliberately positioned to speak louder to those who can afford it.
I do realize many of the above listing photos listed above happen to be of very nice properties. As I said earlier, some listings are just more photogenic than others. Having said that, these same techniques can be applied to virtually any listing. Regardless of the size or value of a property, high quality professional photos can make an impact on your prospects and serve as a valuable listing marketing tool.
Hope you enjoyed the list. Stay awesome, Ninjas!
