he photographs in your listing are in most cases the first glimpse a potential buyer will have of your home. They are vitally important to whether or not a buyer decides to make an appointment to come for a showing or visit your open house. You want to make that first impression a good one, so follow these important tips for great photos.

• Keeping It In Focus

We make sure your photos are clear and in focus. We handle taking the photos for you, and have a high-end camera that takes better photos. Its in your best interest to hold out for those pictures. We take a look at the pictures before they are published to make sure they're in focus and sharp.

• Getting A Good View

Nobody needs to see an up close picture of the bathroom sink-a photo taken from further back showing the size and layout of the room is far more helpful. The same goes for bedrooms. The corner of a room doesn't show much of it. We take the pictures from as far back as you can to include as much of the room as possible. We use a special wide angle camera that shows the most of any area or room without distorting it as if you are in a fish bowl. Have you seen some of the images for the listed homes and wonder who took the pictures?

When taking pictures of the outside, we are aware of obstructions such as trees or vehicles in the driveway that make it hard to see the home. We take pictures from several angles both inside and outside the house. The better the view of your home in the pictures, the more a potential buyer can see to help determine if the house is right for them.

• Clean House First

Laundry, toys, or clutter lying around do not make for a great selling point. Take the time to clean up and put things away before we take the pictures. Less clutter will make the rooms look larger, and nobody wants to see your clothes tossed on the bed or your child's toys on the floor.

Remember, you want people to see a house that they can imagine making their own. Seeing your clutter and mess makes that task more difficult. Instead, present a house that is as clean and clutter-free as possible.

With today's online listings, pictures are more important than ever. Buyers expect to see multiple photographs that they can examine at their leisure to decide which houses to check out in person. Make sure your listing photographs show your home to its best advantage so that you can draw in buyers and sell more quickly.