Stand out in crowded search results. Get high-res Virtual Staging images for your real estate quickly and effortlessly. (Get started for free)
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Show Off With Wide Angle Shots
When marketing new construction homes, it’s essential to showcase the property in the best possible light. One technique real estate agents swear by is taking wide angle shots of the home’s interior. Wide angle photography allows you to fit more of the home in the frame, giving prospective buyers a comprehensive view of the layout and dimensions.
Compared to standard shots, wide angles minimize the appearance of walls, boundaries, and partitions. The home seems more open and spacious. For new builds, this effect highlights the clean, modern aesthetic that most new construction aims for. Without visual boundaries hemming rooms in, wide angle photos convey freedom of movement and flow between areas.
Positioning the camera far back and using a wide angle lens warps perspective in a way that makes spaces appear larger. When done right, the technique gives the impression of grandeur and exaggerates the home’s square footage.
Wide angle shots are especially effective for showcasing open floor plans. You can fit the entire great room in one photo, emphasizing the connected kitchen, living, and dining areas. Capture the view from the foyer through to the back of the home. Get the full sweep of the master suite including bedroom, closet, and bathroom.
Rather than piecing together each room, buyers immediately perceive the home’s scale and configuration. The unbroken line of sight highlights smart architectural details as well. Things like hallway arches, ceiling beams, and flooring continuity stand out more when shown from a wide perspective.
Pay attention to lighting when taking wide shots. Pro lighting illuminates all areas evenly and prevents dimmer corners or strong backlighting. For exteriors, drone or aerial photography provides the ultimate wide angle perspective. See the full shape of the home, roofline, and how the grounds are situated.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Highlight Special Features
When marketing new construction homes, you want to play up the special features that set the property apart. New builds tend to boast higher-end finishes, energy efficient building methods, smart home technology, custom designs, and other details you won’t find in older homes. Highlighting these unique aspects in your marketing materials grabs attention and spotlights the value proposition.
For example, talk up eco-friendly elements like solar panels, EV charging stations, bio-retention drainage systems, energy star rated windows and appliances, and sustainable materials. Especially in today’s climate conscious market, buyers want homes that are kind to the environment. Emphasize sustainability across lighting, HVAC, insulation, landscaping, and more. Use descriptive terms like state-of-the-art, cutting edge, high performance, and efficient.
You can take the same approach with high tech features. New homes often incorporate sophisticated home automation systems, wired networks and built-in speakers, smart security, and the infrastructure for seamless connectivity. Describe the ways residents can control features through mobile devices, voice activation, and touch screens throughout the home. Discuss the convenience and accessibility of having technology integrate into their lifestyles.
Luxury amenities are another brag-worthy facet of new construction. Talk up gourmet kitchens with professional grade appliances, spa-like bathrooms, custom built-ins, and designer lighting fixtures. Use superlatives like top-of-the-line, luxurious, and premium grade when describing finishes. Emphasize details like air jet tubs, media rooms, wine cellars, and exterior living spaces.
Outside, be sure to highlight rare or personalized elements. An infinity pool, outdoor kitchen, sunken courtyard fire pit, and built-in barbecue center make for enviable backyard features. Prospective buyers will appreciate knowing exactly what sets this home apart from the competition.
When writing listing descriptions, call out the special features prominently. Break them out into bullet points or subheadings so they stand out. In photos, compose shots that specifically showcase these details - close-ups of fixtures, technology interfaces, niche amenities. Your goal is to get buyers excited about these perks that they can’t find just anywhere.
According to architects and builders, personalized spaces add the most value in new construction. Show off fully customized additions like a hobby workshop, golf simulator, craft room, or private balconies and patios. Emphasize how these spaces were designed for the homeowner’s unique interests and needs.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Focus On Finishes
With new construction, developers have the advantage of outfitting homes with the latest interior design trends and highest quality materials right from the start. When marketing these properties, you’ll want to call attention to the refined finishes and luxury details. Photos that showcase stylish fixtures, surfaces, hardware, and more get buyers excited about the move-in ready interiors.
Pay special attention to surfaces like flooring, cabinets, counters, backsplashes, and accent walls that define the aesthetic in each room. For example, highlight the warmth and texture of wide plank hardwood floors or the cool minimalism of porcelain tile. Describe the crisp uniformity of high gloss cabinetry fronts compared to the organic look of wood grained finishes. Use terms like durable, easy-care, pet-friendly, and stain resistant to talk up low maintenance perks.
Counters and backsplashes also have versatile options like quartz, granite, marble, and glass tile. Mention unique patterns and embedded materials that add visual interest. Emphasize bonus features like antimicrobial properties for glass tile and heat resistance for quartz.
Discuss the customizability of design components like built-ins, banisters, trim work, railings and accent beams. Wood species, finishes, carvings, metalwork and hardware offer numerous combinations for a signature look. Especially highlight any reclaimed, sustainable or locally sourced materials used during building.
For bathrooms and kitchens, zoom in on high end sinks, faucets, showers and hardware. These finishing touches convey luxury with materials like brass, nickel, chrome, copper, stone and glass. Talk about smart tech features like touchless controls, sensor activated toilets and showers, built-in lighting, warming drawers and more.
Don’t forget about exterior finishes that enhance curb appeal and functionality. Attention grabbing materials like brick, stone, stucco and shakes make a bold first impression. Discuss composite or synthetic options that offer aesthetic versatility with less maintenance.
Creating lifestyle scenes helps buyers connect with the spaces and finishes. For kitchens, style counters with seasonal fruits, arrange fresh flowers or display tempting desserts. Bathroom glamour shots could include pretty stacked towels, candles, and bath accessories.
Finishes have a big impact on the way spaces feel and function. Discuss how the color palette and textures set the mood - airy and free flowing or cozy and enveloping. Demonstrate how flow is optimized with cohesive trim work and flooring between rooms.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Bring In Furniture
Furnishing empty rooms makes a huge difference when marketing new construction homes. While some buyers can envision the possibilities, most need help visualizing how their belongings will fit and function in the space. Staging gives them that assistance. Photographing an intentionally designed, fully furnished interior illustrates spatial relationships and inspires lifestyle visions in buyers’ minds.
According to the National Association of Realtors, staged homes sell 49% faster and for 7-11% more money. Why does furniture make such a difference? For starters, it provides scale and perspective. A tape measure can state the room dimensions, but it takes furnishings to convey an experiential sense of size and proportion. Empty rooms also tend to look smaller. Fill them up, and suddenly volumes open up.
Furniture arrangements render usable footprint more accurately as well. Without anything in the room,appable square footage gets misinterpreted. Seeing defined living/dining/sleeping areas helps buyers determine if their existing items will fit. They can also identify where new pieces may be needed. This practical spatial awareness brings the home to life.
Staging also connects buyers emotionally to how they could live in the home. A bedroom with just a mattress on the floor doesn’t inspire. But dress it up with nightstands, lush bedding, rug, drapery, and artwork? Now they can envision waking up there. A bare kitchen yields no sense of culinary potential. Yet the same kitchen fully styled elicits visions of hosting dinner parties and holidays.
Simply putting random furniture in rooms doesn’t have the same impact. Effective staging uses coordinated, stylish pieces that work together to create ambiance. The furniture should suit the home’s architecture and design aesthetic. Traditional furnishings would look out of place in a contemporary open concept layout. The overall look should align with current trends while remaining relatively timeless.
When staging, think about how different rooms get used and aim to design vignettes around those lifestyles. For example, build media rooms around entertainment watching. Set up offices for productivity. Make bedrooms relaxing sanctuaries. Pull in accents that enhance the intended purpose.
You can keep costs down by staging virtually too. Some listing photographers offer digital furnishing services where they Photoshop in stylish, realistic looking furniture. This achieves a similar emotional impact at a fraction of the price of renting and moving in physical pieces. With virtual staging, it’s easy to create different looks for alternate photos to appeal to varied buyer preferences.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Use Natural Lighting
Lighting can make or break how appealing home photos look to buyers. Properties captured with flat, dull lighting never quite spark the senses. Yet harness the power of natural light, and suddenly the entire space radiates beauty, warmth and personality.
Photographers well-versed in lighting know how to showcase interiors by leveraging what the sun provides. Natural lighting avails limitless possibilities for infusing rooms with drama, accentuating details, and conveying desirable ambiance. When done skillfully, the home appears bathed in cinematic luminosity without seeming overly bright or shadowy.
Los Angeles real estate photographer Peter Vandenbelt considers lighting the number one factor in a compelling interior shot. He searches out homes with signature architectural features like wall sized windows, skylights or French doors to take advantage of natural light. “You want to show space, and daylight is the best way to achieve that open, airy aesthetic buyers love,” he says.
Arizona agent Keri Jones agrees. “Bright, airy photos get more clicks and engagement online. I know natural light represents the property better too.” She times shoots to capture the best sun angles for each room's orientation. “Morning light upstairs and western exposure in the afternoon shows the size as the sun moves,” Jones explains.
While shooting, Vandenbelt notes where the light falls at certain times and how it casts interest on surfaces. “I watch how pillars, textures and lines interact with the changing light during the shoot,” he says. He might photograph the living room five different times as the light shifts to capitalize on varied dimension and drama.
Jones pays attention to color temperature. “Cool northern exposure reads more soothing, warm southern exposure feels cozier,” she says. She’ll style a bedroom with warm honey oak furnishings on east facing walls but opt for pale, weathered finishes in a western facing den to complement the respective light.
Both creatives agree that light should accentuate a room’s purpose. For dining spaces, daylight can spotlight an elegant table setting or glint off crystal. Cozy reading nooks feel even more relaxing when illuminated by the soft glow of a sunrise.
When nature needs an assist, strategic placement of lamps, sconces and track lights supplements. Jones bounces light off the ceiling or wall to add brightness and lift shadows but retain the natural source’s ethereal quality.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Style Different Rooms
One of the most important aspects of staging a new construction home is styling each room according to its unique purpose. While it's tempting to design every space in a matching, cohesive manner, highlighting the distinct functionality of each area has more impact on buyers. When rooms clearly convey their intended use through decor and accessories, buyers can readily envision daily life in the home.
For dining rooms, style the tableware and centerpieces to showcase how meals and gatherings could look in the space. Set the table with dinner plates, stemware, linens, and candles for atmosphere. Use an ornate silver serving set and floral arrangement as the focal point. Photograph the room from multiple angles to highlight the best conversation areas and flow around the table.
In living rooms, section off separate purposes like media watching versus entertaining with strategic furniture placement. Angle seating toward the TV while floating other chairs near side tables to form an intimate reading corner. Include lifestyle accents like remote controls, books, blankets, and footstools that invite relaxation.
Make bedrooms comforting escapes by layering on cozy textiles and lighting. Position plush reading chairs so natural light streams over the shoulder. Adorn the bed with an abundance of pillows and linens in natural fibers and soothing colors. Accent with storage benches, plants, artwork, and stacked books.
For home offices, blend form and function through organization and efficiency. Photograph desks styled with desktop computers, reference materials, and office supplies to convey productivity. Position file cabinets and shelving for ample storage. Create vignettes around daily tasks like paying bills, planning meetings, or arts and crafts.
In kids’ rooms, cater to age ranges with gender neutral colors and accessories. Infuse whimsy and imagination using activity stations like reading nooks, arts and crafts tables, toy bins and play tents. Maximize organization through labeled bins, shelves, and closet systems to promote independence.
Photographing bathrooms presents another styling challenge. For powder rooms, elevate utilitarian spaces with wall art, fresh flowers, guest towels and baskets of toiletries. In master baths, create a spa feeling with candles, plush robes, bath pillows, and stacked white towels. Pull colors from tile, tubs, and hardware finishes into complementary accents.
Kitchen shots require prep too. Style ingredients for planned meals and freshly baked goods for atmosphere. Display prized cookware and appliances while ensuring surfaces remain clutter-free. Add pops of color and texture with dish towels, utensils, and fruit bowls.
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Emphasize Curb Appeal
First impressions matter, and in real estate, that impression starts with curb appeal. Even in the era of online listings, buyers still browse neighborhoods in person and make snap judgments about homes based on their visual street presence. Emphasizing curb appeal is critical for attracting potential buyers inside new construction homes.
The National Association of Realtors states that 83% of home searches still begin online. But in a survey, 92% of buyers said seeing the home in person was vital to deciding if it was right for them. They also ranked a home’s “look and feel” as one of the top factors influencing their purchase.
So while listings may incite initial interest, the actual street view has to impress and align with expectations. Landscaping, exterior finishes, and home styling must convey a welcoming vibe. Otherwise, buyers may opt to just drive on by without venturing inside.
Phoenix architect Mark Stephen estimates he spends over 20 hours planning curb appeal for each new home design. “A striking look tailored to the neighborhood draws people in. Then they can experience everything we did inside.” He analyzes home styles along the street and local flora when devising exterior schemes.
Fresno designer Nora Brogan takes a holistic approach. “Curb appeal is really about the home’s personality shining through. I style new builds like I would stage an interior room, extending finishes and flair outside.” She says distinctive features like double entry doors, statement landscaping and exterior fireplaces entice curiosity. “Unique touches make people pause and take a second look.”
Lighting is another detail both designers emphasize. Stephen illuminates architecture details and landscaping to make the home feel lively and inviting at night. Brogan likes to line the entryway with lanterns or uplighting. “Well-lit paths feel safe and welcoming for buyers’ first impression,” she explains.
While the home should fit in, standing out just a bit boosts appeal. “You want just enough wow factor without going overboard,” says Stephen. He says thoughtful accents hit that sweet spot. Brogan agrees novelty sparks interest butlivability rules long-term. “Trendy only goes so far. Curb appeal has to be aesthetically exciting but practically livable too.”
Dress It Up, Stage It Right: Tips for Marketing New Construction Homes With Stunning Visuals - Take Advantage of Photoshop
With new construction homes, developers have the liberty to install upgrades and finishes during building that would be extremely costly and inconvenient to execute later. Yet until the property is fully built out, staging and photography present challenges. This is where digital photo editing and enhancement can make a dramatic difference for marketing materials.
Advanced Photoshop techniques allow real estate professionals to showcase new construction homes at their highest potential before they’re 100% finished. With image compositing, vacant rooms can be furnished and decorated without moving in physical furnishings. Virtual staging adds tables, art, rugs, beds, accents and more to help buyers envision living in the space.
Photoshop also enables enhancing architectural details, design finishes and outdoor areas that haven’t yet fully materialized on site. Lighting effects add depth and drama. Color correction makes finishes like tile and paint pop. Clutter can be easily removed for cleaner shots without time-intensive clean up prep.
Boise photographer Hayley Annes says over half her new construction listings involve some degree of Photoshop enhancement. “Being able to ‘complete’ unfinished elements helps buyers recognize a property’s possibilities in a competitive market,” she explains.
Los Angeles agent Veronica James agrees. “Until homes are move-in ready, it’s hard for buyers to look past the construction mess to the end vision. Photoshop gives them a more complete picture before making an offer.” She’s found edited photos especially helpful for off-plan purchases based only on floor plans and permits.
Annes says before and after comparisons are powerful. “I’ll photograph the raw site, then another set fully enhanced. The transformations side by side are pretty mind blowing.” She adds that managing client expectations is critical. “I explain this simply shows possibilities, not to expect the property as shown day one.”
Responsible use matters too. “Enhancements still have to represent realistic outcomes,” advises James. “You can’t fake major room additions or pool installations that require permitting.” She ensures clients understand it's primarily for demonstration purposes.
Miami photographer Josue Santos relies on Photoshop primarily for beautification versus fictional depictions. “I use it to elevate what’s already there, not invent major changes.” For outdoor shots, he frequently enhances sky and foliage for more dramatic landscapes. “A slightly richer blue sky or fuller green trees boosts the setting’s natural glory,” Santos explains.
Annes takes a nuanced approach to staging. “I don’t want to misrepresent square footage. I’ll style beds, desks, and tables to fit existing layouts and proportions.” She adds furnishings, art and accents suited to each room’s architecture and context.
Other Photoshop applications can minimize unwelcome sights. James edits out nearby construction equipment and unsightly power lines. Santos removes litter or closes gaps in fencing for a tidier exterior appearance.
Stand out in crowded search results. Get high-res Virtual Staging images for your real estate quickly and effortlessly. (Get started for free)
More Posts from colossis.io: