Real Estate Supplement: Fill & Download for Free

Because your photos will look like crap online, unless they are shot with the proper camera equipment, lighting and by someone who knows what they are doing. Professional photos are the best investment you can make when selling your home. Crappy out of focus photos make buyers skip over your listing to one that looks better. Check this article out….These Photos Prove Exactly How Much Real Estate Photos MatterProfessional interiors photographer Harry Lim has been posting photos on his blog to show that better photography makes all the difference. He recently posted photos of a house he re-photographed for the real estate listings...and it sold in eight days after being on the market for eight months. Here are the before and after photos. The difference in quality is dramatic and builds a compelling case for hiring a professional."It's not so much the camera but knowing how to use it," he says. "I understand what settings to use. I understand how light works and balance ambient light with supplemental flash to get a good exposure. And I understand basic composition for interiors, the cardinal rule being: keep your verticals vertical!"He also tries to show how every room relates to the ones around it. "Does the bedroom have a private bathroom? Does the kitchen lead to a patio? Where is the dining area in relation to the kitchen?" he says.BEFORE and AFTERLim tells BuzzFeed Life that an experienced interior photographer can find the best angles and lighting for your space.Not sold on using a professional real estate photographer yet? Check out some more of Lim's photos...1. This house seems nice and all...But who wouldn't prefer a house that looks like something out of a movie?2. This pool table is probably perfectly functional...But it looks way more inviting when you aren't being blinded by a glare.3. You'd probably give this bedroom a fake number if you met it in a bar...But surprise — it's totally a place where you'd like to wake up!4. This family room is decent...5. You wouldn't hate this kitchen if it were yours...But hot damn, you'd LOVE this one.6. This is a very respectable dining room...But this version is classy AF.7. You might look at this bathroom and think, it’s OKBut this photo leaves you thinking, Golly, I'd LOVE to take a long bath in there!8. Is this really the ideal bedroom?Maybe if you had a bedroom like this, you’d want to sleep in it.9. This pool isn't necessarily a bad place to go for a swim...But it's nothing compared to this gorgeous oasis.10. This one looks OK compared to a lot of real estate photos...But this one makes you feel like you're looking at a fancy hotel's website.11. A photo like this may leave prospective tenants thinking, Yeah, I could live there.But making them WANT to live there is really ideal.12. So it's totally worth thinking about how you're presenting your space...And budgeting for a real estate photographer who will help you put your home's best face forward.

I am a huge fan of real estate investing. For me, there is no better option.Why?People will always need housing.You really can’t lose “everything” in a crash (people still rent)You have a lot of tax benefits to owning rental properties.It also gives you a payout *every month* to supplement your income.You have an asset that you can sell if times get tough and you really needed the money.For me, there is hardly a better option. But, I’ll say that for myself, I do diversify with other investments so that there is not just *one* thing that I put all my hope into.But if you look at the wealthiest people on earth, almost all of them own real estate - and not just their own homes. There’s a reason.

Just buy it.That's what my mom told me when I was debating whether to buy my first rental property at age 23.I had just made a few bucks off a pretty lucky run on the back of Cisco Systems stock in the late 1990s tech bubble and was wondering what I should do with it. I was nervous as hell about the stock market after it started tanking in late March 2000 and was unsure what to do.I had heard about property investment and having always romanticized property ownership, I thought it might be a good idea. But, I had no idea what I was doing or even if I could afford it.So my mom gave me the nudge.I bought my first rental and learned what all newbie landlords find out—you immediately become house-rich and cash-poor. My six-figures in savings evaporated into the downpayment funds and much of my income went to help supporting the property for the first few months. In response, I dug deep to climb the real estate learning curve, at least enough to keep from losing too much money. Eventually, the rental income stabilized and I only had to provide a modest financial supplement each month.In the end, while I didn't make the most savvy investment or buy in the best location (I'd bought in LA instead of Silicon Valley), I really got to learn a lot about real estate, mostly out of necessity. From there, each of my real estate investments got progressively better and I learned tips that added to my skill set over time. I still have that first rental and it's now become a cornerstone of my investment portfolio, having almost paid off and more than doubled in price.Today, I bring what I'd learned in those 18 years to launch my real estate investor clients straight into smart deals and that is very satisfying. But, it all had to start somewhere and my mom gave me the advice that made it all possible.