Property Photographs — 1824 California Road, Pekin :: Peoria, Illinois, Real Estate Photographer

Exterior home photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Want privacy and space in the country but easy access to urban amenities? This could be your next home.

This Victorian-styled home features a country-contemporary interior with four bedrooms and a spacious finished basement. Beautiful hardwood floors and light oak details throughout. And it's located just minutes from Pekin, Morton, and Peoria.

Before I came in for photography, Elaine Goslin and Cheryl McGuire from Turning Point Spaces staged and styled the home. I appreciated their design work on another Peoria home I photographed last year—you can see they do a fine job.

Chris Augspurger in Morton, IL, has the listing. See more photos and full details at Realtor.com: 1824 California Road, Pekin, IL 61554.

Interior living room photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior home office and dining room photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior home office photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior dining room photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior kitchen photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior bedroom photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior hallway and stair rail detail photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior master bedroom photograph for real estate :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Michael Gowin and filed under Photographs and tagged pfre photography real estate residential.

Staging Photographs — Peoria, Illinois, Interior Photographer

Living room home interior detail photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Here's a project I recently photographed for stager and designer Tracy Molendi.

This home was being prepped for sale and needed a complete overhaul—paint, flooring, design, appliances—everything. Tracy worked with the homeowners to create an attractive space that would attract a buyer, and she's done a superb job. I came in to document Tracy's work for her design portfolio.

Aaron Miller has listing details on Realtor.com: 100 E Maywood Street, Morton, IL 61550.

Dining room home interior photograph ::  Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL — Dining room home interior photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Home office interior photograph ::  Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL — Home office interior photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Dining room and living room home interior photograph ::  Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL — Dining room and living room home interior photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Family room home interior photograph ::  Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL — Family room home interior photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Kitchen home interior photograph ::  Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL — Kitchen home interior photograph :: Illinois Home Photography, Lincoln, IL

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Michael Gowin and filed under Photographs and tagged interior design photography real estate.

Property Photographs — 12433 N Oakmont Ct, Dunlap :: Peoria, Illinois, Real Estate Photographer

Exterior home photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

This lovely, large four bedroom home sits in a secluded cul-de-sac neighborhood just north of Peoria, Illinois. Beautiful tile and hardwood floors grace the open first floor. Spacious and move-in ready.

Jackie Hoerr has the listing; you'll find all the details on Realtor.com: 12433 N Oakmont Ct, Dunlap, IL 61525.

By the way—if this home looks familiar, it was featured in the before & after video I showed the other day. I'm developing some new interior lighting techniques and pleased with the way this home photographed. Thanks again to Tracy Molendi from Simply Organized & Staged for her fabulous work.

Interior living room photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior dining room photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior kitchen photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior family room photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior basement photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior master bedroom photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior walk-in closet photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior bathroom photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior bedroom photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Exterior back porch and deck photograph for real estate in Dunlap, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Michael Gowin and filed under Photographs and tagged pfre real estate residential photography.

VIDEO: Before and After—The Difference Professional Staging and Photography Can Make When Selling Your Home

You have a home to sell. When home buyers are clicking through listings online, you've got just seconds to grab their attention.

How will you do it?

Stunning photographs stand out in the sea of average pictures you usually see online.

But is there really that much difference between a home shown in a "typical" listing and a professionally presented home?

That's the question answered in the video above (click here if you can't see it).

The Peoria, Illinois, home featured in the video was semi-vacant: a few pieces of furniture set about but not in any intentional way. It looked big and empty.

Tracy Molendi from Simply Organized & Staged, LLC staged the home last week and I photographed it a few days ago. The video shows some of the rooms before professional staging and photography, and then those same rooms after Tracy and I did our work. The difference is dramatic.

Put yourself in the buyers' seat as you watch: which photos make me want to learn more about this home?

As you think about what you need to do to make your home appealing to buyers, remember: you only have a few seconds to grab their mouse click. It's a tough real estate market. How will you make your home stand out? Presenting your home professionally will get it noticed.

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Michael Gowin and filed under Advice and tagged real estate photography video pfre.

Property Photographs — 712 Taylor Street, Morton :: Peoria, Illinois, Real Estate Photographer

Exterior home photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Another move-in ready home, this two-story ranch in Morton, IL, has been updated almost entirely throughout.

Four bedrooms and three full baths, formal living room and dining room, spacious family room, and a nice deck on the back. Easy access to everything Morton and Peoria have to offer but set in a quiet neighborhood.

Kudos to Tracy Molendi from Simply Staged & Organized for another stellar staging job. You can see Tracy's exceptional work on two other homes I've photographed in Peoria, here and here.

Get all the details on this home at Realtor.com: 712 Taylor Street, Morton, IL 61550.

“Our photography session was excellent. Michael delivered professional photos in an amazing time frame. I would highly recommend his services.”

— Pam Goings, homeowner

Interior living room photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior dining area photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior kitchen and living room photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior kitchen photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior bedroom photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior bathroom photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior master bedroom photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Interior family room photograph for real estate in Morton, IL :: Illinois Home Photography by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Michael Gowin and filed under Photographs and tagged real estate residential pfre photography.

The Simplest Way to Get Home Buyers (Literally) Lined Up at Your Doorstep

If you're on the fence about getting professional real estate photographs to sell your home, this before vs. after comparison just might push you over.

Imagine yourself in the role of a home buyer.

You're sitting at your kitchen table on a Saturday morning, sipping coffee and browsing real estate listings on your iPad. You've got a neighborhood and price point in mind. Flip, flip, flip—you're waiting for something appealing to entice you.

And then you see it.

Wow—a home shown with stunning photographs. They look like they might be featured in a magazine.

You click through. You like what you see. You call the agent. You schedule a showing. The next thing you know, you're signing a contract. All because the sellers cared enough to show you great pictures of their home.

Now flip this around.

You're selling your home.

You take the time to rake and mow the yard. You vacuum and clean. You get the kids' toys put away. You declutter and stage all the rooms.

And you hire a professional real estate photographer. Not just someone with a fancy camera but a pro who has the equipment, skills, and know-how to make great pictures of your home.

You're doing everything you can to make your home shine because you know your photographs will be one of the big attention-getters for buyers.

Given the choice between the kind of listing images you usually see online versus professional real estate photographs, which would you want for your home?

I recently photographed a home near Springfield, IL, and made some before/after pictures while I was there. The before images were taken with an iPhone 6s—pretty common for MLS listing photos. I'm calling these images amateur.

The after images were taken with my usual real estate kit and method. These are the professional images.

This home presented some real challenges. Large rooms with dark floors and rich paint schemes don't photograph easily. And parts of some of rooms were especially bright from direct sunlight while other areas remained hidden in shadow. As you'll see, the before photos look pretty, well, different from the after photos.

Child's Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Formal Dining Room

Kitchen and Family Room

*Before - amateur photograph of kitchen*

*After - professional photograph of kitchen*

Here are the same images presented in galleries as you might see them in an online listing.

Before :: Amateur

After :: Professional

If you were shopping for a home, which photos would you click on—the murky before pictures or the clean, bright after pictures? If your listing has amateur photographs, you may be missing out on attracting potential buyers.

Professional real estate photography helps your home stand out. If you're in central Illinois (Springfield, Bloomington/Normal, Peoria, Lincoln, and the surrounding communities), I'd love to help you get your home the attention it deserves.

By the way: if you're interested in learning more about the home featured in these photographs, check it out here.

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Michael Gowin and filed under Advice, Photographs and tagged pfre real estate photography.