Location! Location! Location! | from where I sit

Running a little behind on this one but I'm a mom so I get a pass ;)

I'm no real estate agent but I am a new home buyer and for me and my husband LOCATION was everything. Last May we found a great house in downtown Fredericksburg within our budget. Only God could ordain such a wonderful first time home buying experience. Our real estate agent (also orchestrated by God) was hands down the most generous real estate agent I have ever met! He happened to be a friend of ours and because of such a lasting impression is still our friend to this day! We had none of those "first time home buyer scares." Like the nightmare of getting to closing and all of sudden the numbers change and some crazy random insurance was added or something. Call me crazy but I liked the experience so much I would do it all over again ( but someone else can provide the down payment. ha!) I had the pleasure of taking pictures of a house in bowling green for our friend Ben Quann, also our real estate agent. If you're looking for a home or trying to sell yours look him up!

From where I sit; my cozy living room ( both today and yesterday ha!)

Have you ever thought about who takes the pictures of all the houses listed for sale online? Have you ever wondered what kind of camera was used, where they were standing in the room? I had the opportunity to take some pictures of a house in Bowling Green Va. It was recently built and can I just say that it is GORGEOUS. Whenever my husband and I take the next step (whatever that is) we will most definitely be using that layout! When I pulled up to the house and got my camera ready the first thought that ran through my mind was, "what did I want to see from my own house?" For example which areas needed the most attention. As a woman, the kitchen is so important. For myself, I like bathrooms and backyards. It was fun to experiment with different angles. Some of my recommendations for photographers looking into real estate photography;

1. Take all your pictures of bedrooms from OUTSIDE of the room. Stand as far out of the door way as you, zoom all the way out, adjust your focus and snap. The more of the room they can see the better!

2. In areas like the kitchen and bathroom, use your photographer creativity and focus on particular elements, like the granite counter tops or brush steel fixtures. Especially if the area is small, focusing on those aspects can sell the house more than the actual space itself.

3. USE THE LIGHT! A newly built house is like a blank canvas. The walls are freshly painted, usually a light neutral color and the windows are clean with no fixtures so its easier to capture the light. Light makes a room look bigger. The more light the better, especially natural light.

I can honestly say that my goal with my photography business is not to become some big shot real estate photographer. I have big aspirations to become a full time wedding/engagement and senior portrait photographer. Starting from a small place is very difficult. So when I prayed for God to give me direction so that I could get my name outside of my circle of friends, real estate photography came to mind. It was the unlikely direction but I was willing to walk through that door if it meant expanding my business and meeting more people.

I prayed for an opportunity and God opened a door. When things like that happens you don't ask God why, you walk through the door and close it behind you because there's no going back! If there's one thing I have learned in my Christian walk it's that God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the call. I had a camera and creativity....He had an opportunity. He equipped me! Now that I have rambled sufficiently AND the blog is a day late (whatever ha!) Enjoy some of these pictures from the house I photographed in Bowling Green VA. If you're interested in this house or are looking to buy or sell, I recommend contacting Ben Quann of Century 21 in the redwood office! Thanks for reading...and I appreciate all the support!