Light, weather and when to shoot
Overcast most of the year — even, soft light for interiors with lamps on. The view clip waits for a clear day and should be captioned as weather-dependent. Summer is the exterior season; the light runs late into the evening.
What sells here, and what buyers want to see
Queen Anne, Ballard and West Seattle sell the view and the neighbourhood; Bellevue, Kirkland and Sammamish sell schools, the commute to the campuses and the view; Bainbridge and Vashon sell the ferry and the water. Buyers want the office, the outdoor room with a roof and the systems.
The clips to make
- View push to the Sound or the lake; balcony pull-back on a view lot.
- Backyard reveal to a covered deck.
- Craftsmans: staircase climb; the condition clips from the older home guide.
Rules worth checking
Washington's seller disclosure statement applies. Shoreline rules limit docks and bulkheads on the lakes and the Sound; caption what the frontage covers. Airspace near Sea-Tac, Boeing Field and the naval installations restricts drones across most of the metro — plan on ground-level exterior moves.
Disclosure, drone and privacy rules change and differ by MLS and municipality; confirm the current version with your broker before you rely on anything here.
Questions
Rainier only shows a few days a month. Do I wait?
For the view clip, yes, and caption it as a clear-day view. Shoot the rest of the house on any grey day — it will look better than the sunny one.
Do Seattle buyers want the systems shown?
They will have read the permits; a clip of the furnace, the panel and the water heater with dates in the caption confirms what they already suspect.
Read next
- Real Estate Video in Washington State: Seattle's Eastside, the Sound and the Dry SideListing video for Washington agents: Seattle and the Eastside's tech buyers, Puget Sound waterfront and island homes, Spokane and the dry side, grey and dry seasons, views of water and mountains, and the seller disclosure statement.
- Real Estate Video in the Pacific Northwest: Grey Light, Green ViewsListing video for Seattle, Portland and PNW agents: shooting in overcast light, showing trees, water and mountain views, covered outdoor spaces, and the tech buyer who researches everything online.
- How to Make a View Push Real Estate VideoA view push crosses the room and finishes at the glass, on the view. It makes the view the destination of the shot rather than a bright patch in the corner of a photo, which is exactly how a buyer experiences it at a showing.