Westerlund's son, Chris Westerlund, started Daybreak Photography this year to take house photos. He recalled moving a whimsical chess set from view in one house.
"It was a cops-and-robbers-type thing. But there was a half-naked flasher on one of them," he said.
High-quality photos increase the perceived value of the property, according to industry surveys. Conversely, bloggers advise that buyers may land a better deal on a house with few or no photos.
There are full-service companies that serve real estate agents nationwide, such as Utah-based CirclePix, which contracts with photographers in 44 states. There are custom outfits that specialize in regional markets, such as Hometrack and VirtualToursNow. There are in-house operations, such as the marketing arm of the Strata Group, of which Yerman Witman Gaines & Conklin is part.
Some companies provide a full line of marketing products. Others do only online work or only brochures. Some turn photos into holiday cards, set an online slide show to music, video 360-degree room panoramas, or create a photo remembrance of a much-loved homestead. Some do more custom work than others. Some give homes their own Web sites or put them on video-sharing sites.
Ron Howard, of the Ron Howard Group at ReMax Sails in Canton, takes his own photos.
"We make YouTube videos out of them. You can embed those videos into Facebook and other sites," he said.
"We do movies of the neighborhoods we are in," he said. "If I get a listing in Canton, I also post the Canton video."
GET YOUR HOME READY FOR PHOTOS
You want your home to be remembered as a house with inviting spaces, not the place with the big litter box. Take these 10 tips from the pros:
1. Wash the windows and turn on the lights.
2. Hide the litter box and trash cans.
3. Remove or open sheers on the windows.
4. You should have already decluttered for a sleek, showy look.
5. Clear the refrigerator door of magnets and memos.
6. Put away toys, highchairs and playpens.
7. Have nothing under the bed.
8. Keep toiletries out of sight.
9. Put away the remote control and the portable phone.
10. Remove electric cords from view.
