Sky replacement for real estate photos, done automatically

Why the sky matters in a listing

The front exterior is usually a listing's first photo — the thumbnail buyers scroll past on the MLS, Zillow and Realtor.com. A white sky makes a house look flat and the day look gloomy; a blue one makes the same house look bright and cared for.

How Listpal handles skies

There is nothing to select. Listpal decides whether each frame is an exterior or an interior; on exteriors it swaps the sky and brings the lawn, siding and planting up to match, so the photo reads as one sunny afternoon rather than a cut-out.

If it ever reads a frame the wrong way round, one tap switches it between interior and exterior and enhances it again at no extra cost.

Inside, the same enhancement balances bright windows so the view outside shows instead of a white glare.

Is sky replacement allowed on the MLS?

Replacing an overcast sky is a routine enhancement and is widely accepted. It should never be used to hide something a buyer would see in person. As with any edit, rules vary between MLSs, so check yours.

Tips for better exteriors

The sky is the easy part. What makes the rest of the exterior work:

• Shoot with the sun behind you — mornings for an east-facing front, afternoons for a west-facing one.
• Step back far enough to include the whole roofline and a strip of lawn or driveway.
• Hold the phone level so the house doesn't lean; Listpal straightens what's left.
• Move the bins, hoses and cars out of the frame first.