Multi-Season Real Estate Photography, Aerials & 3D Tours in Central & Eastern Virginia
Updated: Sep 5
The date that is best for selling a house isn't always the date that is best for photographing it.
Trees, grass, flowers, waterfront views, pools, neighborhood amenities, shadows and surrounding scenery can look substantially different throughout the year. That's why, with enough advance planning, I sometimes capture portions of a property's marketing months before the property is actually listed.
That can include more than conventional exterior photos. Depending on the property, season and marketing package, I may capture aerial photography, exterior Matterport 3D imagery, aerial 360s, neighborhood amenities and off-site area photography at a more favorable time of year and combine that media with what is captured closer to the listing date. My separate article on The Impact of Season on Real Estate Photography explains in much greater detail why timing can matter.
Downtown Hampton Matterport tour captured during spring bloom—an example of how the timing of area media can materially affect what buyers see.
What Do I Mean by Multi-Season Media?
Multi-season media means intentionally capturing parts of a property's marketing at different times of year when there is a legitimate marketing advantage to doing so.
It does not mean that every part of the property needs to be photographed twice.
Depending on the property and package, the earlier capture might include:
exterior ground photography;
aerial photography;
aerial 360° imagery;
exterior portions of a Matterport 3D tour;
neighborhood or HOA/condo amenities;
off-site area attractions and amenities;
waterfront or water-view imagery;
docks, acreage or other major exterior features; and
where applicable, portions of video.
Then, closer to the listing date, the interior and anything else that benefits from being current can be captured.
This approach is particularly useful because my listing marketing extends beyond conventional house photography. I routinely use aerial photography, and my area photography can include both nearby community amenities and attractions outside the neighborhood rather than limiting buyers to what they can see from the property itself.
When Is a Separate Advance Visit Included?
With my 3% listing-side marketing package, a separate advance visit for multi-season media is included when the property's anticipated value meets the approximate geographic thresholds shown on the map below.
Those thresholds exist because a completely separate media visit can involve much more than taking several pictures. Depending on the property, I may be allocating time for:
round-trip travel;
drone operations;
exterior Matterport scanning;
aerial 360s;
neighborhood or area media;
image processing and organization; and
returning months later for the primary listing-media session.
The farther a property is from my home base, the greater the time and resources involved in adding another dedicated trip.
My What Adam Offers Sellers page has the current details of my 2.5%, 2.75% and 3% listing-side marketing packages. My 3% tier currently includes both Zillow and Matterport 3D tours, expanded Matterport coverage including the exterior, aerial 360 imagery and expanded area photography, subject to the limitations described there.
What If My Property Is Below the Map Threshold—or I Choose Another Package?
The map only defines where a separate advance trip is included as a standard component of my 3% package. It does not define every situation in which I will capture seasonal media.
There are two other important opportunities.
If you've told me you plan to list with me
If you've verbally confirmed that you plan to use me to sell your property and give me enough notice, I can look for worthwhile opportunities to capture seasonal media regardless of which of my listing packages you plan to choose.
For example, if you're planning a January sale and your property looks particularly good during October foliage, I don't want to knowingly allow that opportunity to disappear merely because the listing agreement hasn't been signed yet.
What is worthwhile will vary by property. Sometimes it could mean a substantial exterior capture. Other times, the best use of the opportunity could be several aerials, a waterfront view, neighborhood amenities or a particular seasonal feature.
If you're seriously considering me but haven't decided yet
Tell me before our listing appointment if seasonal media is something you're interested in.
That allows me to decide whether I should allocate additional time and bring equipment that wouldn't otherwise necessarily be needed for an initial consultation.
If the house looks great that day, we may be able to capture useful media while I am already there rather than scheduling a separate trip.
The distinction matters: advance notice creates opportunities that may no longer exist if you wait until shortly before listing.
Multi-Season Media Can Include More Than Still Photography
One of the larger differences between what I am describing and simply hiring a photographer early is the range of media that I can potentially capture myself.
Aerial photography
I've held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020 and routinely incorporate my own aerial photography into listings. Aerials can be especially sensitive to season because a high vantage point can show far more foliage, landscaping, water and surrounding land than a ground photograph does. My season article therefore describes fall as one of my favorite periods for aerial photography.
Matterport exterior imagery
I use the Matterport Pro3, which is designed substantially better for exterior capture than earlier Matterport cameras. My 3% listing package can extend a Matterport tour beyond the interior to the house exterior and, when applicable, features such as docks and outbuildings.
See Adam's Matterport virtual tours and equipment
This makes season relevant to a 3D tour too. If buyers can virtually move from the house into a yard that was documented when the grass was green and landscaping was at its best, the seasonal planning isn't limited to a handful of MLS photographs.
Zillow 3D + Matterport
I use the two platforms for different reasons rather than treating them as interchangeable. Zillow 3D has strong integration with Zillow and other major consumer portals, while I consider Matterport the stronger immersive 3D experience and it offers capabilities that Zillow's system does not. My applicable listings therefore use both rather than requiring the seller to choose one or the other.
Why I use both Matterport and Zillow 3D Tours
I wouldn't promise that every component of both tours will be captured twice. The goal of multi-season media is to preserve the elements that materially benefit from another season, not to duplicate work that doesn't add meaningful value.
Neighborhood & Area Media Can Benefit as Much as the House
Sometimes the biggest seasonal difference isn't on the seller's lot.
Consider a house in a neighborhood with:
an outdoor pool;
waterfront amenities;
a marina;
walking trails;
extensive landscaping;
tennis or pickleball courts surrounded by trees;
playgrounds;
beaches;
golf;
parks; or
other outdoor recreation.
A January photograph of a covered neighborhood pool with furniture stored away simply doesn't communicate the same thing to buyers as a summer photograph taken while the amenity is ready for use.
I've increasingly expanded Matterport beyond individual houses into community and neighborhood amenities, including tours that can connect the experience of the house with pertinent neighborhood spaces.
See Adam's Matterport house and neighborhood tours
The same principle applies to conventional area photography. My listing photography may include attractions and amenities outside the subdivision as well as HOA or condo amenities. A neighborhood can therefore have its own "best season" even if very little changes at the house itself.
That can make advance seasonal planning particularly valuable for a seller who expects to list between late fall and early spring.
Which Properties Are Most Likely to Benefit?
Not every listing needs multi-season media.
The benefit tends to be greatest when the appearance or marketability of the property changes substantially throughout the year, such as:
Waterfront and water-view properties
Summer foliage can make the landscaping look better while simultaneously blocking a water view. In some cases, combining a green-season photograph with a colder-season photograph showing increased water visibility gives buyers a more complete picture than either season alone.
Wooded properties and acreage
Large amounts of surrounding vegetation magnify fall color and seasonal change, particularly from the air.
Properties with substantial landscaping
Flowering trees, azaleas, gardens, crepe myrtles or other prominent landscaping may have a relatively short window when they look their best.
Properties with pools
A cleaned, uncovered pool with its furniture and surrounding amenities in place generally markets better than the same pool during its off-season.
Neighborhoods with substantial outdoor amenities
The property itself may look fine in February while the very amenities that help justify the neighborhood's desirability look dormant.
Homes expected to list during winter
My existing area-photo guidance notes that late November through early April often produces weaker daytime area photography because of bare deciduous trees and dormant grass. Capturing those surroundings earlier can remove that disadvantage.
Which Season Is Best?
There isn't one universally best season.
Spring can be excellent for flowering plants, green-up and ground photography.
Summer is particularly useful for pools, beaches, marinas, water recreation and other seasonal amenities. It can also produce lush landscaping, although drought and extreme heat can sometimes work against that.
Fall can be exceptional for aerial photography because a drone can show large areas of changing foliage at once.
Winter is often weaker for grass and deciduous landscaping, but it can sometimes be the better season for waterfront visibility, views through wooded areas, holiday environments or certain urban/night scenes.
That's why I prefer the term multi-season media rather than simply "summer pictures." The point isn't to pretend one season is always superior. It's to select the best legitimate view of different property features.
Why Advance Notice Matters
Seasonal opportunities can be surprisingly short.
Peak fall color may only last several days at a particular property. A flowering tree can go from bare to peak bloom to mostly finished in a short period. Pool furniture may be removed immediately after the season. An HOA may cover a pool or turn off seasonal amenities.
There are also logistical reasons I need notice.
For example, some drone locations can require FAA or ATC authorization that isn't instantaneous. Other locations may have site-specific restrictions or require permission. My aerial-photography guidance specifically recommends notifying me in advance when aerials may be desired at an initial appointment so I can account for authorization, weather and available time.
With neighborhood amenities, I may also need:
gate or facility access;
permission to capture private amenities;
coordination around pool or facility hours;
a lower-traffic period;
confirmation that seasonal equipment and furniture are in place; or
enough time to avoid scheduled landscaping, maintenance or cleaning.
Those practical details are another reason that “I'll probably sell sometime this winter” is useful information to give me in September or October rather than December.
Weather Matters—Especially for an Optional Advance Visit
I generally want to avoid rain for planned multi-season exterior media.
If the reason for making an extra visit (or especially a first visit if a listing appointment in a case that wouldn't be getting the multi-season package by default) is to capture the property during a particularly favorable season, it generally makes little sense to deliberately use that limited opportunity during poor conditions if we can reschedule.
Rain isn't the only consideration.
Drone work can also be affected by wind, visibility, airspace, temporary restrictions, the launch location and property rules. Certain locations may require permission for aerial photography even when ordinary ground photography is permissible.
Matterport has somewhat different considerations. For exterior Matterport work, a bright sunny day isn't automatically better than a somewhat cloudy day. In some circumstances, partly to mostly cloudy conditions can actually make exterior 3D capture easier and produce more even imagery.
So my standard isn't simply:
“Is it raining?”
It is:
“Are today's conditions good enough that this limited seasonal opportunity is worth using?”
If the answer is no and timing allows us to wait, I'd rather wait.
Preparing the Property or Amenities for the Advance Visit
The entire interior does not necessarily need to be listing-ready just because we're capturing seasonal exterior media.
Instead, concentrate on whatever will actually appear in the early media.
For a house, that may mean:
mowing and edging;
removing visible yard debris;
cleaning walks, driveways, patios and decks;
removing trash cans, hoses and unnecessary exterior items;
moving vehicles where practical;
cleaning exterior surfaces as appropriate;
addressing visibly unfinished exterior work;
clearing excessive leaves from the lawn, roof, driveway and gutters; and
having pools and outdoor entertaining areas ready.
For a pool or community amenity, the difference between "technically available to photograph" and "ready for marketing" can be substantial. A pool is ideally clean and uncovered, with lounge chairs and other seasonal furniture present. It is also generally preferable to avoid photographing immediately before maintenance, during lawn-care work or on trash/recycling days.
If a public or community space is involved, I also try to limit identifiable people in marketing imagery when practical. Matterport can automatically blur faces, and faces in still photography can be blurred where necessary.
Related:
How to Prepare the Exterior of Your Home Before Exterior Photos
Does Multi-Season Mean Showing a Property Inaccurately?
No. In fact, I think properly used multi-season photography can give buyers more accurate information, because buyers see how a property legitimately changes over the course of the year.
A summer image showing green landscaping is real.
A winter aerial showing a water view through bare trees is also real.
A photograph showing a neighborhood pool during its operating season is real.
Combining those can reveal more about the property than requiring every image to be taken within a 48-hour period in January.
There is an important distinction between documenting another real season and digitally creating a condition that never existed. That's one reason I prefer advance planning and actual photography when possible.
Do I Automatically Use Everything We Capture?
No.
More media does not automatically mean better marketing.
An aerial photograph might reveal a feature that is better deemphasized. An older seasonal image may no longer accurately reflect a property after significant changes. Two photographs may communicate essentially the same thing. And MLS photo-count limits can make space valuable. My current marketing policies therefore allow me to exclude aerial imagery when the aerial perspective would primarily highlight a negative, for example.
I want to use the combination that best and accurately presents the property, not include a photograph simply because we took it.
That also means a separate seasonal trip doesn't guarantee that every resulting image or scan will ultimately appear in the listing.
Can Existing Neighborhood Media Be Used?
Sometimes.
One advantage of the amount of area photography and 3D work I've been building is that I don't necessarily have to recapture every nearby attraction for every listing.
I may already have strong area photography from a better season. And where I've already completed an applicable neighborhood or amenity Matterport tour, that existing tour can sometimes be incorporated with a house tour rather than rebuilding the community portion from scratch. My current seller package describes that integration for pertinent existing Matterport neighborhood amenities.
This means multi-season marketing can sometimes involve combining newly captured property media with high-quality area media I've already created, rather than unnecessarily duplicating everything.
How Far Ahead Should You Contact Me?
Potentially many months before the sale.
My existing season-photography guidance specifically notes that exterior photography can make sense even 11 months or more before listing when the property is ready and the season is substantially better.
You don't need to have:
chosen an exact list price;
completely prepared the interior;
picked an exact listing date; or
signed the listing agreement
before asking me about preserving a seasonal opportunity.
If you are seriously considering selling and think you may want me to handle the sale, simply tell me what you're considering.
And if you've already decided verbally that you plan to list with me, don't wait for the listing agreement or normal photography date to mention a seasonal feature that may disappear first.
How Early Should You Contact a Real Estate Agent Before Selling Your House? A Pre-Listing Timeline
The Listing Date Doesn't Have to Dictate the Photography Date
Selling at the right time and photographing at the right time are two separate decisions.
A homeowner may have very good reasons to put a property on the market in January. That doesn't mean the marketing needs to pretend that January is the only season the property experiences.
With enough notice, I can sometimes document the home, its aerial perspective, its 3D exterior, its neighborhood amenities and the surrounding area while each is at or near its best—and then combine that work with the media captured closer to the actual sale.
For some properties, that will make little difference.
For others, planning several months early can preserve marketing that would otherwise be impossible to recreate once the season changes.
AI Assistance Disclosure
AI assisted with organizing and drafting portions of this article. The service details, recommendations, examples and final content were reviewed and approved by Adam Garrett.
For more details, see How I Use AI in Real Estate
Comments