Make your home photo ready!
Because most buyers start their home searches online, first impressions are crucial. They can be the difference between scheduling a walk through or a client moving on. Having your home photo ready will help ensure your photos look as professional and inviting as possible.
Checklist to Prepare Your Home for Real Estate Photos
When your real estate photographer shows up, they will walk the house and spend time searching for important aspects to highlight to potential buyers. Your job is to make the house entirely ready when the photographer arrives because they are often on a tight schedule and don’t need to be spending time rearranging and tidying the rooms before the photoshoot. You want their attention to be focused on a bright and clean home that is ready. Use these helpful steps to ensure your house is photo-ready and welcoming before you list your home for sale. Allow more time than you think you will need to make sure your home is photo ready. Remember little things out of place will show up.
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1. Clean Kitchen Counters & Sink
Clear off kitchen counters to make the kitchen space appear more prominent. Kitchen counters with coffee makers, mixers, and decorations can be a distraction for buyers and make the kitchen feel cluttered. Remove everything except a few decorative items from the countertops and clean all surface area, including appliance, kitchen sink, and backsplash.
2. Clean Bathroom
Take all items off of the bathroom counter and place all of the shampoo bottles, soaps, shaving razors, and other items into a bin that can be stored underneath the bathroom sink. You want your bathroom to look bigger and vacant. Clean the countertops, sinks, toilet, and shower. Neatly fold any decorative towels on the towel rack and place a few for show items on the countertop.
3. Turn On All Lights Throughout the Entire House
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. Be sure to check all of the ceiling lights, lamps, and exterior lights to make sure they all work. Turn on all the lights in the house before the photographer arrives. Depending on light temperatures etc., your photographer may turn some or all lights off, but it's best to leave them all on until they assess.
4. Remove Unnecessary Furniture & Decorations
Removing and storing excess or large furniture can be challenging, but it opens up the floor space and makes the home look much more presentable. Consult your agent or a professional stager to determine which items should stay or go. Floor mats and runners can make the overall floor space look smaller. Make sure to roll up and remove all of the floor mats in the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry areas.
5. Make All of the Beds
This is the most obvious step, but it gets overlooked often, especially in the secondary bedrooms. Decorate all the beds with matching sheets, blankets, and pillows to brighten up the bed. If you hide objects under the bed, ensure they are completely hidden or they will show up in the photo.
6. Remove All Personal Photos and Items
You want the buyer to visualize themselves in your house, but it will be hard if your items are everywhere. Since you want your buyers to fall in love with the house, It's a good idea to remove or at least minimize private photos and items from the entire home this is especially important if you do not want these photo posted on MLS and possibly printed media..
7. Put All Shoes & Jackets in Closets
Remove all jackets and shoes from anywhere they can be seen throughout the hour and store away any loose items to remove all distractions. Buyers do not want to see shoes and jackets on coat racks and entryway floors because they will assume that the home lacks storage space.
8. Remove All Pet Items
Not everyone has pets. Some people are severely allergic to animals, while others simply do not like having a pet in their home. Make sure your home shows no signs of pets, especially pet smells. Litter boxes and pet crates can have a negative affect on the photos as well. Spend time cleaning your home to get rid of the pet odor and if possible remove all pet items from areas that will be photographed.
9. Tidy Up the Yard & Landscape
First impressions are crucial when selling your home. Make sure your front yard is cleaned up, and all of the landscape should be trimmed back and tidy. The first picture that people will see of your home will be the outside front yard. Your front yard needs to be in very good condition to grab the buyer’s attention. Sweep the front and back porches and clean and clear all cars from the road and driveway, do not leave hoses laying on the ground.
Final Thoughts
Your home’s marketing is the most important part of selling your home. It begins with preparation and is paired with a great real estate photographer.