Your Home Prep Guide

Preparing your home for your Real Estate shoot can feel like a lot. I am here to give you some tips that can elevate your property and help you sell your home. As an established Real Estate photographer, I am going to talk about the things that I see every day, right and wrong, that can help make a property more marketable and also photograph better.

First and foremost the most important thing you can do is to declutter your home. Homes that have packed walls can feel smaller and claustrophobic. The smaller the space the more this feeling can be exacerbated. Going through and opening a space up by removing 1/3 to 1/2 of the items in the room can help open up smaller spaces and make larger spaces feel even more spacious. The concept of less is more is one of the best things you can embrace when getting ready for photos.

Before I talk about the specific areas of the home, let's cover the general prep after you have taken the initial step of decluttering. This is in no specific order of priority as these things should all be done to improve marketability. Let's begin with the windows of the house. You are going to want to make sure all windows are cleaned prior to the shoot and all curtains are drawn. This helps let in natural light into the space giving photos a more natural feel and also allows me, as the photographer, to pull the outside in by showcasing the view out of the window. Also prior to the arrival you are going to want to go through and make sure all your lightbulbs are functional and replace any that are burnt out. I would recommend having extra around for the day of the shoot just in case we have any last minute burn outs. Pro tip here would be if you have the ability to make sure all your light bulbs are the same kind when it comes to hue, this helps with producing a more polished product. Next I always recommend that you take down any personal pictures from around the house. This can help potential buyers feel more comfortable and envision themselves or their families in the space. Lastly, all garbage cans from around the house should be stashed for the shoot if they are visible in the space. They are distracting to the eye and we do not want people's attention to be drawn away from your beautifully remodeled kitchen to the stainless steel can on the floor next to your counter.

Next, let's talk specifically about bathrooms. There are a couple major things for bathrooms: first and foremost make sure that the toilet seat is down in the bathrooms when we start the shoot. Make sure the shower doors, if they are glass, have been cleaned. You are going to want to showcase the vanity and space in the bathroom just like the rest of the house. Make sure the counter on the bathroom vanity is cleared off prior to the shoot aside from a few staged items to bring color or life into the space. This would be something like a small plant or stylized soap dispenser.

Kitchens are the one area where you want to take your decluttering to the next level. The more open your countertops are in your kitchen the larger the counter space will feel. For the fridge you will want to remove all magnets and other items on the fridge so that it has a nice clean look. One shot that is very popular is a close up of the sink area especially if there is a view out the window behind it. You are going to want to make sure there is no hard water staining on the sink and there are no dirty dishes or items that could distract the eye around the sink.

Bedrooms are pretty simple if you have followed the other steps outlined above, same goes with the living room and family room. Once you have done these things you are ready to let your agent know to book your shoot, here are a couple things to make the day of the shoot go flawlessly and trust me, your Real Estate photographer will appreciate it also.

The day of the shoot, prior to the arrival of the photographer, make sure all the shades are drawn like we talked about above. You will want to go throughout the whole house and make sure all the interior lights are turned on and all ceiling fans are turned off. Make sure that if there are specifics about the house you want showcased that you let the photographer know. Also this may seem obvious but mention the number of bedrooms and baths to the photographer that way they do not miss anything. And lastly for the interior, before we move outside, please make sure all the doors to bedrooms or bathrooms are open. Having them open can help link rooms together in the photos.

Last but not least, the exterior of the house, you are going to want to make sure the yard is presentable. This would include grass being cut, any paint on the house being touched up, and making sure any distracting defects of the home are repaired. During the shoot the driveway should be cleared of vehicles; this will help again with the curb appeal of the home. Make sure the asphalt and concrete have been cleaned or pressure washed if there is any staining or build up on them. Pro tip here would be if you have the time, a floral wreath, some fresh flowers and bark in the beds around the house can really help elevate the appearance of the home. You have to remember the front of the house is always going to be the first thing people see and it will be one of the lasting impressions they will have after visiting the property.

To wrap it up, there is always more you can do in spaces, but this is a great starting point without having to get into staging companies and things of that nature. If you do everything spelled out in this article you are well on your way to maximizing the marketability of your home. Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you have any questions please reach out to me via email. I am always happy to help out if you have additional questions about tips or tricks for staging or photography prep. I will have some more articles coming out about new trends in Real Estate Photography if you would like to follow along. If this seems like a lot of work, remember the goal, it is not to just make a good first impression, it is to make a lasting one.