How to Prepare Your Home for a Photoshoot
If you’re hiring a real estate photographer in Grand Rapids, West Michigan, or wherever you may be, the best thing you can do is be sure you’re ready for their arrival. You want to be certain the presentation of the home is perfect for the day of the shoot.
Why Does The Presentation Of A Home Matter?
The first step nearly anyone takes when looking for a new home is search the internet. What is the first thing that they see while doing this? Home photos. That’s why those first impressions need to be right because if the photos aren’t good enough then the buyers won’t be interested in visiting the house. They pass on that listing and move onto the next house in their search results, and you’re left wondering if perhaps you set your price too high … when really the issue wasn’t the price at all, it was the images that were being used to showcase the space at that price.
So what should you be doing to ensure you’re attracting a steady stream of buyers to your real estate listing? Here are some quick and easy steps you need to take to make sure those real estate photos are working hard for you:
Make It Light And Bright:
Be sure all of your light bulbs are working inside and open the blinds and curtains to let some natural light in for the photo shoot. Even during the rain or snowy months here in West Michigan, having the blinds open does wonders to a photo. A great photographer will have no trouble balancing the lighting in a room, so it’s better to show what is outside the house rather than closing all the blinds to make it seem like you’re trying to hide something.
Remove The Clutter:
After spending time in hundreds of homes, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing a great home look smaller than it really is because there are toys strewn across the floor, too much stuff in the kitchen, and way too many things in the living room.
I’m fairly certain the owners and the agent would not arrive at their own wedding with untidy hair and anything less than the best dress or suit. I think applying the same standards to the marketing of a home would be the same in any scenario. What does this mean for you? Get rid of the things that don’t need to be there, leave the things that do, and make sure the house is looking immaculate.
For example, one particular space that gets a lot of clutter is a bathroom. It’s extremely important to have your bathroom looking amazing. Buyers want to imagine their perfect future, and to have a bathroom that looks like a spa at a luxurious resort. An amazing bathroom is a dream situation is a strong selling point for most people.
Arrange The Furniture:
There’s a fine balance between having too little furniture, with bare open spaces that look uninviting, and having too much furniture. You may also need to arrange the furniture so that a living room, for example, looks conversational and flows properly so that a buyer would be able to imagine themselves sitting with friends there. As Realtor Magazine put it:
“Spotlight the flow of your space by creating a focal point on the furthest wall from the doorway and arranging the other pieces of furniture to make a triangle shape. The focal point may be a bed in a bedroom or a china cabinet in a dining room.”
Clean The Home:
Presenting a house in a photo is very different than having buyers walk through an open home, but regardless, it’s still important that you present a clean and tidy space. Here are some things you would want to make sure are in order:
– Pick everything up off the floor that shouldn’t be there and clean all floors.
– Remove all signs of pets living in the home since some buyers can be turned off at the sight of a dog bed or a cat tree.
– Show that you have plenty of room in the kitchen by hiding any small appliances.
– Make sure all items are in storage in the bathrooms and only leave out a small number of decorative pieces.
– Carefully clean all windows and mirrors, and be sure there aren’t any streaks as those will show up in the photos (especially in the bathroom).
Prepare The Outside:
Don’t forget about the exterior of your home. Make sure that all trees and brushes are neatly cut, the grass is short, and edges are trimmed. If you have some patchy areas, try and have those repaired by starting to work on them a month or two before the house goes on the market. A great front lawn makes a strong first impression, so take the time to make it look amazing. Even though we have four true seasons here in Grand Rapids, MI and throughout Michigan, keeping a clean yard truly improves the overall appearance of a house.
You will also want to remove anything stored around the yard such as garden tools, toys, empty plant pots, trash cans, and anything else that shouldn’t be there.
Don’t Show Seasonal Items:
If your getting ready to list a home close to a holiday, you don’t want to show this in your photos. When I’m photographing a home I almost always request that any holiday décor be removed from a space before I shoot it, and the reason why is that if the property doesn’t sell, say, before Christmas, then we don’t want to have a tree and decorations in the images that obviously date the photo. The longer a home sits, people begin to wonder why the house hasn’t sold yet. As Zillow.com put it:
“Instead, consider ways to decorate for the season as a whole and take photos of rooms without themed décor.”
Looking for more tips on how to get your house ready for a photoshoot? I have prepared a staging document that gives you quick instructions on how to have the home ready for photos no matter what market you are in. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.