Great listing photos are key to successfully marketing and selling your home.
This has become especially true in the past several years, as technology has advanced and we have all become accustomed to viewing online photos of products (and now homes) taken with increasingly high-quality photography.
This means that professional photography is a must when listing your home. A professional real estate photographer is an artist who knows how to showcase your home’s best attributes.
But a cluttered home makes a photographer’s job much more difficult. To get the most out of their services and make your listing photos pop, you need to get your house photo-ready.
Declutter — Remove All Family Photos and Other Personal Items
Go through your home and remove all family photos and as many personal items as possible. A decluttered space makes for a much more attractive listing, and removing family photos also helps protect your privacy online.
In addition, one of the goals of marketing your home is to showcase it in a way that potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. If it’s full of your personal belongings, buyers will have a difficult time seeing past the clutter.
Another thing to consider: excess items lying around the house — including shoes and jackets cluttering up the entryway — make it appear as if your home doesn’t have enough storage space.
A clean, uncluttered space helps communicate that your home has plenty of room for everything a potential buyer might need.
Remove Excess Furniture and Stage All Rooms
Similarly, removing excess furniture can help make your home appear more spacious.
Remove any furniture you don’t need for day-to-day life or to properly stage the space, and place it in storage while your home is on the market. If you’re not sure how to properly stage your home for your listing, consult with your real estate agent or hire a professional stager to do the staging for you.
Lighting — Replace Light Bulbs and Open All Blinds and Curtains
Lighting is what makes good photos great. Make sure the photographer has all of your lighting sources at their disposal:
- Go through your home and replace any burnt-out bulbs (don’t forget the porch light!).
- Give your windows a thorough cleaning.
- Open up all window treatments before your photographer arrives to make the most use of available natural light.
- Turn on all of the lights in your home before your photo appointment — the more light, the better.
Clear Off All Surfaces — Especially in the Kitchen and Bathrooms
To make your kitchen and bathrooms appear cleaner and more spacious, clear the clutter from your countertops.
Store away any countertop appliances, and make sure there are no piles of dishes on the counter or in the sink. Clean off appliance surfaces as well, removing all photos, magnets, and any other miscellaneous items.
In the bathroom, stash away all shampoo bottles, soaps, toothbrushes, and so on. Ideally, you want your bathrooms to appear vacant — like a hotel bathroom would.
In living areas, clear off coffee tables and side tables, except for a few decorative objects. Make sure chargers and cords from electronics are hidden from sight.
Make the Beds and Declutter Nightstands
Making the beds might seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how often this is overlooked! All beds should be made neatly, preferably with sheets, blankets, and pillow cases that match. Add a few decorative pillows to the bed for a more put-together look.
Cluttered surfaces on nightstands and dressers should be cleared off as well. Remove stacks of books, phone chargers, tissues, and other items and leave only a lamp or a single decorative object, such as a vase of flowers or a decorative book.
Stash Away Pet Items and Kids’ Toys
Ideally, your home’s photos should show no sign of pets. Not all buyers like pets, and pet toys and food dishes in photos are a no-go for them. And while it doesn’t show up in photos, now is the time to rid your home of pet smells, as they can be a big turnoff for buyers during showings.
In addition, if you have children, store as many of their toys as possible, and organize what’s left so it looks neat and tidy.
Remember: the goal is to create a space in which potential buyers can imagine themselves living. Since every buyer is different, and has different needs and wants for their new home, you’ll grab the attention of more buyers if your home has less of your stuff in it.
Stage Porches, Decks, and Patios
Curb appeal is as important for your online listing as it is for showings. After all, the first photo shown in an online listing is typically a front view of the home from the curb.
To boost the curb appeal of your home, stage your outdoor spaces just as you do your indoor ones.
Sweep, open up patio umbrellas (if it’s not too windy out), and dust off chairs and tables. Remove your grill cover, unless your grill is older or rusty…in which case it’s best to remove it entirely for photos. Set up outdoor furniture as if you were planning to host friends or family later. Add flowers and a few decorative items to create an inviting space.
Tidy Up Landscaping
Online curb appeal includes more than the external view of your house. The state of your yard and gardens will play a role in how your home looks online as well.
Refresh your landscaping by mowing the lawn, trimming edging, and tidying up garden beds. Consider adding a few pots of flowers on the front porch for an even more welcoming setting.
Move Cars From Driveway and Clear Outside Clutter
Cars, trailers, bikes, and other items in your driveway will make your photos look cluttered. Pull cars into the garage or move them off of the property during your photo session. Stash bikes, sports equipment, outdoor toys, lawn equipment, and garbage cans in the garage as well.
Unless your garage is a big selling point for your home, it’s rare to include photos of the interior of the garage in a listing. This makes it an ideal place to store items that will clutter up your photos.
When possible (and assuming the neighbors are willing to cooperate), remove cars from the road in front of your home as well.
Make Yourself Scarce During Listing Photos
It’s best to be gone while your photographer is taking photos. This allows them to do their jobs more efficiently and to focus on displaying your home at its best, rather than on trying to work around you and your family.
Plan to take pets with you as well, for the sake of your photographer as well as your pets. Pets will be happier and less stressed if they are with you vs. at home with a stranger.
Just for fun: Take a look at these crazy real estate photos for what NOT to do when prepping your home for your listing!
Need a Referral for a Real Estate Photographer? Ask Your RealtorⓇ
An experienced real estate agent has worked with multiple photographers and can refer you to a great one.
They can also help you decide what needs to be done in your home to make your listing photos stand out in the sea of homes online. Your RealtorⓇ will walk through your home with you and offer advice on what should go, what can stay, and how to make your home look its best for your listing.
Planning to list your home this year? Contact the team at ResComPros for expert help preparing, listing, and selling your home.