How to Prepare Your Home for Real Estate Photos

When it comes to marketing your home for sale, a picture is worth a thousand words. High-quality images of your home (and ideally a virtual tour) are a critical aspect of a good marketing strategy.

If you’re working with a Guelph Realtor, hopefully he or she will enlist (and pay for) the services of a professional photographer. But whether or not it’s a pro behind the camera, you’ll need to prepare your property for the shoot. Here’s how:

Exterior

Curb appeal is critical. Every Realtor has taken a buyer to home at some point, only to have the person flatly refuse to head inside, just based on a poor impression from the home’s external appearance. The opposite effect happens, too.

To boost curb appeal for photos, undertake the following tasks:

Tidy up front and back yards by edging, cutting the grass, and sweeping.
Take stock of your gardens, shrubs, and trees. Get out the pruners – or the axe if need be! – and consider planting some seasonal annuals, particularly at the front of your house. Topping your gardens with fresh mulch adds a quick visual boost to garden beds, too.
Pay special attention to your home’s entry way, freshening up any plants, welcome mats, wreaths, or other porch decor.
Remove any cars or bikes from the driveway, and close the garage door.
Put garden equipment and hoses away.

Interior

When it comes to your home’s interior, again there are some general Staging activities to complete in order to get ideal photo results:

Clean and declutter thoroughly.
Remove waste backets from view temporarily.
Turn off ceiling fans and televisions.
Let in the light, by opening all curtains (unless the view is a negative), and turning on the lights. All light fixtures should have the same bulbs – bright, soft light works well with interior photographs.
Escort your pets out of the photographer’s line of sight while he or she is working.

In addition to those basics, here are a few specific tips for:

Kitchens

Clear counters off and go for a very minimalist look with regard to countertop appliances, etc.
Remove any photos and papers from your fridge.

Bathrooms

Clean off counters and think ‘spa like’ when it comes to items like soaps and hand towels.
Close toilet lids before shots are taken.
Open shower curtains, particularly if the interior of your tub looks spic and span.

Bedrooms

Make beds (and consider sprucing up with new linens if yours are a bit tired).
Ensure that all clothing is put away.

Garage

Generally, this isn’t a spot of the house that translates well in photographs. Unless your garage is specially-finished and, for example, has special allure for car lovers or has a professional-looking workshop, forego adding these photos to your marketing repertoire.

Finally, a quick word on security, because it’s important to remain security-conscious while you are listing your home. Consider putting high-value items out of sight while photos are being taken – or ask the photographer if he or she can obscure specific items using photo editing software.