Nowadays, having a sweet gallery of photos (and maybe even a video or two!) is a must for any realtor looking to successfully sell a property. People are immediately more interested if there are visuals involved, and the better the quality of the pics, the more likely the property is to interest them.
And while a lot of this is up to the real estate photographer (e.g. the lighting, setting, blur, etc.), it’s also important that you prepare the property before-hand. Think of it, if you will, as putting on your best clothes for picture day. This is what you want to do for your property.
So how do you prepare a property for a photo shoot?
Living Room
There are a few things you need to bear in mind when setting up your living room or reception room for photos.
1. If you have a sofa, make sure it’s clean, and that you remove any throw blankets and other scruffy-looking covers.
2. Arrange the pillows in such a way that they look ‘careless’, but also uniform and professional at the same time.
3. Ditch the rugs. Even if it’s a brand-new rug. Wood and tiled floors in particular look good bare.
This goes for the whole house – you only want the bare necessities to create a good, homey picture, but you don’t want it to be overly crowded, as that makes it harder for the buyer to focus.
Bedroom
Again, you’re going for a clean and professional look, so make sure you go through the room (if the property has already been lived in) and remove any signs of that. The buyer doesn’t want to know what kind of socks the previous owner wore.
1. Throw blankets can work. A carefully “disarranged” throw over the bed can make the room more familiar.
2. Make the bed, though. Choose a shade of linen that “works” with the rest of the room.
3. Keep any storage spaces shut. Once again, the buyer doesn’t need to see what’s inside the wardrobe or in a drawer.
bathroom
Cleanliness is particularly important in the bathroom. If the buyer would be put off by signs of leaving in the bedroom, imagine how they’d react to those signs in this most intimate of rooms.
1. Remove all personal objects, from shower gel and shampoo bottles, to the toilet roll. You might think these make the room look more homey, but in truth, they just make a mess.
2. Keep the toilet-lid down. Period.
3. Towels can go either way (have them or don’t). but if you do keep them, fold them up neatly, not as if someone threw them off in a hurry.
kitchen
1. As above, remove all signs of living – holders, tea towels, cutlery, plates, etc. should go. So should fridge magnets.
2. You can leave a chopping block on the table, as long as it’s new-looking and clean, of course.
3. You can also set a fruit bowl, as it looks professional and makes the room more colorful.
4. Don’t leave any appliances in the photo, though, as that would suggest they come with the house.
Some general tips:
· You want the rooms to appear as spacious as possible, so if you need to remove things and move furniture around to get that effect, do so.
· Time your photos so that you get the best lighting. Natural lighting will always be more appealing than artificial.
Keep your curtains open – you want your pictures to say that even the sun chooses this property!