Tips to prepare your home to be photographed
Written by Julie Vincent of Julie Vincent Photography
An easy way to see what potential buyers will see when they view your for-sale home is to photograph each room and view the images on a computer screen. Pay attention to what items in those images jump out, or draw your eye away from the whole image. Make notes for each room. Note clutter, burnt-out or different colour light bulbs, crooked lamp shades, damaged or dirty walls, items showing above cabinets or below beds. Take one shot from the door of each bedroom, and from two angles of your living room, kitchen and basement.
Save Time and Reduce Stress Prior to Moving
As you edit the furnishings and clutter in your home, begin packing away (in labelled boxes) all non-essential items. Anything you don’t use on a regular basis should be boxed and labelled. As a bonus, you’ll be able to start your “donate” and “toss” boxes. When it comes time to move, you may find you have 50 percent of the job done – a huge stress reducer prior to a move.
Main Floor
Remove personal items – knick-knacks, personal photos, magazines, newspapers, anything you don’t use at least on a weekly basis.
Hide your TV/stereo remotes in a drawer.
Edit your furniture; make your rooms look larger by removing anything that doesn’t need to be there.
Vacuum/sweep floors, including under rugs and throws.
De-clutter your kitchen, and be ruthless about it.
Remove anything you don’t use every day. Scrub and shine the sink and counter tops, and wipe down cabinets.
Hide dishcloths, dish scrubs, dish washing soap; if these items are out, your potential buyer instantly thinks, “needs cleaning.” Out of view and your buyer thinks, “Already very clean.”
Clean off the fridge. There should be nothing on top of or attached to the fridge.
Remove items from bulletin boards.
Hide the garbage bins – and fire your photographer if they photograph garbage bins inside the house. Nobody wants to buy trash.
Bedrooms
Make the beds. Only pulling up the sheets doesn’t count; make the beds and dress them up a bit. If your box spring is exposed, get a bed skirt. This will instantly make the room look cleaner, and gives you extra under-bed, invisible storage.
Your buyer wants to step into their potential bedroom, not to feel like they’re invading your private space, so remove laundry hampers and hang up/store all clothing;
If you’re having showings, wash the sheets; you may not be able to smell yourself, but anyone viewing the home will. Clean sheets make a huge difference.
Deodorize carpets with baking soda: buy large boxes of baking soda, perforate the box top with a sturdy skewer to make 10 – 15 large-ish holes, and sprinkle the baking soda over your carpets. Let it sit for 30 – 45 minutes, then vacuum. Store extra blankets and bedding.
Basement
If your basement is finished, treat it as you would your main floor living areas: de-clutter, remove personal items, sweep/vacuum and deodorize. On the point of deodorize, take care with spray scents and incense; those can leave bitter smells, and some people are sensitive to strong odours. Wash anything washable – blankets and throws, and throw pillows if they’re washable. Most throws and pillows can spend 10 minutes in a warm dryer, with a dryer sheet, to freshen up.
If your basement is unfinished, the more you can contain items in one area, the larger the space will look and the easier it will be for potential buyers to imagine themselves and their stuff there.
Use clean, light-coloured sheets to “wall off” your storage area; by hiding your boxes you instantly make the basement clean!
Bathrooms
Of all the rooms in your home, the bathrooms must be spotless. Clean the floors and super-clean mirrors; spend money on a set of good, white or off-white towels – and only have those up for photos and showings.
Hang a white shower curtain; remove old bathroom/shower rugs; make sure the area around the sink(s), shower and tub are free of mould and discolouration. Beach if necessary, or remove and replace old caulking/silicone
De-clutter your personal care items. Box up everything you don’t use daily. Items you use often – every couple days or weekly at least – can be stored in drawers or under the sink. During photography and showings, your shower and bath should be empty of personal care items
Remove branded items and clear counters around the sink; these areas should be free of soaps, toothbrushes, hair brushes, and personal items.
Some personal items should be removed all together. Although they should not, potential buyers will open cupboards and drawers, so certain personal items should disappear entirely during showings.
Exteriors
Curb-appeal also matters: store garden tools, hoses, shovels, toys and lawn/yard-care implements; hide trash bins; cut the lawn, or shovel; make sure all pathways are clear and free from debris and ice.
Spray gate hinges and locks with WD-40 and tighten up any loose gate screws. Make sure your lawn/common areas are free of dog and cat ‘dirt.
Staging
Curb-appeal also matters: store garden tools, hoses, shovels, toys and lawn/yard-care implements; hide trash bins; cut the lawn, or shovel; make sure all pathways are clear and free from debris and ice.
Spray gate hinges and locks with WD-40 and tighten up any loose gate screws. Make sure your lawn/common areas are free of dog and cat ‘dirt.
Why to hire a Prō to capture your photos
After the amount of work you will do to prepare your home for sale, you should expect excellent photography. A gorgeous home can look used and dark when poorly photographed. More than 95 percent of potential buyers start their search on line. Of that 95 percent, more than 90 percent skip listings with poor photography. So invest in a Prō to ensure that your home gets the attention it deserves!
