Prepping Your Home For Real Estate Photography

Prepping Your Home For Real Estate Photography

Preparing your home to be photographed may seem stressful and exhausting. There are many aspects to consider when preparing your home for real estate photography. Just a few hours of cleaning and decluttering can help you optimize your home's presentation and help you convey the best aspects of your home through photography. 

General Photography Preparation Tips

Clean Kitchen Counters & Sink
Clearing off your kitchen counters can help make the kitchen space appear more prominent. Small appliances (coffee makers, mixers, etc.) can be distracting and make the space feel cluttered. Removing everything except a few decorative items and cleaning all surface areas, including the appliances, sink and backsplash, can greatly improve your kitchen photos.

Bathrooms
Remove everything from your bathroom counter, and place all bottles and soaps into a bin that can be stored under the sink or in a closet. Remove floor mats and dirty towels, leave only new, unused towels for show (nicely folded for added appeal).

Living Spaces
Remove large personal photographs (or replace them with general landscape/object photography). This helps the buyers visualize themselves in your home. Thoroughly clean floors and vacuum carpets. Clean all windows and tabletops. Replace burned out light bulbs, if possible change all bulbs to the same temperature (all incandescent or all compact fluorescent). Remove small floor rugs to display actual flooring. Turn off all ceiling fans, TV and computer screens (moving objects cause motion blur).

Pets
Remove food/water bowls and store them in the pantry/closet. Hide away pet beds, toys and leashes in closets. Spend time cleaning your home to get rid of any pet hair and odor. 

Exterior
Tidy up the yard and landscaping. Move all cars, trucks, trailers from the driveway or into the garage. In most cases the first photo people will see will be the outside front exterior shot, you want it to look clean and appealing. During the summer, a fresh lawn mow can convey your property is well-maintained.

Before Your Photographer Arrives
Be sure to turn on all the lights and open all window blinds throughout your home. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. That includes lamps and under cabinet lighting. Do one last walkthrough of the home to ensure any extra commonly used items, like iPads, phones, etc. are removed from the counters, tables so your home is ready to go.

Your home’s marketing plays an important role in selling your home. It begins with preparation. Having a checklist will ensure your home is ready before the photographer arrives. This will help optimize efficiency and bring you amazing results.

Have a question or want to get in touch? Reach out to our team today, we are happy to help!