How to Prepare for the Real Estate Agent Photographing Your Home

Glenn Batten | 23rd September, 2009
Tagged: home photos, house photos, photography, property photos, real estate, real estate agent photographs, real estate photos | Make a Comment »

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How to Prepare for the Real Estate Agent Photographing Your Home If you have your real estate agent photographing your home soon for marketing purposes it is vital that these photos are at their best to achieve an optimum marketing effect. These photographs will be used extensively in newspapers, magazines, the internet and in the agents windows displays.

Whether you are a property seller or a tenant you will want to minimise the distraction of the property being actively on the market and make it as as short as possible. Poor and unattractive photos fail to attract the interest of buyers, extending the time taken to sell your home. In contrast, quality photos showing the property at its best will attract more prospective purchasers, increase enquiries and overall speed up the selling process.

Nerang First National Real Estate has invested significantly in the digital photography workflow in the office from Digital SLR cameras, professional lenses, photography training and high end software for post production. Sometimes we will even suggest you engage a professional photographer to photograph the property.

What you need to do!

Regardless of whether you have engaged a professional photographer or the real estate salesperson photgraphs the property there is some things that you as the occupier need to do to assist with in preparations for the photos.

Remove The Clutter

You may have organised your home to express yourself – your travels, collections, interests, favourite colours and unique tastes. However, when selling a home, the goal is just the opposite. It is to create a clean, simple background that many different buyers would like to move into. Excess items and clutter confuses and distracts buyers during inspections.

They should not be required to “look past” your possessions that you will be taking with you anyway. They are there to see if your house fits them, and their emotional level response is a strong factor in their decision.

Sometimes clutter can look good “in person”, but when captured in a photograph the rooms can look very untidy and small. We have created a checklist at the bottom of this article covering the majority of problems we find.

Straighten Up

Crooked blinds, window shades and curtains, lamp shades, picture frames, throw rugs, sofa pillows — all can show up glaringly in a photograph.

Remove Furniture

Small rooms sometimes open up and look larger if some furniture items are removed so remove excess furniture so the room isn’t crowded.

Move Furniture

Move furniture into a neutral position to best display the room and to emphasize the homes positive features. You may not use the dining table so it’s pushed over in the corner but that is going to look very unusual in a photo. Arrange your furniture as though it was a show home which is exactly the effect we are after.

Brighten the Room

Often having plenty of light makes a small room look much larger, whereas poor light can shrink a large room. Open the blinds and pull back the curtains to let as much light in as possible. When the photographer arrives switch on all existing lights in a room: lamps, ceiling lights, appliance lamps… everything except fluorescents. Turn on lights in adjacent rooms too, so visible doorways don’t look dark.

Remember, you’re trying to create a difference from others that may well be the same as yours. Excellent presentation may not only get more interested buyers and speed up the sales process but if you are the seller it might also increase the perception of value leading to a premium price as well.

De-Clutter Checklist

We have gathered a list of tips to de clutter your home and have it looking at its best for the photos.

Outside

Make sure the yard is mowed and edged, and remove toys, junk piles, empty flower pots, etc.
An evenly cut yard is pleasing to the eye. Overgrown, woody shrubs give an old, tired look. Trim or remove them.
Coil hoses and place any tools inside the garage.
Remove cars from the front of the house and driveway and close the garage doors.
Remove pool equipment and hoses for the day as pools look better without them in photos.
Pickup toys and any loose equipment
Take washing off the clothes line.

Living Areas

Move large pieces of non essential equipment – musical instruments, telescopes, exercise equipment, children’s toys etc. to the garage or off-site.
Reduce as much as possible personal collections and photographs. A few decorative items or photographs on tables are fine, but reduce these to just a few nice pieces.
Brighten the room and open window blinds and curtains and for better lighting.

Kitchen

Remove purely functional items – such as baking pans, small appliances, vitamins, phone books, plastic bags, etc.
Remove notes, magnets, children’s paintings or photos on the refrigerator.
Clear the counters completely, then add back a few decorator items. if you have them
Some suggestions: Flowers, fruit, cookbooks, wine, bowls, antiques, small designer appliances, etc.
Remove rubbish bins, dishes in the sink, washing up cloths and tea towels hanging up.

Bathrooms

Start by removing everything from the bathroom counters.
Put items that you use daily – toothbrushes, soaps, razors – in a container, and place the container inside in a cabinet.
Carefully folded or hanging towels are fine as long as they are neat.
Never leave medicines, money, magazines, jewellery, or personal possessions of this type on display.
Clean shower screens and mirrors. Slight marks on glass look really ugly when lit up by a flash.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms should appear restful and serene. Sparsely furnished is best.
Use your best bed coverings.
Clear off the bedside tables, and add back just a few books or nice items.
In the children’s bedrooms tidy up the toys and avoid an overcrowded look.

Lastly, for a laugh, step by our Funny Real Estate Photos post we did a little while back which includes some photos that agents have posted on the internet for some clients.