One of my favorite and one of the most important aspects of listing your home… welcome to what we refer to as “photo day!” This is a crucial step in our marketing strategy. Professional photography is what captures buyers and entices them to book a showing… photos show off your home, the flow, and the details… and they make your home stand out among the competition!
If you have had a staging consultation, the stager may have gone over many organizational tips such as putting toys away, straightening bookshelves, clearing the clutter, swapping out rugs or light fixtures, and generally making your home look “show ready.” The next step is to take professional photos, and there are a few guidelines we stand by to make your home look great in photos. Besides the general cleaning you should do (such as vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, wiping down counters, cleaning the bathrooms, etc), there are a few things you can do that will really go the extra mile.
Here is a checklist to do the day before or day of:
General
- Open up all the blinds and curtains. Natural light is generally preferred among many photographers
- Turn on all the lights, including under-cabinet lighting, stove lights, sconces, table lamps, and mood lighting
- TIP – if any light bulbs are out, replace them before we and the photographer arrive
- Turn off ceiling fans
- Remove most, if not all, family photos
- If you have plants or flower arrangements, we love to see those displayed! We may even arrive with a flower arrangement
- Remove smaller area mats and smaller runners
- Clear entryways, foyers and mudrooms of shoes, jackets and sports items
- Hide toys and children’s artwork
- Remove any pet items, like food bowls, toys, beds, fish bowls, and litter boxes
- TIP – if you have pets, they may need to be sequestered to a room while photography is taken place so they’re not in the way (but not for long. Our team loves pets!)
- Hide electric cables, wires, or phone chargers
- Remove holiday or religious items
Kitchen
- If you have open shelving or glass shelves, make sure the glassware and anything displayed is set nicely and not cluttered. If you have colorful kid cups or novelty cups, store them somewhere else as they might be distracting
- Generally, less is more. That means even though you might have a large kitchen with a lot of countertop space, remove nearly everything from it – including small appliances, paper towels, soap, sponges and cleaning products. We may leave a bowl of fruit or a small plant to lighten it up, but otherwise everything must go!
- Remove all magnets from the refrigerator
- Hide high chairs or children’s chairs
Living Room
- Colorful throw pillows or a cozy blanket can go a long way!
- The fireplace will be a point of interest, so make sure the mantel is empty or it can have a few small decorative pieces on it
- TIP – our photographers will edit a fake fire in the fireplace, so no need to start a fire!
- If you have built-ins, straighten, organize or rearrange them so they don’t look cluttered
- Hide stereos or speakers
Bedrooms
- Make sure all the beds are made
- TIP – remove anything from under the bed as well! You would be surprised but the photographer can sometimes see under the bed and any clutter that lies there
- If you can, make sure all pillows and pillowcases match
- Think luxury – fluffy pillows, cozy blankets, or small plants can go a long way
- Remove anything from the nightstands, including books, remote controls, prescriptions, eyeglasses or clocks
- Hide or remove laundry hampers
Bathrooms
- Put away toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair or makeup products, and tissue boxes. We might leave soap, a candle, or small decorative items on the countertops
- We may take a photo of the shower, so remove all shampoo, soaps, face wash and other shower products
- White hand and bath towels are preferred, but if you don’t have those, neutral-colored towels may do
- Close all toilet seats and get rid of toilet brushes
Exterior
- Park your cars in the garage or far away from the home. We will park down the street away from your home too. We do this because the photographer may be able to see cars on the street when they take interior pictures and it looks distracting. In the event we take drone photography, we don’t like seeing many cars on the street or in the driveway
- Hide all the garbage and recycling bins
- Close the garage doors
- Open the patio umbrellas
- Open the swimming pool or hot tub covers
- Remove lawn furniture covers, patio furniture, and add pretty pillows
- TIP – you may even “stage” the outdoor patio if you wish, with pretty plates and glassware and flowers
- Take the grill covers off
- Sweep the patio, front porch, balconies and any other outdoor areas so they look fresh and clean
- Put garden hoses away
- If you can, mow the lawn the day of or before we take photos so your lawn will look perfect. Also trim the hedges or bushes if they are unruly