How to prepare your home for real estate photography

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How to prepare your home for real estate photography

Senir Design
Published by Senir Dacillo in Photography · Wednesday 22 Jun 2022
Tags: preparehomeforrealestatephotography
It’s an old saying, but “A picture is worth a thousand words” still holds true. If the home-seeker is really impressed by the beautiful photography that makes your home stand out from the rest, then you and your photographer have done a proper job and you can expect to get top dollar for your home.

General Guidelines For Real Estate Photos
To make sure your home looks its best, here are some general guidelines for real estate photography:

- Clean the whole house (Mop floors, vacuum carpets, clear countertops, clean windows)

- Make sure your house is clean. You might think that this is a given, but it’s not. Take a look around your home and make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink, food on the countertops or tables, or anything else that looks messy. If there are things like dirty laundry lying around or other items that don’t belong in certain areas of the house (like shoes by the door), move them to where they belong before taking photos.

- Make sure your home has plenty of natural light coming into it during all hours of the day.

  • Open window curtains/shades/blinds to let in outside light
  • Turn ON all lights and lamps
  • Replace all burned out light bulbs and use the same temperature
  • Turn OFF all ceiling fans and turn ON ceiling fans light

- Organize and decorate well before getting started with real estate photos because these efforts will show up in your images! The more clutter-free and organized everything looks when photographed from different angles around each room, the better it will look when people see how nice and spacious it appears online.

  • Remove personal photographs
  • Turn OFF all TVs and computer screens
  • Make all beds
  • Remove small rugs to reveal actual flooring

Overall, the house should look clean and organized it makes the home look open and inviting.

General Guidelines For Real Estate PhotosExterior
- Clean up your home exterior. It is the first thing that potential buyers see when they look at your house, this is where your home exteriors can make or break the deal.

  • ​Remove all vehicles from driveways and in front of the house
  • Close garage doors
  • Sweep driveways, sidewalks and porch
  • Mow and rake yard, trim trees/overgrown shrubs
  • Remove visible water hoses and sprinklers
  • Remove toys, basketball hoop, etc.
  • Move and hide garbage/recycle cans out of sight

Clean Backyard For Real Estate PhotosBackyard
- For outdoor photographs, keeping your lawn and backyard clean will make your house look beautiful.

  • Clean patio
  • De-clutter outdoor tables, space evenly and straighten all chairs
  • Hide kid’s toys, pet toys, etc.
  • Clean pool and hide pool cleaning tools/supplies, etc.
  • Remove visible water hoses
  • Clean back yard pet waste
  • Add a few plants if needed
  • Hide trash cans out of sight

Clean Kitchen For Real Estate PhotosKitchen
- The kitchen is always a main focal point in a house. It has to look spotless and tidied so that buyers can imagine themselves living in the house.

  • Clear off countertops completely. (No papers, kitchen supplies, etc.)
  • A small bouquet of flowers should be fine for decoration
  • Remove all items off refrigerator doors and clear the top too
  • Clean the sink, remove dish soap, cleaning supplies, remove dishes and place in dishwasher
  • Remove small rugs to reveal actual flooring
  • Hide trash cans out of sight

Clean Bathroom For Real Estate PhotosBathrooms
As you know, bathrooms are often the smallest room in your home. And when people see a small bathroom, they may think it's not worth their time. However, if you have a clean bathroom, you could make your tiny bathroom seem more spacious and give people the impression that your bathroom is larger than it really is.

  • Clean and clear countertop completely. (No toothbrushes, soap dishes, shavers, lotion, makeup, etc.)
  • Clean bathroom mirrors
  • Clear showers/tubs, remove soap, shampoo, etc.
  • Use clean and straight bathroom shower curtains and towels
  • Lower toilet seat cover
  • Remove toilet cleaning tools & supplies
  • Replace toilet paper rolls
  • Hide trash cans out of sight
  • Remove floor mats to reveal actual flooring

Clean Master Bedroom For Real Estate PhotosMaster bedroom
One of the best ways to make a good first impression is to show off your master bedroom. Potential home buyers might not have time to look at every room, but they will often make time to check out the master bedroom.

  • Remove personal photos from walls
  • Make bed and use your best complete bedding set.
  • Clean under the bed
  • Clear and clean night stands, remove of all personal items
  • De-clutter top of dressers, tables, furniture, etc.
  • Close closet doors

Clean Kid Bedroom For Real Estate PhotosKid/Additional bedroom
Make sure the bed is made and that the room is tidy. You don’t want the buyer to think your kid is messy, right?

  • Remove personal photos.
  • Remove posters, stickers and personalized names from walls
  • Make bed and use your best complete bedding set.
  • Clean under the bed
  • De-clutter top of dressers, tables, furniture, etc.
  • ​Close closet doors

Clean Living Room For Real Estate PhotosLiving room
A living room should be comfortable and inviting. It should have a bright, warm ambiance and the furniture should be arranged so that it doesn’t look too cramped or crowded.

It's not just about making sure the place looks clean; it's about making sure you feel comfortable inviting people over for a visit! If you're selling your home, this will also help prospective buyers feel more at ease in their evaluation of the property.

  • Remove and hide piles of newspaper and magazines
  • De-clutter or organize mantles, shelves, tables and tabletops
  • Clean fireplace, leave minimal artwork and removed personal photographs
  • Dust off your furniture and electronics
  • Hide all remote controls and kids toys

Clean Dining Room For Real Estate PhotosDining room
In the dining room of a real estate listing, the buyers will want to see an inviting and comfortable place. You may want to think about decorating the room a little differently than you usually would. A good way to make the room look larger is to use fewer pieces of furniture.

  • Clear and clean dining table.
  • Arrange all chairs and space them evenly.
  • A bouquet of flowers can be used as a centerpiece.
  • Remove and hide extra chairs like child booster/seat

Hide Pets For Real Estate PhotosPets
Pets are a big part of the family, but that doesn't mean they belong in every photo. Pets are another common problem for real estate photographers. If you have a pet, it may be difficult to get him or her out of the house before the photographer arrives.

  • If you have a dog or cat, put them in their crate or a safe place while the photographer is taking photos of your house.
  • Hide pet dishes, beds, crates and toys out of sight during photo shoot

Conclusion
We hope this post was able to show you how to prepare your home for real estate photography and give you some useful tips along the way. Remember, making sure that your home shows in its best light is key to getting paid top dollar for your property. Keep these pointers in mind, and you can be assured that your house will be the best it can be when it comes time to sell!

If you're looking for a professional real estate photographer in Victorville, CA, look no further than Senir Dacillo. Senir is a professional real estate photographer based out of Victorville and specializes in creating stunning images for homes both inside and out.

Senir offers real estate photography services in areas such as Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, Jess Ranch, Spring Valley Lake, Adelanto, Oak Hills and Phelan, CA



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