A Preparation Guide
Having your home ready for listing photos is a stressful order, but hopefully this list gives you a more directed approach to having your home prepped to pop. I can tell you from experience that homes that follow this guide generally sell faster than homes that are messy and don't look clean. Trust me when I say that people cannot and will not be able to see past the mess; they'll just skip to the next home. Photography for your home or listing will take about 2 hours, so please make sure to plan accordingly. Having your home ready will not just help your home sell faster, it will also take off a lot of pressure from the photographer and you while the session is in place.
Interiors
- Closets, pantry, and the garage are generally not photographed, so these are great places to hide away clutter.
- If renovated - clean and put away any renovation equipment, tape, or any trace that a reno team was there.
- If there any features of the home that are not obvious, let the photographer know so that we can include them in the shoot.
- Clear off counter tops in the kitchen and bathroom areas.
- Remove photos, notes, and papers from refrigerator.
- Remove any personal photos you don't feel comfortable with the internet seeing.
- Declutter rooms that may be excessively furnished; they do not photograph well.
- Turn ceiling fans and televisions off.
- Make beds and tidy bedrooms. Make sure all clothes are hung up or out of sight.
- Remove floor mats and runners.
- Replace burned out lightbulbs, and make sure they match color temperature with other lightbulbs in the same room.
- Keep pets and pet items in the garage or out of sight.
- Place all indoor trashcans out of view in a closet or cupboard.
Exteriors
- Remove all vehicles from driveways and do not park directly in front of the house. If garbage cans are visible, please remove them so they cannot be seen from the street.
- Remove all garden tools including hoses and sprinklers - mow and rake lawn.
- Sweep or blow off driveways, sidewalks, and patios.
- Place garbage bins inside garage so they are not seen.
- Remove grill or barbecue covers.
- Open up patio umbrellas.
Final Thoughts
I am a master of Photoshop, but even I have my limits. The best results are always achieved when the place looks ready and good to go in person. Imagine that you want to have it looking in open house condition. Can you move stuff around while the photographer is there? If it can be avoided at all; sometimes clutter can be seen from angles from an adjacent room. Plus the extra effort and time of having to move things around always exponentially increases the time on location.
