How to Photograph Your Home to Entice Buyers

Preparing Your Home to be Photographed

In today’s market, almost every single home is being viewed online before a buyer ever steps inside. Because of that, it is essential that your home look its best when photos are taken. The photos should accurately portray your home and entice buyers to come take a look in person. These tips will help your home show nicely in the photographs. 


Staging and Furniture

One of the early steps in preparing for photographs and to have your home shown to potential buyers is removing excess furniture and adjusting the layout and flow of the furniture to make the home look more polished and spacious. To stage for photography, consider these tips:

  • Remove excess furniture, if needed. 
  • Add additional furniture, if needed.
  • Remove all area rugs. 
  • If you have an extra leaf in the dining room table, remove it. 
  • Add a couple decorative pillows to the couch.
  • Put your best towels out on the towel racks.

Staging a home can increase the visual appeal and entice buyers into a faster transaction.


Decluttering the Home

Another potential turn-off for buyers is clutter around your home that might distract them from its highlights and qualities. To mitigate this, take the following steps to declutter your home before photographs:

  • Clear off counters and other surfaces.
  • Take all notes, magnets and pictures off the refrigerator. 
  • Clean and dust all surfaces. 
  • Remove personal photos and personal items. 
  • Make all beds neatly. 
  • Hide all evidence of pets, including their food dishes.
  • Clean off tops of dressers. 
  • Remove all but lamp from night stands.
  • Hide the dish cloth or sponge and soap.
  • Hide your toothbrushes. 
  • Put out fresh soap or a soap dispenser by all sinks. 
  • Hide all cosmetics. 

Decluttering can help prospective buyers focus on the qualities of your home, rather than just the mess.


Deep Cleaning the Home

Once the clutter has been put away, you still need to clean your home more thoroughly to ensure that it looks polished and put-together. Before the home is photographed, make sure not to miss the following cleaning routines:

  • Wash and put away the dishes or load the dishwasher so there are no dirty dishes visible. 
  • Hide excess dining chairs. Leave out only what fits around the table. 
  • Add an arrangement of flowers or small centerpiece to the dining room or kitchen tables. 
  • Make sure all light bulbs work throughout the house.
  • Put a fresh roll of toilet paper on the dispensers. 
  • Put the toilet seats down. 
  • Clean all curtains, drapes and blinds. 
  • Clean all windows and doors. 

Ensuring the house is clean will make the house look nicer to prospective buyers.


Maximizing Curb Appeal With Yard Work

Curb appeal is one of the most important elements of a home’s look; many home buyers form their first opinion of your home based on how it looks from the exterior. Make sure your home stands out by tidying up your yard and making a good first impression.

  • Cut the grass, rake the leaves, blow away clippings. Do whatever needs to be done to make your yard look fresh for the current season. 
  • Trim bushes if needed. 
  • Add fresh mulch.
  • Add a new welcome mat. 
  • Clean off the deck and patio. True outdoor furniture is fine, but remove anything else. 
  • Put away any tools and toys that are out in the yard. 
  • Remove any cars from the driveway. 
  • Remove any signs from your yard.

We advise you to consider the photos online as your home’s first showing. Buyer won’t come for a second look if they don’t like what they see online, so do your best to make your home look inviting for the photographer.