Needless to say, one thing that’s super important when it comes to selling your home is home staging. This tremendously helps out in selling your home faster, and it’s meant to be that neutral slate that not only shows the potential in the home, but it’s meant to also meant to help the buyers see themselves living there with their own items.
There’s a lot of work that goes into staging, but home staging isn’t just for open houses. That's a major mistake that home buyers make; what also goes into it is the photos themselves. Just think about it: the first impression someone gets of a house that’s for sale is the photos of it; that is usually how people find out that a house is even for sale, such as a real estate website or social media, you name it.
So it’s important that the home looks picture-perfect. So it’s not enough to look perfect for when visitors come; it needs to look perfect enough in these photos to incentivize homebuyers to stop by or even get an interest. So, with that said, here’s exactly what you need to know when it comes to getting your home picture-perfect for real estate photos!
It’s All Going to Start with a Deep-Clean
So, it’s pretty obvious, but if you’re looking to get your home ready for photos, then it’s all going to start with a good cleaning. Just like in person, even in photos, imperfections can be pretty obvious. Things like stains, smudges, and dust can all be seen in photos. So, you’ll need to go ahead and clean every room, from top to bottom. It’s best to just pay attention to details like dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning windows. A spotless home not only looks more appealing but also photographs beautifully. But if you’re bad at cleaning or lack the time, then hiring cleaners can be just fine, too; those services aren’t that expensive either.
Declutter and Depersonalize
So, while it might sound strange to remove any sort of quirks or personality that a room may have when it comes to home staging and real estate photography, this is super important. So, as stated earlier, the home needs to be a neutral slate. If it’s blank, then it’s hard to lead the imagination for buyers, but if there’s furniture, it’s going to give an idea of what some of the potential is that’s available.
Honestly, it doesn’t really need to be a lot of work, either. It can honestly be as easy as removing personal things like posters, photos, trophies, religious symbols, excess decor, and things like that. Since the whole goal is to allow potential buyers to envision themselves in the home, it means decluttering will need to happen too so it’s best to go ahead and clear countertops, shelves, and tables of unnecessary items to create a clean, spacious look. You want to bring the best spots out in your house, and photography can do that, but it’s all going to start with you.
Shoot During the Day
Chances are, it’s going to be a real estate photographer you’re hiring, so they’ll already know to shoot in the day, usually when it’s good weather. But if you’re DIYing the real estate photos to save some money, make sure to maximize natural lighting and take all the photos during the day. Avoid early morning or late evening sessions when the light can be too harsh or uneven.
Be Selective with Furniture
As briefly mentioned earlier, you’re going to want to make the home feel neutral, but something else that’s really important is what type of furniture you use. The whole point is to highlight the house, so both the decor and the furniture need to work with the space, not work against it. So you might want to consider gorgeous pieces like a DIY table, neutral colors for furniture, and maybe wall decor/ furnishings that give more appeal to the space. also if you’re able to, avoid bulky furniture since this makes rooms appear way smaller.
Have the Key Features Highlighted
Every home has unique selling points. So, it’s best to just try to ensure that the real estate photographer focuses on these key features. They’re professionals, so honestly they’ll probably know what needs to be highlighted anyway. Whether it's a spacious kitchen, a cozy fireplace, or a beautifully landscaped backyard, you name it, these highlights should shine in the photos.
Consider a Professional
At the end of the day, the whole point is to sell the property. Your smartphone is not equivalent to the camera that professional real estate photographers have; they have different equipment, like wide-angle lenses that help capture spaces. It’s so important to be willing to spend extra money on this service because they can really help capture and show off what you might not be able to.
