A Picture Perfect Day

Posted on: 15 September 2021

Real estate photography can do a lot to sell a property. If you're planning to have a photographer visit a place, it's a good idea to have a checklist of preparations for the session. These four items will help you and the photographer achieve great results.

Minor Repairs and Updates

If you're likely to perform minor repairs or updates to the location, this is the time to do them. Even something as small as a brand-new faucet can make a bathroom or kitchen look just a smidge better. If you're remodeling any rooms, try to have those done before you move forward with real estate interior photography work. While you might feel like you're in a rush to get a house on the market, taking a couple of weeks to clean a few things up may yield better results in the long run.

If you're not going to perform repairs, then simply clean things up as reasonably as possible. A little non-abrasive cleaner can go a long way. However, avoid hiding things that belong in disclosures. Represent the house faithfully in the photos.

Staging

There's an odd balance between making a property, especially a residential one, look vacant versus too inhabited. You want the potential buyers to be able to imagine the house as a home they could live in, not one that someone already does.

Stage the property. If you're doing it yourself, the key is to remove identifying features. Remove family portraits and other personal items. If there are rooms with rather bold colors, you might always want to paint those with neutral tones. It may be wise to hire a professional home stager before doing any real estate photography.

Landscaping

Much like staging the interior, you'll also want to tidy the yard. Clear out old trees and bushes that aren't in good shape. Have a professional do basic trimming. Once more, you want the landscape to look good but neutral.

Landscaping matters even if you're focusing on real estate interior photography. You'll want the windows open to provide as much natural light as possible. Buyers are going to get hints of what the landscape is like when they look at the photos.

Time of Day

Most properties maximize their natural light at certain times of the day. Get a sense of what time works best for your location. Late morning or early afternoon light often produces the best results because the light comes in at an angle without blasting rooms.