Post by Daniel Morris | Date: 26-06-2022
Call the handyman! What moving company should we use? What’s that plumbers number again? Selling a home is stressful. There are a ton of moving parts that all need to come together before you put your listing on the market. You’re stressed, your clients are super stressed, and you have days - not weeks - to get this property ready to show.
After all that hard work your sellers are ready. They followed your list and notified you that the work is all done. The touch-up paint in the hallway - check!. Leaky faucet in the powder room - check! All you have do is book the photographer for Monday so you can list by Wednesday - perhaps multiple offers by Tuesday *fingers crossed*.
It’s Monday morning and the sky is blue, grass is green, and you are ready to photograph your newest listing. You told your office last Thursday that you have a GORGEOUS four-bedroom colonial that is going to go quickly - so have your buyers ready to bid! You meet your photographer at 11:00am on the dot and tell them “This house is unbelievable. Wait until you see it!”. The photographer responds “Great! The last home I was in was a disaster…clothes everywhere, beds unmade, it was horrible!”
Ha! Not your clients, right? Right?? They cleaned up, right? You remembered to tell them to make their beds, right? Declutter the kitchen, pick up the kids toys, and depersonalize their home…right??
You open the door and….AHHHHHH!!!! It was worse than you expected. Baskets of laundry on the living room sofa, dishes in the kitchen sink, clutter on the dining room table, and…is that…last night’s spaghetti bowl next to the kids bed??? You look over at your photographer, embarrassed, and say, “I told them that the photos were happening today. I thought that they knew?”
Download our Free Home Sellers Guide to Photography Prep
Has this ever happened to you? Scrambling at the last minute to get each room ready. Hoping that all the clutter is out of the photograph. Or perhaps you “shoot it as is” and post the photos. Your clients call you on Thursday morning extremely upset that their home looks terrible online.
If only there was a list you could give your sellers to ensure that the home was fully prepared. And if only that list would come from a company that markets BILLIONS of dollars in homes per year. Perhaps a company that photographs THOUSANDS of homes per year to guide your clients. That would be nice, right? Oh yea, there is a company that does that - us!!
Prepping your home for photographs is like preparing for guests to come over - except these guests are buyers. We’ve created a basic checklist for you to go through to make the process as simple as possible - and for your sellers to be prepared.
Main Areas - Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, Family and/or bonus spaces. These areas are considered the most “lived in” spaces of the home:
Kitchen - the heart of the home!
Bedrooms & Bathrooms
Exterior of the Property
Download our Free Home Sellers Guide to Photography Prep
Buyers want to see a property in a “hotel-like” condition. They want to feel good about what might be their next home. Even before there is a showing, decisions are being made based on the photographs. Because the starting point for most buyers will be viewing the property online - it is so very easy to move on to the next if you don’t like what you see. After all, they are going to pay top dollar for your listing, right?
This guide is simply a tool for your sellers to use in order to prepare their house for photography. Like the saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words”..except at our company we say “A picture is worth thousands of dollars” - whether those thousands are added on - or off - the list price is up to you and your sellers.
Five important things to discuss with your realtor when preparing your home for photography.
Why staging your listing is a great return on investment
Reasons why professional photography is crucial to your marketing plan.
A guide on how to generate leads and build content for social media marketing with exterior photography
A complete guide for realtors on how to utilize photography for their listings
Sell homes faster by using professional photography with media company like VMD. Get the best ROI on your time and money...
Real Estate photography ROI in the Northeast. How spending money on professional photography will help your listings sel...
Great real estate photos don't happen by accident - they're the result of careful preparation and attention to detail. W...
How Twilight Photography can create a mood that resonates with buyers and boost your listing online engagement.
The benefit of editing real estate photography. How HDR and other editing techniques can enhance your listing photos.
Real estate photography companies have started offering Virtual Tours to their customers. Is there a clear benefit over...
Why all top producing real estate agents focus on visual consistency to build their brand.
Aerial photography captures stunning property views, location highlights, and unique perspectives buyers can’t ignore
What type of properties warrant drone photography and the things that realtors need to take into consideration when usin...
Buyers make a split-second decision on whether or not to click on your listing. The presentation of your home is a major...
Seasonal photography can transform your real estate listings. Discover why capturing each season matters and how to show...
Discover the best time of day to photograph homes for stunning real estate photos. Learn how lighting impacts curb appea...
Step 1 of 4