How to Prepare Your Property

Tips for Preparing a Home or Property for a Photo Shoot

You will want the house looking fabulous in the photos. A big key to this is depersonalize and remove clutter. This will help the property look more attractive for the potential buyer.  Here is a list of items to help you get the property photo-ready.

Interior Preparation:

  • Consider removing small rugs to reveal real flooring
  • Make beds
  • Open blinds/window treatments to let in outside light
  • Place all shoes/jackets in closets
  • Remove personal photographs (or replace with general landscape/object photographs)
  • Remove personal toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush, lotions, etc.)
  • Remove refrigerator magnets, papers, photos, etc.
  • Replace burned out light bulbs
  • Thoroughly clean (vacuum carpet, mop hard floors, clean windows, and wipe counter tops)
  • Turn ceiling fans OFF
  • Turn computer screens OFF
  • Turn ON all lights and lamps
  • Turn TVs OFF
  • Whenever possible use bulbs of the same temperature (i.e., all incandescent, all compact fluorescent, or all LED)
Exterior Preparation: 

  • Clean pool and remove pool vacuum/cleaner hose
  • Clean up landscaping (clear leaves, mow, trim shrubs)
  • Close garage doors
  • Hide pool cleaning supplies
  • Remove any clutter such as empty planters, water hoses, children’s toys
  • Remove cars from driveway and front of home
  • Remove trash cans
  • Sweep porch and tidy up outdoor furniture (cushions should appear fresh, not faded)
  • Turn on pool fountains/water features
  • Use broom to remove cobwebs from eaves and door frames

Pets:

  • We love ’em, BUT please put “furry friends” away while we are there

Things to keep in mind: Real estate photographers are not stagers. Although we would love to help, typically we have back to back appointments, so unless you let us know ahead of time that you need some assistance, we really need to keep on schedule. Please have the property ready to photograph.

Real estate photography is the photographing of houses (and similar structures) as well as surrounding property that is both aesthetically pleasing and accurate representations of their subjects. And while we can “Photoshop” stains, cracks, etc., we won’t because we don’t want to subject our clients to liability for miss representing the condition of the property. We are happy to “Photoshop” a garden hose or other pesky removable object from time to time upon request.

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