These are the top 5 things you should be doing before a photographer comes. Sometimes we lose track and start doing things that don’t matter when the clock is counting down to our photo deadline.
Here’s how to stay on track and make sure you’re ready to go.
#5 – Don’t Schedule The Shoot On Trash Day
If you already made the mistake the photographer is coming tomorrow, don’t worry, just talk to your neighbours and see if you can move their garbage cans away from the front of your house or to the other side of the street.
This happens fairly often and it’s a hard one to avoid sometimes with booked schedules.
The main idea is to hide the trash cans from the photos and videos so any way you can do that is fair game whether that means putting them in the garage, coordinating with neighbours across the street or telling the whole street to put them on another street (hey, it’s been done).
#4 – Hide Everything
You are probably already working on this as we speak but what a lot of people don’t consider are personal items like family photos and other sensitive information.
If you’re not comfortable with something being seen by thousands of people associated with your address, then hide it.
Closets, cupboards, anywhere the camera isn’t taking photos. Then tell your photographer where you don’t want them to go so they know beforehand.
#3 – The Minimalist
While you’re busy hiding things, consider putting away extras.
Of course you know that living in a staged home is practically impossible but the camera doesn’t need to know that.
Put away anything that is unnecessary, here are some common items to consider:
- Pots and pans
- Small appliances
- Non-decorative rugs (or anything else non-decorative for that matter)
- Kitchen towels or rags
- Soap dispensers
- Pool stuff (sweepers & hoses, skimmers, chlorine dispensers)
- Phone chargers
- Alarm clocks
- Electronics
- Clothing
Other things to consider are excess decorations or furniture. Try to create balance in each room or space and if there is something that can be removed, go ahead and take it to the garage or another non-photographed area.
#2 – Check the Outside of Your Home
A lot of times the stucco gets dirty from rain splashing dirt and dust up from the ground. Go around the outside of your home to make sure there isn’t any discolouration and if there is, just spray it off with a hose.
You can also hose down the concrete areas and try to remove any stains using degreaser or muriatic acid (be very careful with this as it could make things worse). It’s best to call in a professional if you don’t have experience.
Windows should be clear and clean inside and out.
Also, make sure to sweep the sides of the pool. It takes about 15 minutes or so and could make a huge difference in the sale price of the home. No one wants to see an uninviting green pool.
Dead spots on the grass can be sprayed green with fertiliser and leaves can be swept, etc.
The better you make it look, the more someone else will want it and do what it takes to get it.
#1 – Dust
It might not seem like it since we live with it daily, but dust is very evident in photos.
It shows up all the time, in the chandelier, on the coffee table, on glass. Get that Swiffer going on all surfaces, especially if it’s been a while.
If you know you haven’t dusted something for a while, don’t hesitate to get it cleaned off and ready for a shoot.
Artwork, decorations, accessories, TVs, just go top to bottom and try to avoid any “swipe marks” to show you’ve dusted partially but not completely.
In dusting we’ll include vacuuming and cleaning the floors. Try to make those nice vacuum marks on the carpets too! 😉
Conclusion – TL:DR
The top five things you can do to quickly get your home ready for photos are: not scheduling on trash day or moving the garbage cans out of the way, hiding any personal items, getting rid of excess furniture or accessories, cleaning up outside stucco/pool/landscape and dusting everything.
You might have other bigger projects going on to get ready but don’t overlook these five areas if you want to really make your property stand out.
From what we’ve seen, the properties that sell the quickest and for highest price are those that have taken care of these quick preps. Regardless of size, the preparation shows in the photos and people love to see a place that’s ready for them to move in.
If you can’t get to all of these, speak to your photographer about it. We are flexible, helpful and can also photoshop specific areas that you can’t get to. Be sure to talk to your realtor or photographer to let them know what you need ahead of time so we can get you a quote and even remove all of your furniture and place different furniture.
We handle anything from basic item removal to virtual staging to full virtual renovation if necessary, get in touch with us to learn more.