Say Cheese!
Preparing Your Home For The Photo Shoot
You’ve heard it before: “A picture is worth a thousand words”. And in today’s new real estate economy bad photos translate to months of lost market time, thousands in lost value and can be the deal breaker in a buyer looking at your home vs. all others on the market right now.
the secret to great real estate photos
Experience shows great photos are a pillar of effective real estate marketing and we do what we can to make sure we set the right tone by taking the very best photos possible.
The secret to great photos is really no secret at all. Check out these articles from the NYTimes and WSjournal on the topic of real estate photography and the importance of good photos in getting maximum value for your home.
NYtimes Article
NYtimes Article #2
WSJournal Article
what you can expect
Preparing your home for a photo shoot is very similar to preparing your home for an open house, but you only have to do it once. The photo shoot is an opportunity to show your house at its best, so put on your sales and marketing hat. Remember, you could have thousands of people viewing your home online. We use professional equiment (high end DSLR camera, an assortment of wide angle lenses, flash, etc) and professional editing software (photoshop, aperture) to produce the best looking pictures possible. Our goal is to help showcase your property to potential buyers. The photo-shoot will take about 45 minutes. We photograph both the inside and outside, all major rooms and any special features that might be unique to your home. We prefer have people and pets kept to a minimum on photo day. The process will go smoothly and quickly if the photographer doesn't have to work around people and pets so feel comfortable preparing to be out of the house during the shoot.
how you can help us take amazing photos of your home
Experience shows some sellers are better than others about making sure a home is ready to photograph. How can you be one of the best? Simple. Be hyper-sensitive to details like “stuff” sitting on kitchen counters, drawers and cabinet doors that aren’t closed, refrigerator clutter and towels hanging on oven doors. You need to think like a stager. Simple and uncluttered always looks better because the furniture and decorations are to give scale and demonstrate what the space is used for. As a photographer, it’s our job to make sure a room’s photo looks as good as possible, even if it means moving furniture around and/or cleaning up clutter. But we need your help. That's why we've compiled this simple list to help you get a head start:
- Contain pets in the garage or out of sight
- Remove all vehicles from driveways and do not park directly in front of the house.
- Move garbage cans out of sight.
- Remove all garden tools including hoses and sprinklers.
- Mow and rake yard
- Sweep driveways, sidewalks and patios
- Clear off counter tops in kitchen and bathroom areas
- Remove photos, notes and papers from the refrigerator
- Turn on all interior lights (make sure all lights have working light bulbs; 60 Watt preferred)
- Turn ceiling fans and televisions off.
- De-clutter rooms which may be excessively furnished. They do not photograph well.
- Make all beds and tidy bedrooms. Clothes hung, or folded an put away.
- Remove piles of newspaper and magazines.
- Tuck trash cans out of view in a closet or cupboard.
Frequently, putting dish racks, dish towels, phones, tooth brushes, shampoo bottles and all the clutter of life out of sight has a major positive impact on an interiors photo too.
As always - feel comfortable calling with questions or concerns.
Your Friends in Real Estate,
