Preparing Your Home for Professional Photography

With almost 94% of home-buyers starting their Houston / Fort Bend home search online, making sure that your photos look great on the web is one of Team Sadler Realtors’ top priorities for showcasing home listings. To help prepare your home for photos inside and out please see the list below, and you can visit our Preparing Your Home to Sell page for more ideas on how to best present your home to potential buyers.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NECESSARY PRIOR TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER COMING OUT TO TAKE PHOTOS:

Make sure that the home is photography ready the day prior, preferably 2 days prior of the shoot. Below are some helpful tips that you may find helpful when preparing your home for the photo shoot. Please be aware that if the photographer deems necessary, the photographer may move certain items in the home to capture the best photo possible and the items moved, may not always be returned to original location or position. There may be some items that are not moved by the photographer (e.g. either the item is too heavy or photographer is limited on time) that would have been best moved for best final photo results. This is why it is strongly recommended that the homeowner follows the guidelines below.

General

• Turn on all lights and lamps, replace any burnt out light bulbs
• Clean House: Make your home shine – and let buyers see the home and not your stuff!
• Make sure all pets are clear of photos being taken
• Store workout equipment
• Hide the pets belongings (e.g. bowls, toys, bed) some potential buyers may pass if the know pet live there
• Hide Trashcans: If you can see a trash can in a room, hide it – especially in the kitchen.
• Turn off fans: moving fans blades appear blurry, turn off all ceiling fansRemove excess clutter, vacuum, clean and mop tile floors
• Wash windows both inside and out. Make them sparkle – be sure windows look good from outside too
• Adjust your window treatments to hide imperfections (e.g. a neighbor’s home that’s a bit too close) or show off features (e.g. a pool or nice view)
• Open all blinds and curtains / keeping it bright inside (buyers like to know if window treatments are included)

Living Areas

• Remove clutter in the living areas
• Magazines and newspapers removed from view
• Remote controls to be stored away
• Hide power bars and cords out of sight where possible
• Arrange furniture so the rooms look as spacious as possible
• Remove throw rugs and area rugs where possible
• Study – clear and remove clutter desk, straighten items on bookshelf, file papers away
• Toy room – organize and remove toy clutter

Kitchen

• Counters should appear clean, uncluttered and clear of any appliances and utensils
• Clear kitchen sink of any dishes and store in kitchen cabinets
• Neatly display clean fresh dish towels and remove dirty hand towels
• Remove magnets, photos, calendars, menus, etc. from your refrigerator. In a photo, these items stand out
• Hide trash can if visible – best not seen in professional photos

Bathrooms

• Clear all counter tops
• All toilet seats should be closed
• Polish all faucets and clean mirrors
• Remove stains from sinks, grout and bathtubs
• Remove all towels and toilet paper roll – make sure all towels are fresh and clean
• Clear away any personal items and cleaning products
• Hide trash can if visible – best not seen in professional photos

Bedrooms

• Make sure the beds are made with fresh clean linens
• Clear out anything from under the bed that is visible
• Bedside tables are to be clean, free of empty cups, tissue boxes, remote controls, alarm clocks, jewelry, etc.
• Make the beds nicely – sideways pillows and wrinkles in bed covers show in photos, etc.

Front of Home, Gardens and Outdoors

• Move vehicles out of sight and from in front of the house
• Driveways, sidewalks and paving should be free of debris, neatly swept and remove any weeds in cracks
• Garbage bins and garden hoses should be stored out of sight or neatly coiled in place
• Fertilize and mow lawn
• Trim hedging and overgrown shrubbery
• Store any lawn equipment and gardening tools
• Neatly arrange outdoor items such as furniture and play equipment
• Pools – make sure that any leaves and debris are cleared. Water features should be turned on
• The Polaris (creeper crawler pool cleaner) and other pool equipment should be stored out of sight when possible

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY – PROVIDED BY TEAM SADLER REALTORS

If the three important rules of buying a property are “location, location, location”, then the equal value of importance are the three rules of selling a property “presentation, presentation, presentation”. With over 90% of home-buyers starting their search online, professional photos can make the difference of whether or not your home makes it on a home-buyer’s short-list or not. Professional photography vs. amateur photography can make a difference in the amount of attention your home receives from online buyers. Typically, having professional photography is part of Team Sadler Realtor services to you at our expense.

PROFESSIONAL HIGH-END PHOTOGRAPHY – All homes are photographed by a professional photographer that specializes in residential photography. The photographers we use are far more experienced, and therefore more expensive than other options on the market. Based on our experience, the quality of the photography has a profound impact on the quality of the professional brochures and newspaper ads that we run for each home. As with all marketing, we bear the cost of the photography.

IMAGES ARE CAPTURED AT DUSK – those moments with stunning light between the night and day. Twilight photography is excellent for showcasing exterior and interior views, emphasizing the rich colors and dramatic shades of light. Sometimes concrete and other areas are watered down and made to look wet which creates a beautiful effect, therefore be sure water hoses are made available to the photographer. Not all homes are candidates for twilight photography.

FULL SCREEN VIRTUAL TOURS  – a complete view of an interior or an exterior aspect of a property utilizing video. With the popularity of social media and video distribution sites, over 94% of home-buyers include the internet in their home search process. Video Virtual Tours give potential buyers an online interactive experience, almost the same as if they were physically immersed in the environment. It’s a great way for a home-buyer to begin their search for a home and equally beneficial to a seller as another way to market and showcase their home. Not all homes are candidates for virtual tour videos and must qualify. As with all marketing, we bear the cost of the professional videographer.Talk to your Team Sadler Realtor for guidance and ideas about the right style of photography for your home and whether or not video suits the needs of your home.

FULL COLOR MULTI-PAGE LISTING BROCHURES – All clients receive full-color, professionally-designed and printed, multi- page brochures. The number of pages within the brochure will vary based on the anticipated sales price of the house: In order for your property to qualify for this particular type video – sales price must exceed anticipated $450,000.

Take a look at your home from a home-buyer’s perspective – is it pleasing to the eye? The ultimate goal is to make your home look neat & clean, uncluttered, bright, and appear to be well-maintained.