7 tips for preparing your home for photography day

Captivating photos are crucial if you want to showcase your property at its best when it comes to selling. And beautiful photos will help buyers to fall in love with your home.

With a little bit of planning, attention to detail and the help of a photographer with a keen eye, stunning photos and video of your home should pay dividends when it comes to attracting a great sales price.

Here are some tips from Windrose Property Brand and Communications Director Lauren McGregor about how to make your home shine when it comes to photography day.

Clear the clutter

Keeping a simple set-up will allow buyers to better visualise themselves living in your home, so clear the clutter to offer a more minimalist vibe.

Lauren says there’s a fine balance between creating the appearance of a comfortable, liveable home and it becoming barren and sterile.

“Whether you’re living in the home while selling or not, you need to find a happy medium. Your home needs to feel warm and inviting, but not devoid of personality,” she says.

“I recommend decluttering as much possible. Put your belongings in the garage, a storage container or ask family or friends if you can store some belongings in their shed. Having those extra things out of view will make sure clutter doesn’t detract from the best features of your home.”

Depersonalise

People want to be able to picture themselves in your home so pack up any personal items like family photos, trinkets and family heirlooms.

“Depersonalising a home is really important when it comes time to sell,” Lauren says.

“People don’t want to feel like they’re invading your house, surrounded by your photos and personal effects. They want to feel like they’re coming into what will potentially become their home, so you need to help them picture themselves there.”

Get it clean

A deep clean will go a long way to ensuring your home presents beautifully in photos and during inspections – whether you opt to put in some elbow grease yourself or enlist the help of a professional.

“Making sure the house is clean is important, giving particular attention to the windows, shower screens and mirrors,” she says.

“Cleanliness is extremely important for videos. There are certain things you can photoshop out of photos but with video you don’t have that luxury.”

Maintenance

Just like cleaning, a well maintained property will make your home more attractive.

A splash of paint, replacing old carpets or tending to those lingering repair jobs can go a long way to making sure your home presents well.

Staging

Professional staging is a worthwhile investment to complement your preparation work, particularly if it translates to a great sales price.

Some companies offer ‘soft staging’ or partial staging, which includes bringing in artwork, accessories and soft furnishings to style the home, but use the homeowner’s furniture.

“Staging, whether a complete overhaul or a partial one, can really make a difference to the presentation of a home and how the photos and marketing campaign engage with prospective buyers,” Lauren says.

“We have seen professional stylists and interior designers take homes to the next level through staging, which most often plays out in an exceptional sales price, sometimes well above the vendor’s expectation.”

Another option for budget-conscious sellers is ‘virtual staging’, which involves using a computer to digitally ‘stage’ the property by creating images that are used in its marketing.

Gardens

A yard clean up should be high on your priority list when it comes to readying your home for sale and marketing photos. But Lauren says there’s no need to go all out with a big overhaul.

“In any property the new buyers will want to put their own mark on it, so going to any elaborate effort or expense outside may be a waste of time and money,” she says.

“But tidying the gardens, weeding, mulching and a fresh mow of the lawn should be a given to make sure the home presents at its best and looks like there’s some pride in the home that is being sold.”