No matter what you’re advertising, whether it’s a product, a service or even a home, you want to capture a buyer’s attention. To get results you need to put in time and effort to ensure your property is looking its absolute best. You don’t need to own one of grandeur, any sized home has supermodel potential, which is why at Deakin-White we’ve put together some tips to show you how to prepare your home for its photoshoot.
Understanding The Value
When it comes to selling your home, you only have seconds to make a lasting impression. Buyers will be flicking through the online property websites hardly even giving some homes a second glance. A photograph may not sell your home, but it can open the door to the possibility and prompt a viewing. The more importance you place on getting things right for when your home is photographed, the better the potential outcome can be. Buyers want to feel a connection with your house; the way it’s marketed is the draw and ‘that feeling’ tends to happen the moment they step inside. Yet if we don’t market your home correctly, we will struggle to get buyers to view it in the first place.
If you follow our tips you can transform your property into the next top model. We want buyers to be focused on your clean and bright home, not pondering over what work it would take to get it looking its best. With your preparation and our investment in photography and videography, together we can dramatically impact buyers’ opinion of your home.
1. A Clean Kitchen
When we talk about a clean kitchen we don’t just mean literal cleanliness (and we know you will be cleaning vigorously before the shoot) but also a clean ‘look’. Worktops are fantastic places to store and house things, all those wonderful gadgets that we buy and rarely use, but by minimising what you keep on your worktop your kitchen will look so much cleaner and larger. Just leave a couple of decorative items, such as a bowl of lemons and a vase of flowers and find a place to hide the practical bits whilst your photoshoot is taking place.
2. A Clean Bathroom
The same principle should be applied to the bathroom. We all have bottles, soaps and paraphernalia decorating our bathrooms, but does a buyer really need to know what shampoo you use? A bathroom that has been cleaned and cleared of lotions and potions is a lot more attractive than one where the bath has various items on display. Again, by clearing things away for the photoshoot you will make your bathroom look bigger and also give it more of a ‘sanctuary’ feel, a place where your buyer can see themselves relaxing in and enjoying.
3. There Has to Be Light
One of our little niggles as estate agents is when we are in a property and the owner has neglected to check and change lightbulbs. Light is always a big selling point for buyers and we want your home flooded in it, so check the lightbulbs of all your ceiling lights and lamps before your photoshoot so we have as much light as possible.
As well as lightbulbs, raise any blinds, open all curtains fully and remove anything that could be blocking natural light from a window. With this in mind, don’t forget to get those windows clean too!
4. Less is More
We all have personal tastes, especially when it comes to how we decorate our homes. One of the most challenging requests we have for sellers is to remember that less is more. Removing large and bulky furniture is going to be challenging but if it’s eating up all the space in a room then it’s a must-do task. Many buyers will find it difficult to visualise the room without this piece of furniture within it, and so their focus could be on that particular piece rather than what the room could offer them. You want buyers imaginations running wild when they look at photograph of your home and thinking about the potential space it offers.
5. Remove Floor Mats
Lots of us have floor mats and runners (not rugs); they are fantastic at protecting our floors, especially when we arrive home all wet and muddy from a walk. As wonderful as they are, they can make a room and even a hallway look smaller and a bit cluttered. It will only take a couple of minutes to remove bath mats, door mats and runners for the photoshoot, to give these rooms clean lines and a greater sense of space.
6. Fridge Design
How many of us are guilty of cluttering our fridges with magnets, notes, reminders, children’s artwork… you name it. It’s a little piece of your family life, but as much as you love it, it’s not so alluring for buyers – in fact, it can be extremely distracting. Removing all these items will make your kitchen feel tidier and cleaner, but also, and more importantly, keep personal information away from prying eyes.
7. Make the Beds
Yes, we know how obvious this sounds, but it can often get overlooked, especially in rooms you may not be using. Fresh clean bedding with a neutral design always works best, accented with pillows, a throw and a couple of finishing touches. Look at hotel rooms and flick through home magazines for inspiration if you get stuck for ideas. One thing we know you will agree on is that walking into a room with an unmade bed doesn’t give you a warm feeling.
8. Remove Yourself
This is a tough one, as this is your home and ‘you’ are everywhere throughout it. But when buyers see your home, they want to see themselves there, which is hard to do if you’re staring back at them. By removing your family photos and personal items, a potential buyer can focus on the house and not you and your family.
9. Clear Surfaces
From the coffee table, breakfast bar, bedside table to chest of drawers, we all have places where clutter congregates whether that’s a book we’re reading, chargers, tissues, essential bits and pieces, it’s amazing how quickly a space can be filled.
You want any surface to have minimal items, maybe a book on your bedside table and, if big enough, a decorative item. A coffee table could be staged for a morning coffee on a little tray, and your breakfast bar is perfect when completely clear.
10. Remove ALL Pet Items
We’re not being harsh, most of us have pets too, and we know what an integral part of the family they are, but the truth is not everyone has pets and some people are allergic. The last thing you want is a buyer who is allergic to your home due to the smell of pets. It’s essential to get this right so hide bowls, beds and toys and give your carpet, and furnishings a deep clean to get rid of any ‘nose blind’ areas of your home.
Camera Ready?
It’s always easy to spot the homes where the owners have really spent some time getting it ready for its photoshoot. In this buoyant market where houses are selling quickly and often at asking price or above, the more you can do to bring out your home’s inner top model, the more viewings and potential offers you will receive.
For more advice on how to prepare your home for sale, please contact our team at Deakin-White.
