How To Prepare Your Property For Marketing Photographs

How To Prepare Your Property For Marketing Photography

If you’re putting your house or flat on the market for sale or rent, there is one thing you can do to make an immediate impact.

To maximise your chances of securing the best possible deal, spend time preparing your property before it is photographed for promotional purposes.

If you were selling a car, you’d take some time to wash, polish and clean it before letting potential buyers view it. The same rule applies when you market a property. You want to show your home in its most flattering light and reveal its full potential.

This is because first impressions matter!

They have always been important, but in our digital age, they are more influential than ever. Before arranging viewings, most people pore over property websites and rank their favourites. They expect to see images of every room, and may become suspicious if you omit photos of certain spaces.

Before they’ve even stepped inside a property, viewers have formed definite opinions about it. A prospective property must be clean, well presented and clutter free. If it looks untidy and unkempt in photos, people will assume that:

• It may look worse in real life, needing extensive cleaning before moving in

• The owner may neglect maintenance, and hidden faults or repair work may be require

To help you avoid these pit falls, here are some top tips to prepare your property prior to a marketing photo shoot:

1. Clear the clutter:

• People want to see the property, not your personal items. That means no washing left out to dry (inside or out), no shoes in the hall or phone chargers in sockets

• Every excess item left lying around, including magazines, flyers, and remote controls build up to create an unattractive look

2. Let there be light:

• Open all curtains or blinds to let as much light in as possible. If rooms have connecting doors, open them to make the space look bigger

3. Kitchen clear up:

• Clear all work surfaces and tables of clutter

• Tea towels, cleaning products, dishes, fridge magnets and pet food bowls all need to be stored away

• One bowl that can stay though is the fruit bowl – just make sure you fill it with fresh fruit

4. Bathroom blitz :

• Remove unsightly stains. Move all shampoos, conditioners, soap items, towels, and mats out of sight. Remove any items off the back of doors and put your toilet lids down, please

5. In the bedroom:

• Opt for neutral bed linen, and avoid deep reds, purple or browns. If you still have a teddy, we’re okay with it, but put it away for now

• Slippers, personal photographs, and exercise equipment should go too

6. Children’s bedrooms:

• Pack clothes and toys away and remove any items that feature your children’s names, along with photographs

7. Living areas:

• Remove TV remotes, games consoles and paperwork. Make sure the TV is switched off. In this room, you can also add something fresh - a vase of colourful f lowers looks great

8. Front of house:

• Cut the grass and any hedges/bushes. Remove weeds and bins and invest in a few potted plants to add colour

• If you have a driveway, don’t park your car on it, and if you can, ask neighbours to move their vehicle too, as often photographers have a wide-angle lens

9. Gardens or courtyards:

• As with the front, get rid of weeds, leaves and any junk that is lying around

Need help? Just pick up the phone, we are always happy to talk.

Tel: 0161 647 7665

Email: hello@cliffordsaunt.co.uk