Selling your home? How to prepare for the estate agents photos

Long before a potential buyer walks through your front door, they will have looked through your property online — perhaps alongside dozens of others. Or (more rarely these days) they will have seen the photos in the estate agents' windows. Either way, the first images they see will influence whether they stop, look more closely and book a viewing, or simply keep scrolling. Professional photography is more and more important as a marketing tool, with many estate agents using photography and video on social media to showcase the properties they have for sale.

So, if you're preparing your home for sale, it is worth spending a little time getting it properly ready before the photographer arrives.

First take a step back

We become remarkably good at not seeing the things we live with every day. For example, the pile of post on the kitchen worktop, the chargers and cables plugged in beside beside the sofa, and the bottles of shampoo in the shower. None of these things necessarily bother us in everyday life, but in a photograph they can suddenly become surprisingly prominent.

Try taking a step back and see your house as a viewer would. What stands out? What are the features you want to maximise - or minimise? Try taking a quick photograph of each room on your phone. Looking at the image rather than the room itself can make it much easier to spot what's distracting.

Clear surfaces — but don't strip away everything

Decluttering for photographs doesn't mean making your home look empty. In fact, taking everything away can make rooms look rather cold and uninviting. The aim is to remove the everyday clutter while leaving enough behind to make the house feel attractive and lived in.

A kitchen worktop might look better with a coffee machine, a beautiful bowl or a vase of flowers than completely bare. A bedside table needs very little — perhaps a lamp and one or two carefully chosen items.

Consider whether anything is missing

Sometimes preparing a home for photographs isn't just about taking things away. A few carefully chosen additions can make an enormous difference too.

Perhaps a sofa would look more inviting with a couple of new cushions and a throw. A large house plant might bring life to an empty corner. Fresh bedding can transform a tired-looking bedroom, while a lamp, piece of artwork or vase of greenery can give a rather plain room a focal point.

You certainly don't need to redecorate the whole house or buy lots of new things. The trick is to identify the places where a relatively small addition will have the greatest impact.

Pay particular attention to kitchens and bathrooms

These are two rooms where everyday necessities can quickly overwhelm a photograph.

Washing-up liquid, tea towels, cleaning products, toothbrushes, shampoo bottles, loo brushes and bins may all be perfectly normal things to have in a home, but very few of them improve a property photograph. Put them away for the shoot and allow the room itself to be the focus.

Check what the camera will see

A photographer will often shoot from the corner of a room to show as much of the space as possible. That can reveal things you don't normally notice from your usual viewpoint.

Look at doorways between rooms. Straighten curtains and blinds. Hide visible cables. Check underneath furniture. Make beds carefully and plump cushions.

And don't forget what's immediately outside the windows. Wheelie bins, hoses, children's toys and washing on the line have an unfortunate habit of making unexpected appearances.

Sometimes furniture needs to move

The best arrangement for everyday living isn't always the best arrangement for photographs. Moving an occasional chair, shifting a side table or removing one piece of furniture altogether can open up a camera angle and make a room feel considerably more spacious.

This doesn't necessarily mean that's how you need to live for the duration of the sale. Sometimes we're simply making temporary adjustments to help the photographer capture the room at its best.

Do one final sweep

Just before the photographer arrives, walk through the house one last time.

Open curtains and blinds, straighten bedding, cushions and rugs, close toilet lids and remove anything that has crept back onto the surfaces. Then stand at the doorway of each room and look again. Small details make a surprisingly big difference.

A fresh pair of eyes can help

Preparing your home for photography can be harder than it sounds, particularly when it's the house you live in every day. Sometimes you simply stop seeing what someone else will notice immediately.

Our Photo Shoot Styling service is designed specifically for this stage of selling. We can help prepare and style your home before the photographer arrives, then stay for the shoot to make those final adjustments room by room — moving, editing and styling as the photographs are taken.

Because when your property goes online, you want those first photographs to give buyers every reason to stop scrolling and take a closer look.

Want to do more before your home goes on the market? Read our Guide to Staging your Home for Sale for more practical advice.

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We have been helping people across the Cotswolds transform their homes and properties since 2015. We see the potential in every property and love helping to show them at their best.

New Leaves – Home Staging & Property Styling in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds

www.newleaves.info  

enquiries@newleaves.info  

Tel Claire on +44 7720887205 Tel Sue on +44 7989 693263

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