Clutter, poor lighting, crowded furniture, messy countertops, dead tree limbs, cat boxes, toys and leaves in the pool, and cars in the driveway all make for bad photography. Remember, you are photographing the potential new home of prospective buyers.
Tips for Home Photos
Keep all the bulbs within a room the same type, LED, incandescent, etc. Use Soft White bulbs between 2,700 and 3,000 Kelvins for bedrooms and living rooms. In kitchens, baths and utility rooms, Warm White between 4,000 and 5,000 Kelvins work best.
Too much furniture and decorations don’t photograph well, distract from the home’s features, and make a room look smaller.
Throw rugs and runners in entryways, kitchens, and bathrooms prevent the floor from being clearly seen, plus they’re visual distractions in a photograph.
Remove all items from tabletops except lamps. Make sure there are no smears or dust on any surface as they will show in a photograph.
Don’t leave anything out that’s personal or used in the bathrooms, including toothbrushes, bars of soap, hair brushes, wet towels, shampoos, body creams, bath oils and candles on the tub. Replace mildewed shower curtains. Hide the toilet brush, and close the toilet lid.
In the kitchen, remove dirty sponges, dish towels, dish soap, hand cream and other clutter near the sink. Put small appliances, knife blocks, paper towels and kitchen gadgets away. Remove photos, notes, papers and magnets from the refrigerator. Clean the fronts of major appliances – refrigerator, oven, stove top, range hood, and dishwasher and make sure there are no streaks or fingerprints. Move trash cans out of sight.
Outdoors, move all cars, boats, RVs, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. from the driveway and don’t park in front of the house. Move garbage and recycling cans out of sight. Put away garden tools and lawn equipment such as hoses.
A swimming pool must be pristinely clean with no debris on the surface. Make sure pool lights, waterfalls, and spas are working before the photographer comes.
For the photography session, turn on all lights, open blinds, shades and curtains, and turn off ceiling fans.
More than 90% of homebuyers scroll through hundreds of listings on their laptops and mobile devices, they’ll only click on the listings that grab their attention. Your job is to make them stop and linger on your home so they can visualize it and make it their next home.
Source: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices