Profession photography is one of the single most important parts of preparing and marketing your property for sale and preparing for the professional photographer is worth its weight in gold. Taking the time and effort to prepare for the photographer is an opportunity you only get once and the more effort you put into having the property prepared the better the photography and marketing in general will be.
Preparing outdoors
- Keep your driveway clear of all vehicles
- Remove any clutter from the yard, like hoses, boxes, tools, etc
- Make sure the grass looks at its best
- Move your wheely bins somewhere out of sight
- Sweep the leaves and clean the pool
- Remove bbq cover and pool cover
- Try to hose the area a day before to avoid marks and puddles
General tips
- Clear all surfaces such as tables, benches, desks etc.
- Straighten the towels, pillows and picture frames
- Turn off all TVs, laptops and ceiling fans. Clean up and turn off the washing machine
- Open all curtains and blinds. Tulle is fine to keep
- Make sure all lights and all light bulbs are present and working and replace if necessary
- Also, make sure all bulbs are of the same colour temperature within each room
- Hide all pet-related items
- Try to hide all cords as much as possible
- Do a general cleaning – dust the furniture, clean the windows and glass, vacuum
- Arrange the property is free of pets and children (theirs and equipment safety)
Preparing living rooms
- Declutter and hide all remotes and magazines
- Clear the coffee table leaving one or two items
- Hide all cords
- Remove unnecessary pieces of furniture like extra chairs – this will make the room look bigger
Preparing bedrooms
- Make all the beds
- Make sure the pillows match, there are no wrinkles on the bed linen
- Also, puff and straighten the pillows
- Tidy the bedrooms and remove all items that don’t look pretty even if functional. This includes fans, heaters, hangers, etc
- Remove all clothes, toys, kids paintings
- Check the back side of the door
Preparing kitchens
- Declutter kitchen counters. Remove most of the items including sponges, washing liquids (a few nicely presented items are ok)
- Make sure kitchen sinks are empty
- Declutter the fridge surface and remove any personal items around the house in general
- Remove most of the things from the workbench, leaving a few pretty appliances and a bowl of fruits, for instance
Preparing the bathroom
- Clean and dry shower screens
- Wipe down the basin
- Hang a few fresh, clean towels
- Remove all bathroom items like toothbrushes, shampoo bottles, etc.