Ready to Sell Your Atlanta Home?
How to Get the BEST Photos of Your Home
One of our top priorities when listing an Atlanta home is to hire a professional photographer… whether the home is $99,000 or $5.0 million. If you are hiring a real estate agent to sell your home that should be one of your first questions during the interview (tip #1!).
Even if a professional photographer is hired to take the photos of your property, there are a few things that you can do as the homeowner to make sure that your home looks it’s absolute best.
14 Tips to Get the Best Photos of Your House
1) Make sure all light bulbs are replaced and consistent throughout the home. A combination of eco bulbs and traditional incandescent bulbs result in color distortion in photos.
2) Turn off all fans and but leave the fan lights on. The photographer may need to adjust the lighting a bit, but keeping the home well-lit is ideal for photos and when your home is being shown to potential home buyers.
3) Double-check your bedding. You’d be surprised how much a wrinkle in the bedspread or a sheet hanging out from below the comforter can stand out (not in a good way) in the photos.
4) Fluff those pillows! Sagging pillows are never appealing, so fluff them up on the couches and if you are able, buy new pillows for your beds.
5) Add pops of color. A bright-colored teapot on the stove or a new decorative pillows on the bed/couch adds the perfect pop of color in the photos, especially when you have a neutral color palette in your home.
6) Clear all clutter including personal effects, trash cans, toys, pet beds and food bowls. Limit pillows and throws. We want the home to look as spacious as possible and also help the potential buyers envision themselves living in your home.
7) Clear all kitchen and bathroom counters – even if they are things that you can’t live without, it’s important to remove them during the photography session. You want the countertops and rooms to look as spacious as possible when potential buyers are viewing the homes online.
8) Remove all refrigerator magnets.
9) Make sure pets are secured and, if possible, out of the home so the photographer can focus on taking the best photos.
10) Consider pulling up the rug. For example, if you have gorgeous hardwood flooring in your dining room, don’t cover it up. Consider removing the dining room rug so you can show off your home’s assets… and make the room look larger in the process!
11) If you have blinds and/or curtains, open all of them and step outside to make sure they look even / uniform. The front photo is the most important one when listing and marketing your home because it’s the first one buyers will see online. You want to entice them to click on your home and view more photos.
12) Please blow debris from deck, yard, driveway, and roof, if possible. When leaves and debris fall, your home can look neglected in the photos online.
13) Remove trash cans and cars from the front of house.
14) If you are home when the photographer arrives, try to stay of sight. The photographer is seeing your home for the first time and is laser-focused to determine the best angles and find the best lighting. Keeping them in their artistic “zone” will help them take the best photos of your home.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into making a home look it’s very best online — especially when 95% (or more) of the potential home buyers start their home search on the internet. If you hire a real estate agent who will have professional photos taken of your home and use the tips above to make it look as crisp as possible will not only help you sell your home faster, there is a very good chance that you will have buyers lining up at your front door with offers in hand!
Getting your Atlanta home listed is a team sport and we would love to be part of that team! Learn more about the Urban Nest Atlanta listing services below:
Urban Nest Atlanta Home Marketing Plan
Flexible Listing Commission Plan
Complimentary Home Valuation Report (i.e. see what your home is worth!)
If you have any questions about real estate photographers or listing and marketing your Atlanta, we are always here to help! Call the Urban Nest Atlanta listing specialists anytime at:
