Tips for Working with Real Estate Photographers

You’ve been seeing all the stunning photos of luxury real estate on your Instagram feed and you’re inspired. Great! It sounds like you’re ready to work with real estate photographers…

Professional real estate photography, even in a seller’s market, can take a listing to the next level. Not only will stunning pictures keep buyers on your listing longer, but they’ll make your listing stand out!

Deciding to work with real estate photographers is a great first step. After you book your appointment, it’s important to understand how to get your house ready for professional real estate photography.

Here are the dos and don’ts of working with a real estate photographer…

Don’t: Leave Clutter Around the House

To ensure that your photos turn out the best, you’ll want to make sure the space doesn’t feel too cramped.

Clutter can look like…

Moving boxes sitting in the bedrooms or living room
Cereal boxes on top of the fridge
Snacks left out on the counters
Cleaning supplies sitting out in the open
Shoes sitting out
Random pieces of clothing sitting on chairs
Purses
Sunglasses
Pictures on the fridge

Virtually any item that doesn’t add to the design of the room can be considered “clutter.” Too much clutter in the home can distract from the features that buyers will be left with. For example, if you have newer granite countertops in the kitchen, they may not be visible if there’s clutter lining the counters in the form of papers, food, or excessive decor.

For the sake of the photo, many professional real estate photographers end up doing a cleaning/de-cluttering job before shooting if the house is in rough condition. To a true artist, they aren’t willing to photograph a mess, so they may end up biting the bullet and doing the work themselves.

It’s best to complete this step before the photographer arrives as they often work on commission and the more time they spend cleaning and de-cluttering a property the less time they have for other shoots.

Do: Decorate Tastefully and Minimally

To truly make a home appealing, there’s a balance that should be achieved through decor. As you can see in the photo above, the color scheme isn’t too loud or distracting and the decorations are used sparingly.

Many of us assume that the more decorations, the merrier. While this is totally fine in your long-term home, when it’s time to sell, buyers are more interested in seeing the room as a whole. Decorating minimally and tastefully allows buyers to see the built-in features while picturing what the room looks like with furniture.

Here are a few tips for staging a balanced and inviting property…

Choose a palette of colors and plan the entire home around it. The palette should be made up of mostly neutral colors with a few pops of color here and there.
Plan decor around the furniture that you already have. It’s much easier to buy decor to match the furniture that you already have than to try to make your furniture match your desired decor.
Less is more. Decor is meant to complement a room, not take it over. You should be able to see most of the wall, most of the floor, and most of a table top once finished.
Add a few plants to make the place feel fresh and relaxing while adding a pop of green.

Fun Fact:
Adding plants (real or fake) to a space can reduce stress and anxiety, promoting a stronger sense of wellness!

Don’t: Leave Up Personal Photos

Those photos of your son’s first piano recital or your daughter’s soccer photos are precious to you, we totally get that!

While these photos hold sentimental value to you, it’s difficult for a potential buyer to see themselves in a house with wall-to-wall personal photos. Aside from taking away from the neutrality of a property, leaving up family photos can be a privacy and safety concern.

What do we mean by this? Well, it’s important to note that these photos will be seen by hundreds of people once the property photos are posted. This means that hundreds of strangers may be seeing your daughter in a school uniform, letting them know where your child goes to school.

Or, if you haven’t completely moved out yet, locals may recognize you and your family in the photos, revealing your address to them from the listing.

Do: Pack Up the Family Photos and Personal Items First

Not only does packing up family photos give you less to do once moving day comes, but you’re also protecting your identity online.

Who knows, you may even find that the home looks more balanced without the family photos! While family photos hold priceless value, many of us get carried away and cover up the majority of our walls with them. Removing them may reveal the perfect amount of decor.

If the walls seem too bare without the family photos, replace them with…

A few paintings
Mountable plants
Decorative mirrors
A few shelves
A letterboard (make sure it doesn’t have your family’s last name)

Along with taking down family photos, make sure you hide anything that could give away your identity or personal information. These items include…

School calendars
School flags/posters
Wall decor with the family last name
Fridge art
Personalized pillows, blankets, or other miscellaneous items with your name or family on them
Graduation plaques

Don’t: Forget to Deep Clean the House

Once you’ve de-cluttered the home, don’t stop there! Go through and deep clean the home.

You may be thinking, “There’s no way that dirt or dust will show up in the photos!” While that may be true on a lower-quality camera (such as a cell phone camera), most real estate photographers use high-quality cameras. The caliber of cameras that true professionals use can catch the tiniest of details.

So, if you have dog hair all over the couch, dust on your coffee table, or stains on the carpet, these will likely be picked up in the photos. Sure, many of these things can be edited out. However, only so much can be saved through photo editing, and completing the cleaning will lead to the best photos. If you don’t have the time, consider hiring a cleaning service.

Do: Clean Each Room as if Your In-Laws Were Coming Into Town

If you have in-laws, you know the stress that goes into making every square inch of your home spotless. The same care should be given before your real estate photographer arrives!

Here is a breakdown by room of what you should be cleaning…

Kitchen

Make sure stainless steel appliances are free of finger prints and smudges
Clean the top of stove (especially under the burners if you have a gas stove)
Thoroughly wipe down counter tops and cabinets
Sweep and mop the floor
Clean out the sink (keep an eye out for any food debris left on the backsplash behind the sink)
If using produce as decor, make sure it is fresh (dispose of or hide any bananas that are turning brown)

Living Room

Vacuum carpet or sweep floors
Mop hard floors
Have carpets cleaned
Dust pictures and other decor
Dust side tables, entertainment centers, and shelves
Remove pet hair from couches and chairs
Put blankets away in a bin or drape nicely over couch
Strategically place decorative pillows
Pick up any dog or child toys that may be strewn about
Wash windows

Bathroom

Clean toilets (treat rust stains if present)
Scrub the shower
Replace shower curtain if stained
Wash bath mats
Sweep and mop the floor
Clean sink and vanity
Wash mirrors
Put away personal items such as toothbrushes, hair products, and brushes
Dust wall decor
Put fresh roll of toilet paper on toilet paper holder (no empty cardboard rolls)

Bedroom

Wash bedding and make bed
Clean the floors (whether it’s vacuuming, sweeping, washing carpet, or mopping)
Dust dressers and end tables
Dust wall decor
Make sure no dirty clothes/hampers are visible (unless they have a lid and are decorative)
Hide personal items
Wash windows

Outside

Mow grass
Clean up debris from walkway and driveway (sticks, leaves, grass clippings)
Put away tools and equipment (rakes, shovels, lawn mower)
Tend to garden if one is present
Powerwash outside of house
Pull weeds
Move any large items that you don’t want in pictures (dumpsters, storage pods, vehicles)
Set up deck or patio strategically and tastefully

Don’t: Hang Around While the Photographer Shoots

If at all possible, it’s best to give a professional real estate photographer space to do their job.

Most photographers are happy to chat when they arrive and before they leave, however, it can be difficult for them to concentrate if you follow them through the house. Whether you’re an agent or homeowner, walking through the rooms that photographers are shooting increases the risk that you’ll end up in the photo (whether directly or in a mirror/reflection).

On that note, try to avoid waiting until the last minute and attempting to clean up each room as the photographer is shooting. Not only is this increasing the length of the shoot but it can be difficult for a photographer to work if you’re frantically trying to get the space ready and going in and out of rooms.

Do: Take Yourself, Your Family, and Your Pets Somewhere Else for the Day if Possible

We understand that listing your property can be stressful if you’re still living in it. Between open houses and showings, you’re already having your space invaded on a weekly, or daily, basis.

The nice thing about real estate photography is that an appointment leaves you with plenty of time to make alternative plans. Most real estate photographers book by appointment, days, or even weeks ahead of time. So, once you know what day your real estate photographer will be stopping by, you can plan to take the family on an outing, or stay at a relative’s place for the day.

The reason we recommend this is because it makes the shoot much more efficient. If children are in the house, they may make messes as the photographer is shooting or run into shots. If the homeowner has pets that are aggressive, this becomes an issue of safety.

Also, the photographer will be stopping in every room to take photos, so it may create more stress for you as you try to shuffle throughout the house to stay out of the way. If you’re unable to leave the house, do your best to be respectful of the photographer. This can include…

Caging animals
Keeping children occupied and from getting toys/other items out during the shoot
Giving the photographer space to work

Are You Ready to Work with Real Estate Photographers?

Now that we’ve gone over the dos and don’ts of working with real estate photographers, you should have a solid understanding of how to prepare.

Questions? Ready to book? Reach out to us today to learn more about finding real estate photographers near you!

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