Home Photo Tips for Online Listings

By Mark Spain Real Estate

In today’s day and age, prospective home buyers base their first impressions on online listings. That said, having your home photo-ready is more crucial than ever, as your listing’s photos and virtual tours could be the deciding factor for buyers to pursue your property. 

At Mark Spain Real Estate, our expert listing agent provides all the necessary tools and resources to optimize your online listing. With home photo tips from our team, you can get your home photo-ready and capture buyers’ attention immediately. Below, we’ve compiled a guide on perfecting your online listing’s imagery and making a solid first impression with buyers. 

Home Photo Tips for Online Listings

Deep Clean and Declutter

Getting your home photo-ready always begins with a deep clean. From scrubbing kitchen services to tidying up closets and pantries, you’ll want to clean your home head to toe before the photographing ensues. Though you might think the camera won’t capture every last crumb or smudge, believe us — even the smallest messes will be hard to hide! Cleaning your house from top to bottom is necessary for your home photos to make strong first impressions. Not to mention, you’ll need your home spotless anyways for when buyers come knocking at your door! 

Maximize Lighting

Lighting makes a world of difference when it comes to your online listing. Before your photographer arrives, you’ll want to turn on your lights and ensure all inside and outside bulbs are working. While you’re at it, you should also raise all your window shades and blinds to maximize natural lighting, as your home photos will likely be taken during the daytime. You might also consider turning on all your stand-alone light fixtures, like lamps, to maximize brightness.

Remove Personal Items 

While viewing your online listing, buyers will instantly know whether they can envision themselves in your home. But what often will disrupt a buyer’s vision is excessive personal items in your online home photos. For optimal real estate photography, you’ll want to rid your space of personal things like family photos, children’s artwork, and knick-knacks, as this will transform your home into a blank slate for buyers and allow them to easily picture what their lives would be like living in your home. 

Touch Up Your Curb Appeal

Your home photos will include shots of both your interior and exterior. So, make sure your curb appeal is ready for its close-up! From the front lawn to the backyard, your photographer will capture every last detail of your outdoor space. To prepare for your outside home photos, we recommend freshening up the landscaping by mowing the lawn and removing debris, sweeping outdoor walkways, decks, and driveways, cleaning off outdoor furniture, turning on outdoor lighting, and putting away any outdoor tools like garden hoses or lawn equipment. Lastly, you’ll want to park your cars off the property so the photographer can capture clear shots of your garage and driveway. 

Stage Your Home

Last but certainly not least, staging your home will be the final step needed to get your home ready for the cameras. Whether this means hiring a professional home stager to select new pieces for your space or rearranging existing pieces on your own, staging your home will tie all of your efforts together to make your home as photogenic as ever. While home staging, you might consider quick home upgrades like repainting a room or refurbishing cabinets. Doing so will complement your home staging efforts and give your home the fresh look it needs to wow buyers.  

Sell a Home with Mark Spain Real Estate

Need help getting your home photo-ready? The industry professionals at Mark Spain Real Estate are here to get the job done! Delivering unparalleled customer satisfaction, our team of experienced listing consultants promises to set your listing up for success! 

Check out our Guaranteed Offer Program if you want to skip the staging and photography process. Our guaranteed offer participants receive the most competitive all-cash offers in the industry and close in as little as 21 days. If you want to sell your home fast without the hassle, contact our agents today to learn more about our Guaranteed Offer Program!

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