You know the saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression? Well it couldn’t be truer when it comes to selling your home. Properly preparing for marketing photography is absolutely essential to attracting potential buyers. The more striking your home looks in pictures, the more likely you are to sell quickly and receive the highest offer possible. Make your home’s listing stand out from the rest with our room by room guide, full of tips and tricks to make your house look its absolute best.

Nail the basics

• Let in the light – more is more when it comes to light, the aim is to make your home look bright and breezy. Make sure that your photographs are taken during daylight hours, open all of your curtains and blinds, and turn on all of the lights.
• Open internal doors – if your lounge has doors through to a dining area then throw them open. It’ll give potential buyers a better understanding of the layout of your home. Obviously this doesn’t apply to cupboards, keep those doors closed to hide the clutter!
• Clean up – things like dust and finger marks really show up in photographs so be sure to give the whole house a thorough clean before your photos are taken.
• Hide personal items – potential buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in your home so it’s best to take down family photos, and distracting ornaments and art.
• Pets – clear away food bowls and toys, and make sure that there’s no hair or fluff on your soft furnishings. We know you love your pet but their presence can be off-putting to potential buyers.

Kitchen

• Hide the bin – it’s one of those things that always gets missed but the room will look so much cleaner and tidier without it.
• Style the room – attention to detail makes all the different when it comes to photography. We recommend having a quick look on Pinterest to get some inspiration. A bowl of fresh fruit or a stylish coffee machine on the worktop always works a treat.
• Tidy the work tops – all that stuff on the side needs to go – rubber gloves, chopping boards, kitchen roll, knives, spices, the lot. Aim to put everything away except for one or two nice appliances, like your toaster or coffee machine.
• Do the washing up – it goes without saying that a sink full of washing up isn’t going to sell your kitchen but you’d be surprised how often this is missed.

Lounge

• De-clutter – tidy away everything that you possibly can, especially things like stacks of DVDs, toys and magazines. If you have a fireplace, make sure to clear the mantelpiece too.
• Spruce up the soft furnishings – if your sofa or arm chairs are looking a bit tired consider buying (or borrowing!) some new cushions or a throw to give them a new lease of life. Make sure to plump the cushions just before the photographs are taken too.
• Re-think the layout – think about the angle your photographs will be taken from (it’s most probably going to be the doorway) and re-arrange the furniture to look best from that view point. You’re aiming to make the room look as spacious as possible.
• Turn the TV off – there’s nothing more distracting than being able to see what was on TV at the time you had your photographs taken.

Dining area

• Set the table – this space is going to look so much more inviting in a picture if you’ve got the dining table set. Use your best glasses and plates, and think about adding a centre piece like a vase of flowers.

Bedrooms

• Tidy up – clear your bedside table of clutter, hide beauty products, make sure all clothes are in the wardrobe. If you use the space underneath your bed for storage then make sure everything is completely hidden. A tidy room gives the impression of more space.
• Make the bed with your best sheets – think about how you’d find the bed in a hotel room and make yours up like that, using the best linen you have that compliments the décor.

Bathrooms

• Put the toilet lid down – trust us, it looks much better like this!
• Clear the surfaces – again, de-cluttering is key. Hide your tooth brush, soaps, shampoos etc to make the room look as luxurious as possible.
• Replace the towels – fluffy and fresh towels are all you need to style a bathroom for photography.
• Put a new toilet roll out – it’s the tiny details that count remember.

Don’t forget the outside!

• Clean the windows – windows are a focal point on the outside of your house so ensure that they’re sparkling. Have them cleaned no more than a few days before your photos are taken.
• Hide the bins – unless you have a bin shelter, it’s best to out your wheelie bins out of sight to keep your external shots looking tidy.
• Cut the grass – we’d recommend trimming the grass the day before your photographs are taken. Don’t leave the cut grass on the lawn and make sure to trim around the edges too.
• Plant some flowers – a few pots by the front door and a pop of colour in the borders will brighten your outdoor areas and make them look as eye-catching as possible.
• Move the cars – it’s best not to block the view of your house with cars and if you’ve got a drive, it’ll look bigger without vehicles.

Now that you’ve made your home look clean, tidy and beautifully styled, leave us to do the rest. If you list with us before 30th June 2019 we’ll upgrade you to our premium marketing package, including professional photography and a video tour of your home, completely free of charge.