When you’re about to put your house on the market, you’re going to spend a good hour or so walking round and taking photos. Or the real estate agent will, if you feel you’re not up to capturing the best shot yourself.
You can also shoot videos of the space, and give a guided tour of the property as you move from one room to the next. This is a great way to highlight the unique features of your home for the market at large, and ensure they stand out for anyone who doesn’t bother to read the description.
But either way, you’re going to need to complete a few jobs first – and simply because you need to let your house shine in the best light. You need to put its best foot forward.
And there’s no place where that’s more true than your property’s curb appeal. First impressions are everything, and the front facade and front door are always going to be the first thing a prospective buyer sees.
If you want to take photos that will let your house stand out on its own, it’s crucial to get a few curb appeal projects out of the way.
Here’s a few to think about before you start snapping any shots.
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Wash Down the Siding
Your home needs to look as clean as possible from the outside, before you get into any planting or landscaping. It simply needs to look like it’s been taken care of over the years.
And that means washing down the exterior and removing any build-ups that have taken root.
You can do this with a hose, bucket of water and telescopic mop, or you can use a power washer – it’s up to you (and the level of dirt you need to clear off). But either way, take a weekend to wash down the entire exterior facade before you take any real estate photos.
Not only will it make your house look much fresher and ready for the market, but it’ll also highlight any zones where you need to do some paintwork patching.
Clear Away Any Dropped Leaves and Debris
Of course, you wouldn’t want to showcase your property surrounded by garbage. That wouldn’t attract a buyer willing to pay top price for the unit you’ve got on the market right now.
It likely wouldn’t attract a property development chain either, as garbage suggests that the house and/or land would be more trouble than it’s worth. So naturally, you’re going to want to clear away the obvious debris that would stand out to anyone.
However, you should try and make sure that any foliage that’s fallen off nearby trees, bushes, and flowers should also be cleared up too.
Get yourself a cordless leaf blower to collect them all up into one place, then bag and tag them, then empty the bags into an organic waste collection or your own compost heap (if you have one).
Paint Over Any Missing Spots
Once the dirt has been washed away and you’ve removed as much debris as you can, put your cleaning tools away. It’s time for some exterior DIY.
And we’re starting small with a simple bit of painting. Try to color match the tone of the new paint with the paint that’s already on the walls, unless you’re happy to do a full repaint.
It’s easy enough to grab a near-enough color with just a few photos of the walls as is, and then match those photos to the tones on the cans when you’re at the DIY store.
You can also use online color matchers and palette wheels, if you want a few more options for a new color that’s easy to apply without anything bleeding through.
Sweep Down the Drive and Pathways
Another debris-related job, but this one can be easily left off the curb appeal preparation list. Don’t make this mistake when you’re trying to highlight your home’s best features.
Because even when you live in a house and see the dust, stones, moss, and grass collect on a daily basis, it might not occur to you to clean it out of the way.
But once you’re taking real estate photos, these elements are going to stick out like a sore thumb.
By simply grabbing a broom or brush, and sweeping this kind of dirt off of any cobbles, paving stones, concrete, or tiles, you’ll have a much cleaner looking house to capture.
Although you may want to leave this job until the last 20 minutes or so, to ensure there’s little time for the wind to blow it all back into place.
Get the Car Out of the Way
And a very easy one to finish off! This can be done last minute without much hassle, and you might not think it’s really all that important.
But if you want to take a good real estate photo, you need to make sure there are no cars blocking the view.
Not only that, but when the car’s in the driveway (or peeking out the garage), it makes the house look owned. You don’t want that to be an accidental impression a buyer walks away with.
They need to be able to see themselves living in this property, and your car is a reminder that they may not quite fit there. Let them glimpse the potential in every way possible; move your car before you turn the camera on!
Taking Real Estate Photos? Give Your Curb Appeal a Boost First
Whether or not you think it needs it, it’s always best to make sure your property has everything it needs to be captured at a good angle.
You don’t want your photos to depict a house that’s a bit dreary, dirty, or otherwise unkempt. You need it to look like the home they’ve always thought of living in.
And your curb appeal is the key to that. Let them see an exterior that feels clean, welcoming, and worth the money.