Preparation Tips
It’s certain that you want to sell your home quickly and at the highest price. Here are some tips on how to prepare your property for Linova Photography’s amazing real estate photography, video and Matterport 3D services that will help market your property with the best possible results.
This article is divided into three sections depending on which Linova Photography service offering you ordered. The first section deals with our amazing photos. The second section applies to Aerial (or drone) Photography. Finally, we provide some tips on getting your property ready for a 3D Open House Tour.
Part 1: Photography
Things to do in all rooms in the days leading up to your appointment:
- De-clutter everything by cleaning and clearing every room to give your space that model home style.
- If you are staging the property yourself. Think about colors. Imagine a red pillow on a white sofa in a white room. The viewer is going to focus on that pillow and not the room as a whole. We need to have other red decorations in order to create a more overall balanced color scene.
- On the topic of family photos, some sellers prefer them gone, others don’t mind. We personally don’t mind family photos or other personal items such as diplomas or awards unless they become a focal point of a room.
- Check every light and replace burned out bulbs. More light means better looking pictures. Any missing or burned out lights will not only be visible in the photos but risk potential buyers perceiving an electrical problem. Be sure to have spare bulbs on hand just in case.
- If you have a darker room, consider switching to brighter LED bulbs. This will help the room look better for showings, as well. Bright Daylight is the best bulb color.
- Be sure that all blinds are functioning properly and open. For wood shutters, if they are loose, you can often find a screw on the side of the shutter that you can tighten for an easy fix. If a slat has is broken loose, use some clear tape to create a wedge to hold it in an open position.
- Window curtains should be wide open. If there is a nice view, it might look better to remove curtains for a lighter touch. Sheers should be removed unless they are being used to hide something outside the window.
- It is important to clean and dust highly visible surfaces such as ceiling fans, bathroom exhaust fans, light bulbs and fixtures, mirrors, windows, etc.
Things to do on the day of your Linova Photography appointment time:
- Turn on each and every single light on the inside and outside of the home. If any lights are on a timer please be sure to know how to override them in order to ensure that all lights are on.
- Open all of the blinds and curtains. Opening the blinds and curtains lets more natural light into the room. More light means better photos.
- Turn off all ceiling fans but make sure that the fan’s lights remains on.
- Remove, or hide from view, all interior and exterior trash cans.
- We all love our animals, but it is best to downplay any pets. Be sure to hide pet bowls, toys, beds, litter boxes and cat trees. While we are photographing the property, it is our experience that cats often love to lounge in the shots and dogs are often afraid of the equipment and noise, so it’s best that all animals are out of sight in a separate room, garage, with a friend or pet daycare, perhaps. Just not outside because they love to sit and look inside where the action is, which puts them back in the shots.
- If you have a pool, spa or fountain be sure to have everything turned on and running. The pool will look best if the vacuum hose is out of the water and stored away. It is also good to do this the day before we arrive in order to not have wet spots around the pool. The same holds true for any chlorine floats or pool toys. They are best kept out of the water and out of sight.
- Do NOT use any water outside on the day of the appointment. We want to avoid any wet spots from uneven drying. This leads into the next tip…
- Caution: If you prefer a wet look for the driveway/sidewalk/patio or other areas, this requires additional consideration and planning. For example, if your appointment is on a sunny day, by the time you wet one section of the driveway, the first section you did will be dry, creating an endless loop of fighting the sun. If you prefer this style, let us know your thoughts while making your appointment so that we can plan the time accordingly and get the look you desire. We tend to recommend not wetting areas down.
Preparing the Kitchen for a Linova Photography Photo Shoot
- Remove everything from the top, sides and doors of the fridge. This includes magnets, business cards, photos, etc. Wipe off any smudges. Sometimes, a dent or spot can be hidden with a nice magnet or two so we have been known to stage a refrigerator on occasion.
- Clear and wipe off all counter spaces.
- Hide all unnecessary items such as dish soaps, sponges, etc.
- The table and seating area will look nice with place settings (no utensils needed).
- A bowl of fruit or bouquet of flowers can present well in the photos.
Preparing Bedrooms for a Linova Photography Photo Shoot
- Make the beds. No wrinkles look best.
- Hide personal items.
- Close the closets doors.
- If the closets are going to be photographed they will look best uncluttered and organized. A good start is to remove half of the items from the closet. This makes them look more spacious to a prospective buyer.
- Often, we will see sellers try to hide items and wires behind the bed or nightstands. This will show in the photos so it’s best to unplug the phone chargers or other items and put them away for a tidier appearance.
Preparing Bathrooms for a Linova Photography Photo Shoot
- Put down toilet lids. Remove trash cans and toilet brushes, etc.
- Remove any toiletries that are in the shower or bath, as well as on the counter.
- Clean mirrors and any glass surfaces.
- Remove old towels from doors, showers and bathtubs. Hang a new set of towels that coordinate with the paint or tiles.
- Depending on the space, a flower or plant can add a nice touch.
Preparing The Living and Family Rooms for a Linova Photography Photo Shoot
- An overly crowded living room does not allow buyers to properly visualize the space. Pack and remove any unnecessary items and furniture to create more open feeling.
- Turn off the television and hide the remotes.
- If a fireplace works, it will look nicer if lit.
Preparing The Exterior for a Linova Photography Photo Shoot
- Clean porches and walkways. Put away bikes, hoses, trash cans, etc.
- No cars in the driveway or in front of your house. If neighbors commonly park in front of your home, put your own cars there to be moved later when we arrive.
- If it is a trash collection day, place the containers away from the front of the property such as across the street.
- Close all windows and doors. Be sure that all all blinds or shutters are evenly positioned open and look the same throughout the home.
- Depending on the time of day, turning on exterior lights can make for a nice and welcoming effect. Be sure all fixtures are working and replace any burned out bulbs.
Preparing The Property for a Linova Photography Twilight Photo Shoot
- All of the above applies but now even more!
- Every exterior light should be working
- Likewise, every interior light should be working because we need a light in every window we will see. If a room is dark, it may need additional lighting moved in from another room.
- If your garage has windows, it will need to be lit.
- A few days before we arrive, turn every light on and see how the home looks from outside at night. If a room looks darker than the others, add additional lighting in that room. If a window is blocked (usually a garage window) or something looks unsightly through the window, then things may need to shift around a little.
- Twilight sessions truly need to be prepared in advance because we are racing against time and will only have a few minutes to capture several images.
Part 2: Aerial (Drone) Photography
All of the tips above apply to our Aerial Photography but…
There are a number of things you can do to make your home’s exterior look even better since we will be filming it on a completely different angle! We’ll see everything from up above so just hiding trash cans or other items behind a fence or on the side of the house may not work.
Things to do outside the photographer arrives:
- De-clutter the entire yard. Be sure to put any hoses, trash cans, toys and other items in a shed or garage where they will be completely out of sight from all angles.
- The side yards will be visible from overhead. Be sure to de-clutter and hide anything you do not want prospective buyers to see.
Part 3: 3D Open House Tour
With our 3D Open House Tour, prospective buyers can view your property from the comfort of their own home. This allows even more people to see your listing and better your chance of a quicker sale!
As with interior photography, it is important to de-clutter and have everything nicely organized and staged. Because of our scanning process, we will see everything from every part of a room. Try standing in each corner and see if you notice anything out of place that can be hidden or removed.
When we do a 3D scan of a room, we are taking several scans from many different angles in each room. Ideally, the entire house should be ready to go from the time we walk in the door.
Hide anything you don’t want to be shown. If we see anything that we feel should be moved, we will discuss it with you during our initial walk-though of the home before we start scanning.
For more information or any questions, please visit us at: http://www.linovaphotography.com
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