Photo Staging Tips to Get Your Listings Sold | United Country Real Estate

When preparing for a showing, staging the property to maximize appeal is crucial. But it can be easy to forget how important staging is for photos of the property. Whether it’s on a website or in print, the images of the property can play a huge role in the sale. Like the famous quote goes: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” And as the market changes, a properly staged and photographed property can make the difference in maximizing buyer interest and limiting days on the market.

What steps can you take to ensure your photos display the property you’re selling in the most effective way? The following powerful tips will help you do just that.

Do

• Clean Up Trash and Clutter

Hide or remove garbage bins and declutter any surfaces and walls. Keep the toilet seat down and any unnecessary items out of view.

• Cut The Grass and Pull the Weeds

Avoid making the property look like it needs a lot of work. Clean landscapes keep the buyers focused on the property appeal, not the maintenance required.

• Remove Personal Items

While photos on the wall of a happy family can be encouraging to potential buyers when they walk through, sharing images that include personal information or pictures of children can be a security risk, and can make it harder for the client to visualize the property as theirs.

• Stay Neutral

Having political items, images or text can alienate entire groups of people. Stay completely politically neutral while in the public realm.

Don’t

• Add Distracting Filters to Photos

Sometimes editing photos is necessary, but make sure your images are still clear, and they don’t distract from the content. Sky replacements are helpful, but be sure to mix it up to evade fake-looking photos.

• Use Overly-Graphic Photos of Game

Photos of deer or other game can be a powerful tool, specifically when selling hunting properties. But avoid photos that include too much gore. Using deer cams, photos of herds, tracks or anything of that sort are highly encouraged and great marketing for your listing.

• Include Photos of Cars or People

When taking a photo of the property exterior, remove cars from the driveway. This adds unnecessary clutter, makes it someone else’s house, and the license plate is personal information. Avoid photos where people or their pets, including you, are visible.

These simple staging and photo basics are often overlooked, but make a huge difference in the property appeal. As the market returns to more normal demand, making sure the property is staged and photographed correctly matters much more.