Preparing The Home For Photos

Selling your home in today's marketplace is a team effort.

Canon Shots Photography is proud to be a part of your team. With 92 percent of home buyers using the Internet as part of their home search, listing photos are a critical factor in the selling price of your home, how quickly it sells, and whether it sells at all. Your real estate agent understands this and has hired Canon Shots Photography to help market your home. With 10 years experience in getting houses sold we have a list of things essential in having your home ready to look its best on the day of the shoot. The list is really the bare essentials of what needs to be done. Be sure to consult your realtor for additional things that may need to be done to get the most of your property.

Things you must do to get the most from your property!

You may find getting you home to sell is no easy task. All those things you should have fixed now have to be fixed. All the things you use to need, you no longer need and it has all piled up. And we know your gonna have to dig deep for a little extra gas to apply the finishing touches. But there are still the little things that will make the difference. After 10 years of shooting homes we have outlined below the finishing touches.

Exterior

Pay attention as to when the sun hits the front of the property

Try to schedule your listing photos when it is. This is not necessary but the front of the home will photograph nicer if it is not in the shadows. Don't worry if it is not possible because we have the equipment to handle any situation. Cloudy days are less contrasty and make for really nice indoor and outdoor photos as we do not have the sun beating in the windows while taking interior pictures. But in your realtors perfect world we would have sun on the front of the house with a blue sky! This happens about 25 % of the time by chance and 45% of the time if we do some planning. Just keep it in mind but it is not a huge deal we will take great pictures of your home under most any circumstance. Do sun on the front of the house when ever possible.

Please cut and trim grass

Move trash cans inside the garage if possible as we do not photograph garages unless they have something really interesting like custom cabinets or workshops that may add value to your home. Remove garden hoses and sprinklers. We often notice cob webs and dirty front porches please try to clean these areas. Dead flower in pots are not overly attractive. If you have lawn furniture on the porch please make sure the cushions are clean and orderly.

Outdoor Living Areas

Outdoor living is becoming more and more popular. Please clean up as much as possible. Toys put away. Grills look best uncovered. Patio furniture looks better with the cushions on if possible. Umbrellas up if possible. Pools should be clean and vacuum hoses removed along with floats and toys.

Interior

Turn on all interior lights

We mean all of them. Overhead lights, lamps, under the counter, ceiling fan lights should be on but fans off if possible. If you have any light bulbs that are out please replace them prior to us getting there. If at all possible try to use lights of the same color temperature or at least close. These days some lights have a blue tint and some have a softer warmer color try to keep them somewhat the same. Do what you can we are trying to create the perfect situation.

Remove all smaller throw rugs & throws

Remove all smaller throw rugs from areas like entryways, kitchens, halls and bathrooms. Remove all throw blankets from couches, chairs and beds. While these rugs probably look nice in your home the tend not to look so good in pictures.

Vacuum and clean floors

Adjust blinds and fix broken blinds

Please adjust blinds to a 45 degree angle. We may adjust the to control light but this is a good starting point.

Remove items from kitchen countertops

Make sure to clean off all countertops and surfaces. One or two items on the kitchen counter like a coffee pot and a decorative item is acceptable. Microwaves, toaster ovens, large knife and utensil sets need to go. All towels hanging need to be put away. All magnets and things on the refrigerator need to be removed.

Desk / work areas

Desk areas in the kitchen or living area are alway a challenge. With our busy lives they may be a convenient way to manage our lives and multi task but look really messy if not cleaned up. If in the living area or in view of the living area please move out of the area for the pictures. If in the kitchen please move printers, phones, mail books and or files. We want you house to look large and organized.

Pets

You may love your pet but not all people are pet lovers. Please move all pet beds, feeding bowls and watering bowls. If you have baskets of dog toys around please move them also. If your dog is friendly we are pet friendly. If applicable please inform us if there are any special pet instructions. Pets do need to be kept out of the pictures.

Bathrooms

Please put all toilet lids down and if possible fresh rolls of toilet paper on the roll. Move rugs, scales, bath robes, and trash cans from the room. It really makes a difference if you move personal items from showers and off of countertops. No tooth brush holders, lotions, toot paste or things in the shower. If you have a shower curtain we usually shoot with them closed or partially closed so hide things to one side. Last but not least replace blown out bulbs and move throw rugs. Throw rugs look nice in the home but not good in pictures.

Bedrooms

Make the beds. Move throws from beds and declutter as much as possible. We like all rooms of the house to be camera ready but know your time can be a premium so due the best you can. If you have fans other than ceiling fans in the bedroom move them as they may be perceived as having climate control problems in you room. Turn on all the lights and lamps replacing bulbs where needed. Move as much as possible from night stands and dressers. Toys in the kids rooms can be a challenge because they are many and in some cases large. Here again do the best you can. Organize it so it does no look like we just threw it in the corner.

Basements & Lower Levels

Biggest challenges there are usually kids toys and clutter. Please move as much of this as you can. We do not shoot storage areas or closets. Your home will show nicer and look bigger if it is tidy. If you have a pool table rack the balls and make it look inviting. Theater Room? Have the screen on if you can. It makes a nice impression.