Photographs
Photographs are one of the most important features of your online advert. Around 90% of the information processed by our brains is visual, and we take it in tens of thousands of times quicker than text, so you really can’t overestimate the power of a great set of photos. Your main image should be your finest full shot of the front – and taking it at twilight with all the interior lights on can create a truly striking impression.
Then have between fifteen and twenty great photos of the inside and garden. You’ve got to show buyers the main rooms and some of the best features, leaving them excited about discovering the parts they haven’t seen.
Make sure your agent uses a professional photographer who can not only take the shots well, but also work with your agent’s team who are styling your home to create the best possible images. Interior shots look best taken on a bright day, so the photographer may need to make another visit to capture the all-important exterior twilight shots that will help ensure you have a great selection of images.
Buyers tend to connect with things that are both familiar and aspirational, so think about how different rooms look in glossy homes magazines and use that as a guide.
Here are some of the things you can do to get your home ready before the photographer and styling team arrive:
- Vacuum and dust
- Clean the windows and mirrors
- Empty all the bins and put away your half-used toiletries
- Tidy away any work, toys and kitchen clutter
- Have some new candles, plants and/or flowers in the main reception rooms
- Fill a fruit bowl for the kitchen
- Straighten/plump up soft furnishings and towels
- Take away rugs (plain floors make rooms look bigger)
- Make sure all the light bulbs work, and have some spares, just in case!
- Mow the lawn, prune the shrubs and flowers, and spruce up the garden furniture.
Then do your best to keep your home looking like that until it sells!
When your agent forwards the brochure for you to review, one thing to make a particular point of checking is whether the photographs flow ‘naturally’. Think about the route a viewing would take through your home and try to make sure the photographs follow that order, as far as possible. For example: the front exterior shot, then the hallway, followed by the living room, the kitchen, the staircase, the master bedroom, and so on. If the order makes sense, it will be easier for the buyer to visualise your home and may help create a stronger first impression.