How to Prepare For a Listing Photography Shoot: A Realtors Guide

Updated: March 19th, 2020

Preparing sellers for a listing photography appointment is key to getting quality photos, and the highest value for your effort.  Make it a part of your routine to walk a property with your sellers, and provide them with a to do list and a deadline to avoid costly reshoots and cancellation fees.  Here are general tips from veteran professional real estate photographer Stephen Posko, of Hometrack Real Estate Marketing in Baltimore, MD.

Declutter.  To buyers, clutter translates to a lack of storage in the home.  It can make rooms look smaller and distracts from the property. You want the focus to be on what you’re selling.  Keep countertops clear, except for a few unpersonalized and purposeful items that enhance each space. Hide cleaning supplies and personal items.  

Use staging.  According to a 2018 report from the National Association of Realtors, “Seventy-seven percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.” And with staging, it’s not an all or nothing service.  You can do full furniture and decor in an empty space, just select a few important rooms, or add a few touches here and there. Sometimes adding minor staging to a home with existing furniture, like artwork and a few decor pieces, can create a more cohesive and pleasant presentation.  

[ Learn About the Pros and Cons of Virtual Staging ]

Pay a bit of attention to the exterior.  Curb appeal is just as important for listing photos as it is for an in person showing.  Yard tools and toys should be out of sight. Grass should be mowed, leaves raked, and snow plowed depending on the time of year.  Garden beds should be tidy. And pools should be clean, with no vacuum in sight (this is frequently overlooked and very noticeable in the photography). Unruly exteriors can create a feeling that the maintenance is overwhelming, or the house hasn’t been taken care of, and buyers may pass.  If something gets missed, you can ask your photographer or marketing company if it can be edited out. But be aware, it will be an additional cost.

Be ready when the real estate photographer arrives.  Make sure you and your seller have any and all projects completed at least 15 minutes prior to the appointment start time.  There is often a limited window scheduled for your appointment. Planning to move a few things, or do some last minute cleaning will delay your appointment and cause the photographer to do a full shoot with limited time.  

Avoid displaying seasonal or holiday decorations.  Why? Sometimes a property is on the market for a few weeks, or even months.  Nobody expects or desires that, but it’s a common enough occurrence in real estate.  When your photos display seasonal decor, it’s a blatant reminder to prospective buyers of just how long its been sitting idle on the market.  This often results in a stale listing, and a likely reshoot with more out of pocket costs.

Don’t schedule your listing photography appointment when you know it’s possible the property may not be ready in time.  Nothing is worse than finding out a homeowner wasn’t prepared for photos, AFTER paying for them and seeing the resulting mess.  You should also avoid scheduling listing photography for the afternoon, on the same day you have staging or cleaning booked for the morning.  Many times you will end up with brand new dark hardwood floors coated in white construction dust and footprints. Or an attempt at last minute speed staging looks sub-par and haphazardly thrown together.  Most frequently this ends in a cancelled appointment, which in the busy season can mean rebooking for a full week out. And who wants to pay cancellation fees?

Try to avoid being overly specific about the shots you want.  There is no need to follow the photographer around asking for very specific angles or items to focus on that may be irrelevant to the overall point of listing photography.  If you want to highlight a feature that isn’t especially obvious, then by all means, let the photographer know it’s important to you. But keep it within reason. A good real estate photographer should know what angles to get and cover all of the important selling features. Nitpicking about every shot will only waste precious time and make the photographer second guess what they are doing.  

Don’t forget to update the entry instructions.   Again, this is a time factor. If the lockbox combination is incorrect, time is spent hunting down the correct one.  Don’t be late if you or someone on you team is meeting the photographer to provide entry. Make sure the key is in the lockbox or with the front desk.  And give clear instructions if they would not be obvious to someone who has never been to the property. These delays often result in a rushed appointment, or cancellation.  

Try not to assume that homeowners will be able to do all of these things without some guidance, and potentially extra time.   Follow these guidelines for the best possible results. And in the process spend less money on reshoots and cancellation fees.  For more details on room to room preparations and a checklist that you can print for your sellers visit this   Photography Preparation  guide.   You will also find helpful   Twilight photography  and   Matterport 3D Tour  appointment specific preparation strategies.  We hope this facilitates a smoother process for your next real estate photography appointment.  

www.hometrack.net | Author: Jessica Bickel | Copyright 

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