You’ve done your decluttering. The Whit Harvey Group has helped you with your staging. The photographer is scheduled to come in tomorrow. (Your agent should ALWAYS hire a professional.) What do you do next?
You may think you’ve gotten your home prime-time ready, but here are a few things we’ve found that you can do just before the photographer arrives.
Hint: closets are a great place to hide things during the photo shoot.
Exterior: Make sure the grass is cut, dead plants are cut back, and walks, decks and patios are swept clean. Move any of your cars that are parked in front of the house or in the driveway. They will make it difficult to get a good front shot.
Kitchen: Put small appliances such as coffee makers and toasters out of sight in cupboards. If the trashcan is out in the open, move it to a closet. Put dishwashing soap, sponges and other detergents under the sink. Remove dishtowels hanging on stoves or dishwashers.
Bathroom: Put toothbrushes, lotions, makeup, etc. out of sight. Remove trash cans. Straighten clean towels on bars. Put toilet seat down.
Bedrooms: Smooth bedding and plump pillows. Keep things on nightstands and dressers to a minimum.
Kids’ play areas: Put toys away, especially those scattered on the floor.
Living areas: Keep magazines to a minimum and put mail out of sight. Recycling by the door? Take it out to the garage. Remove dog beds, toys and bowls.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT have contractors doing yard work, interior repairs, or painting during the day that we are scheduled to shoot. We can’t work around them, and will have to reschedule your photo shoot.
We know you would love to accompany the person behind the camera as they move from room to room, but it’s better if you don’t. You will find that you will be asked to move when you are in the shot – whether directly or reflected in mirrors or windows– and small talk can slow them down and distract them from their job.
Often the photographer is working in a tight timeframe, so everything you can do to make the process go more quickly will result in better pictures. Trust us, we know what we’re doing.