How to Prep the Home Exterior for Photos!
Romina D'Angelo May 23, 2021
Romina D'Angelo May 23, 2021
When it comes to real estate photography, the outside counts just as much as the inside.
And with the bulk of your life taking place indoors, it's no wonder that a home's exterior is often overlooked during the prep process.
That said, below are five areas to consider when prepping the exterior sections of your home. Keep in mind that an impeccable exterior can help your property score a great first impression!
A well-groomed front yard, ideally with some flowers and plants that pop, can certainly set the mood for the rest of the home-viewing experience.
What's more, a home's exterior and front lawn are usually the featured image in show sheets, so you'll want to make sure that the outside sections of your home are as photogenic as possible, starting with your grass.
Grass should be trimmed uniformly for a clean and consistent look. There should be no unruly patches of grass or overgrown shrubs that distract from a uniform look. On the other hand, if your front lawn is comprised of Astroturf or synthetic grass, be sure to spot-clean any stains that may have set into the grass over time.
Are there tire streaks on the driveway leading up to the garage? Are there trash and recycling bins lined up against the curb waiting to be collected by the utility company? Are there any other obstructions that might further distract from the main focus of the image (i.e., your home?)
When it comes to real estate photography, these are important questions to consider! So make sure that these areas are unobstructed before the photographer arrives.
And lastly, we know that you're super proud of your sweet ride, whether it's a '95 Corolla or a '21 Maserati, but homebuyers aren't very keen on viewing pictures of your car (so maybe save that for Car and Driver magazine?)
Piggybacking off Step #2, you should check for unsightly elements that could derail your real estate photography efforts, such as tricycles parked on freshly mowed lawns, water hoses coiled over rusty pipes, and stray garden shovels staked into the soil.
Seriously, not even the adorable child swing hanging from a branch of your olive tree is safe.
In real estate photography, less is certainly more.
If you're already prepping the front and back exteriors of your home, we'd like you to take a moment and glance at each exterior section.
Where did your eye go? What exactly did you see?
A basic interior design trick is to design around a conversation piece in every room. This conversation piece could be a blush wingback chair or an exquisite marble top coffee table that your eye will be immediately drawn to. And then, as you survey the rest of the area, everything else centered around the design will sort of just make sense.
You can apply the same technique to your home exterior and really up the ante in your real estate photography game.
For example, you might not know the house number for your neighbor down the street, but you know that her door is painted in a "school bus yellow" that you can't help but notice as you drive past.
Before you splash a gallon of yellow paint on your front door, ask yourself if there could be a "conversation piece" to your home exterior that your real estate photographer can capture during the photo shoot. This should be something eye-grabbing, such as an ornate door knocker or a comfy seating area.
At the very least, you should aim to keep your front and back doors clean and presentable. That goes for window panes, too.
Does your home boast an appealing deck, patio area, or gazebo?
If your home is rich in outdoor amenities, use them!
Good real estate photography showcases exterior areas in your home where the prospective buyer can imagine themselves spending time. This can be a BBQ grill area, swimming pool, or zen garden.
Remember, your goal is to entice the homebuyer to set up a viewing of your property right away, and a flawless photoshoot (highlighting exteriors as much as interiors) is the quickest way to accomplish this.
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But how does this decision affect you and your plans to buy a home?
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Romina has represented both sellers and buyers, her clients have come to depend on her considerable expertise and market knowledge.
