Tips for highlighting the best features of your home

*This is a collaborative post

When putting your house up for sale, one of the biggest challenges is presenting your home in the best possible light, showing off the more saleable features the of the property for potential buyers and helping them imagine it as somewhere they would want to live themselves. Selling your home in the middle of a global pandemic can be a huge challenge, particularly if you have young children at home creating an almost constant whirlwind of mess! That said, using some clever photography tips and practical ideas, you really can create a positive impression for potential buyers looking at your property online.

Here are some hints and tips for highlighting your homes best features:

Declutter – This goes without saying; but your house first of all needs to be tidy. Whilst at times this may seem like an impossible task, encourage children to put toys and games back into hidden storage after playing to keep the space as clear and clean as possible. Remove the clutter of excess throws and cushions from your sofas and beds (even if they are high quality sustainable furniture) – People need to be able to actually see a clean, clear living space to fully visualise its potential. If you generally have too much ‘stuff’, consider removing any toys and unnecessary items off the floor and shelves and pack them away into storage or the loft for the time being.
Showcase your flooring – Remove any rugs or mats to showcase the true potential of any wooden or appliqué flooring as high quality flooring can be a real selling point.
Pick a sunny day – When taking photographs, avoid doing so on a dark and dull day where it is pouring with rain outside as inevitably your images will be dark and dull too. Whilst you can edit your photos after the event, for the best results, choose a bright and sunny day and take images in the early or mid morning to gain the benefit of the most natural results.
Take Ariel photographs – When taking photos of the garden or outdoor spaces, you may wish to use a Omniviewtech drone or similar to capture the entire space. These visual pictures really allow you to highlight the full potential of the space and show off the potential for those with young families or a passion for horticulture.
Use wide / fish eye lenses for smaller spaces – It can be really tricky to photograph smaller spaces or box rooms, and as such in order to show the whole space you may need to use a fish eye lens or wide angle lens instead.
Present the bathroom and kitchen appropriately – The bathroom and kitchen are some of the most important rooms of the house and the ones which have the potential to turn more people ‘off’. Make sure they are clean, tidy and presented appropriately. Close the toilet lid (should go without saying), fold your towels neatly, and remove any toothbrushes or toiletries from display in your bathroom. Ensure that your bath or shower is clean and free from mould. In the kitchen. remove any food boxes or tins from the work surfaces and ensure that the hob and sink are clean and bright. Whilst it may pain you to do so, you may also want to give the oven a clean too!
Open all the curtains and blinds – Whilst we may have been hiding away in the winter months, when selling your home its time to open up every curtain and blind possible in order to bring in as much natural daylight as possible. This will not only make it look brighter, but can help the space feel more open and airy too.
Present the dining table – Whilst no one expects you to lay the dining table like you’re expecting a full blown banquet, it can be nice to lay the table with mats and a bunch of flowers in the centre, to help potential buyers picture the scene of socialising with friends or family for themselves.
Don’t forget the exterior – Whilst madly tidying the inside of your home, it’s important not to forget the outside too 0- its the first thing people see and so called ‘kerb appeal’ can make a big difference to the first impressions of your home. Take the car off the drive, put recycling bins or boxes out of sight and ensure that the window cills are clean. You may also want to deweed any grass or path areas, make sure plants out the front are alive and well watereed and give a lick of paint to any chipped or damaged paintwork on the front of your home.
Don’t over personalise – Whilst you may LOVE the photos of your children, or the wall after wall of memories from family holidays, over personalising can make it hard for people to see it as anything but someone else’s home. attempt to create a blank canvas so that people want to create their own memories instead.