Property Staging: How to Prepare for Your Photo Shoot (Part 2)

In our last article, we looked at a few quick tips on how to prepare your property for a photo shoot. After properly cleaning and decluttering, slapping some paint on the walls, minimizing the furniture and maximizing your curb appeal, you’re probably thinking that the house is looking pretty nice. But, potential buyers don’t fall in love with merely nice houses. Read on to learn some more ways to primp and prep a home for its photo shoot!

There are many creative ways to revive the look of your listing. The most important is not to be afraid of rearranging. Homeowners have a tendency to put more furniture in a room than is necessary, and cramped rooms don’t make for great visuals. Take the liberty of moving that extra chair up to the spare bedroom and transform it into a craft room. (Remember: Every room should have a purpose! If you don’t know what to do with that space, neither will potential buyers.)

Now is the time for those handpicked accessories to shine! Make sure the pieces you have chosen provide character and add a pop of color to the room. The options are as endless as your creativity. Store family photos and statuettes on bookshelves for an elegant touch. On tables and countertops, place items in groups of 3 or 5 and arrange from smallest to largest. This adds a bit of visual diversity and will inspire buyers to imagine their own creative takes on the space!

But, no one will be loving your staging work if they can’t see it. So, make sure that each room is properly lit. Aside from overhead lighting, it is recommended to have task lighting, such as a reading lamp, or accent lighting on the tables or walls. Aim for consistency and balance by keeping similar light fixtures on the same level. (There’s no room for mismatched standing lamps here.) Of course, natural light is always ideal.  Don’t forget to pull back the curtains and let the sunshine in!

These tips are all easy enough to perform, and none are too hard on the wallet. The first rule of property staging is that less is more, so be sure to make the best use of what you have! Next month, we’ll take a look at how a few small additions can add life to any listing. With a little work and a lot of imagination, you can have a photo-ready home in no time!