Quality photos and successful home staging can make all the difference when it comes to receiving an offer. It can also influence the speed at which you sell.
Putting in the effort and hiring professionals to take photos and do the home staging usually results in a higher sale price. Check out our latest article for our best home staging and photography tips!
Real estate photography and home staging to sell your Montreal home
Before taking photos and advertising your house for sale…
Call a professional. To get the most out of home staging and photography, you’ll need to hire professionals. They will most likely be two different people. Not all photographers are equipped to place furnishings and add accessories. In the same way, a home staging professional won’t necessarily know how to use the right lighting to make your rooms look bigger in photos. Only the combination of these two professionals will enable you to give your property the star look it deserves.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Taking impeccable photos is a must when advertising a property on the traditional market. We all look at the photos. We’ve all seen those hastily taken photos that do nothing to show off the property. Some sellers take their own photos, while others rely on their agents.
Some agents have a good eye, but no one can compete with a professional photographer. Professionals have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves to take the BEST photos of a house. Tripods, wide-angle lenses and natural lighting are just some of the tools used by true professionals.
The cost of hiring a professional will certainly come back to you when you sell. Remember, however, that a photographer is not a home staging professional. It’s not there to clean or move your stuff around the house. Instead, he’s here to take the best photos of what “is”.
Professional home staging for a magazine look
Home staging professionals are often perceived as being reserved for people with high budgets. Yet they can have a HUGE impact on your ability to sell your home, regardless of its size.
People often buy on the spur of the moment. That’s why you should create a neutral environment that allows your visitors to imagine themselves living there comfortably. Some home stagers will choose to refurnish or redecorate the entire house. However, it’s much more usual for them to concentrate on two or three larger pieces.
Depending on what you’ve already prepared, a professional can help you give your home a new personality, or simply reposition your furniture to give a room a more polished look. Obviously, the aim of all these small changes is to increase the value perceived by potential buyers as they discover it.
Tip #1: Declutter
Don’t take any photos or tour your home until you’ve removed everything. Potential buyers don’t want to see your personal belongings left all over the place. This can make them feel uncomfortable, like intruders in your home, and make them want to leave. And that’s not how you want them to feel!
Tip #2: Say goodbye to personal items
At least, for a while. Remove things like photos, trophies, bills and objects with religious or political connotations. The aim is to give visitors the impression that they could actually live in the house. So they need to be able to easily imagine themselves occupying the space, and that can be difficult if they come across a family photo hanging on the wall. What’s more, packing items you don’t need on a regular basis will help you move more easily when the time comes.
Tip #3: Don’t forget the outside
As much for taking photos as for visiting, arranging the exterior of the property is important. Don’t leave your vehicles in your parking lot, put them on the street instead.
This will allow your visitors to focus on the property, not the vehicles on it. What’s more, it could give them the impression that they’re arriving and parking at home, rather than at someone else’s place. You should also remove all personal items and children’s toys from view. It’s said that people decide whether or not to buy a property in a matter of seconds.
That’s why it’s so important to keep the front yard well-maintained. Plant a few flowers and freshen up the porch. The backyard should also be cleared to give it a warm, inviting aura. We want people to want to spend time there!
Tip #4: Keep everything clean, clean, clean
You never really know how other people live. Keep countertops clear of food, toilet seats closed and wires hidden. Think about what you’d expect from an AirBnB when you arrive, and aim for the same level of cleanliness.
