How to Stage Your Home Exterior for Listing Photos

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It’s time to sell your home! For many, this is an exciting and stressful time, especially in today’s market. You may be covering the bases like finding a great agent and doing some last-minute renovation projects, but did you know that one of the most important steps you can take is creating great listing photos? 

Great listing photos rely on a couple of things: the setup of the house and the quality of the images themselves. We’ll cover both in this article. With a few key tips, you can create listing photos that bring out the best qualities of your home to attract more buyers.

Tidy the yard

Although the house is the main feature, the yard plays a starring role in first impressions. Prospective buyers gravitate toward clutter-free exteriors. An untidy yard may serve as a not-so-gentle reminder of the yard work they will inevitably need to do. Clean appearances also help people picture themselves in your home more easily. 

Some ways to tidy your yard include mowing the lawn, trimming hedges, raking leaves, removing fallen tree branches, and anything else that might be holding your yard back from looking as appealing as it can. 

Find a different spot for your vehicle

In line with the last point about removing clutter to help buyers envision themselves in your home, leaving your vehicle(s) out of listing photos is best. Buyers will want to know how spacious the driveway is and imagine their car there, not yours.

Remove garbage cans and other equipment 

Large garbage cans or recycling bins are very distracting when it comes to exterior photos. Remember that your listing photos are the first glimpses of your home that potential buyers will see. 

Hide your garbage cans somewhere out of sight, and the same goes for other lawn equipment and toys. Lawnmowers, weed whackers, and even children’s toys that might be scattered all over the yard should be removed. By creating a distraction-free yard, you appeal to buyers quicker.

Stage some features if possible

If you want to give your home’s exterior a pop of color or comfort, minor staging can be a quick and inexpensive way to freshen up your curb appeal. If your furniture has seen better days, some items that you could purchase to stage your photos include flowers, plants, rugs, chairs, or matching patio furniture. 

Added, thoughtful details such as flowers along the steps or coordinated furniture indicate to buyers that the home is welcoming, tidy, and friendly. It isn’t an absolute necessity to go out and purchase some potted plants or wreaths, but it could mean you grab buyers’ attention quicker.

If you have patio furniture in your backyard, now is the time to dust it off and make it shine. Whether you use it or not, you’re trying to help the buyer picture themselves relaxing and enjoying themselves. Open up your patio umbrella and clean the chairs and the tables. Make it look like friends are coming over to eat as soon as the listing pictures are completed.

Create an inviting entrance 

Sweep up leaves, dust, and any other unnecessary debris that might be scattered over your walkway. Creating an inviting entrance is all about taking pride in your home and showing buyers that this is a welcoming environment.

Last but not least. . .  

Consider getting a professional real estate photographer to take your listing photos. 

In most cases, buyers will see photos of your home before they ever see your home in person. Photos can be the deciding factor between a buyer choosing to check out your listing or pass it by. All these curb appeal improvements may not live up to their full potential if the quality of the listing photos doesn’t do your home justice. Things like lighting, resolution and the right angles to take the photos are best handled by the pros. 

Because it’s so important for listing photos to look professional and highlight your home’s best features, our agents hire professional real estate photographers so that sellers’ homes look their best!

Are you getting ready to sell? We can help! Reach out to us and find the perfect agent for your needs today.

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