Don't forget to put the seat down when snapping pics of your bathroom.
You've heard about staging your home when selling, but have you ever heard of staging your photos?
Nearly everyone has heard of staging -- artfully decorating and arranging the décor and arrangement of your home and landscape to most appeal to buyers.
It seems, however, that not everyone has heard of staging the photos of their home -- making sure a home is picture worthy before snapping a shot for use in listings of homes for sale.
For instance, take a look at the photos of the home of reality TV stars Jon and Kate, of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus Eight."
While the divorcing Gosselin couple may be worth as much as $10 million, the couple didn't take the time to stage their photos for their real estate listing for 2190 Andrew Avenue in Elizabethtown, Pa., on Cyberhomes. In their listing's photos you can see a forgotten takeout coffee cup on the kitchen counter and a bathroom mirror covered with Post-It notes (not to mention an open toilet seat).
Unmade beds, dirty dishes
In listings, I've seen photos of bedrooms with beds unmade, bathrooms with towels on the floor, or photos of kitchens with countertops cluttered with cookbooks, appliances and dishes. I've spotted sloppy photos in upscale magazines that list luxury homes for sale -- where you'd think a home seller or broker who's paying for a full-page ad would spend the time and money to get good photos.
Make rooms "company ready" and as neat as possible before taking the shots. If you are snapping the exterior of your home or the backyard, see to it that the lawn is mowed and that any unneeded items (like an old car in the driveway) are left out. (Either by parking your car elsewhere or cropping it out later with photo editing programs. A free one to try is Picnik.com.)
What to do
To make your home look the best it can in your listing, follow these photo tips:
Light it up: Photos that are too dark don't sell a home. Turn on the lights and use a flash when shooting indoors, and pick a bright, sunny day to snap the exterior of your home -- just make sure the sun is at your back to avoid glare and shadows.
Shoot in season: When selecting photos for your listing, stick to the correct season. We shouldn't see snow on the ground in a July listing.
Bare it all: Include as many photos (good ones, that is) of your property as possible that show off your home. You want to give potential buyers more than one reason to check out your place.
Clean up: Scrub those fingerprints off the bathroom mirror and remove dirty dishes from the sink. Your photos should make your house look like a sparkling model home.
Get the best shot: When deciding which real-estate agent to sign, look for one who uses high quality photos in his or her listings. You don't want an agent who uses awful shots snapped with a cell phone. Because so many people search online when shopping for a home, your house's photos might be the first (and sometimes only) chance you have to make a good impression with potential buyers.—Lauren Baier Kim