How to Stage Your House for Photos: A Realtor’s Top Five Tips

Professional photography is one of the keys to selling your home for top dollar. Of course, even the best photos can fail if the subject matter (your gorgeous home) is not in the right condition. Although you can hire a professional home stager or cleaners to prepare your home for a photo shoot, there’s plenty you can do on your own to get ready.

For photos that will be sure to “wow” buyers, here are five tips to follow when staging your home.

Before researching interior design ideas for your house, first, clean every part of your home. You don’t want a mess showing up in your photos of the property, as that can deter buyers from visiting in person or making an offer.

To begin, mop and sweep the floors, vacuum and shampoo the carpets, and dust off the shelves and cabinets. Make sure all the windows and mirrors are free of streaks, and ensure that open shelves with books and décor look organized and not overcrowded.

Next, you should declutter your home. Buyers are interested in large and spacious homes, and having small appliances cluttering up the kitchen counters or stacks of magazines sitting out on side tables creates the opposite effect. Make sure that the closets are organized and cleared out, that wires for electronics are tucked away, and that everyday items like toiletries or cutlery are out of frame. If you’re having problems storing all your items while keeping areas neat and tidy, consider buying a storage unit to keep items out of the way.

When buyers search for homes online in Boca Raton real estate, they’re looking for a property that they can imagine themselves living in. To help them with this, take down any items like personal photos, children’s artwork, or souvenirs from sight. Decorations that lean too far into your personal style, such as an overly bright piece of wall art or a lime green accent wall, should also be taken down or painted over. You want your buyer to envision their own creative style within the space, which is harder to do with so many distractions. Also, make sure items like letters or papers with your name on them are out of frame.

Once you’ve created a blank slate, you can start redecorating your home. Think about how you can add small items for a significant impact, such as a display of art that adds a touch of color in a room or new pillows to refine a living room. If you need some inspiration about decorating choices, hire a home stager or interior designer to help you.

When decorating for property photography, avoid overdecorating. A shelf with too many books or ornaments can look distasteful. A photographer can edit out items to make a room appear less cluttered, but to avoid the extra work, it’s better not to incorporate too many decorative items from the get-go. If it’s your first time, avoid using props, as they can come off as distracting or cheesy when not done correctly.

There’s a lot that goes into staging Boca Raton luxury homes, and each room needs something a little different. However, something to keep in mind in all rooms is the lighting. Make sure the lighting is adequate by pulling back blinds and curtains, replacing broken or dim bulbs, and cleaning off dusty lampshades and light fixtures. Once you’ve done that, you can tackle staging one room at a time.

The kitchen is one of the most important areas to stage for photos and showings, as this is one of the key rooms that impresses buyers. Make sure the countertop appears as big as possible by cleaning off appliances, tools, and other items that collect on the tabletop. Then, add décor items to keep the area from looking too stark. If there is outdated furniture like worn-down cabinets in the room, make a slight home improvement that’s seller-focused by adding new cabinet hardware.

Living rooms are another important area to stage, as buyers look to these rooms to socialize or relax in. Make sure to neutralize the room by painting over too-bright walls or using a couch slipcover on mismatched furniture. Then, bring in some visual interest with different textures and smart pops of color. Clear off the coffee tables and side tables, and then add one or two carefully selected décor items, like a large book or lamp that matches the design flow of the room. Maintain a clear theme throughout the space for a sense of unity.

The focus point in bedrooms is naturally the bed, so make sure to plan around the bed when making design choices here. A room should look cozy and comfortable, so stick with soft and neutral colors. If you’re decorating a children’s room, you have more leeway for brightly colored quilts. When considering the color palette for a space, a good rule of thumb is to stick to the 60-30-10 rule. This means 60% of the room should be a neutral color, 30% a secondary color, and 10% an accent color.

The biggest challenge in the bathroom is all its reflective surfaces, which are amplified in the mirror. Make sure the mirror itself is clean, as well as the countertop, tub, and toilet. It’s easy to overfill a bathroom, so clear off the countertops, remove the rugs, and add small touches like a nice soap dispenser and a decorative hand towel for a touch of elegance and refinement.

You’re not done staging a house for sale on the Boca Raton real estate market until you’ve looked at your home’s exterior. Make sure that the outside looks clean by trimming trees, pruning flowers, and mowing the lawn. Also, powerwash the walkways, driveways, and back patios. Make sure to move your vehicle into the garage or down the street temporarily since a car parked right in front makes for bad home photography.

Also, take down any front yard decoration or lawn ornaments that are eccentric, faded, or polarizing to increase the interest in your home. For the backyard, tuck away garden hoses and store away any tools like rakes or shovels. Then, stage outdoor seating areas like covered decks and patios by straightening out and cleaning furniture, adding pops of color, and turning on outdoor lights.

After following these five photography tips, your stunning home will not only be ready for listing — it’s ready for the magazines! Contact local agent Emily Deleon if you’re looking for an expert South Florida Realtor you can trust to put your property on the Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, or Sunny Isles real estate market. As CEO of the Paradise Team, Emily is an exceptional Realtor who has what it takes to get your gorgeous home seen and sold. Contact the team today!