A picture is worth a thousand words, as the old adage goes, and this rings true, especially for residential real estate photography. Amazing real estate photography and beautiful home staging can make a huge difference in the price you are offered for your home, especially in the Austin, Texas area. We will share a few tips on how to sell your home for more money in this blog post.

Putting in the extra effort with incredible photography and a professionally staged space, will typically pay for itself and then some. If you want to sell your house fast, then check out our tips on how to sell your home for more money below.

Before the photos are taken and the house is shown you need to stage your home

For the maximum benefits of staging and photography, you will want to hire professionals. Often times Realtors include the staging and photography in their fees. If not, it it still worth every penny you will spend.

You will need to most likely hire two different people, a professional stager and a professional photographer. A photographer might not be great at accessorizing or furniture placement. Whereas a professional stager might not know how to utilize the light or take photos to maximize a room’s space in a photo. It is the combination of these two professionals that will bring your property the visual draw your house deserves.

A picture paints a thousand words

Great photography is paramount when listing your house. We have all seen the photos, those listings where you say, “I can’t believe they used that shot!” In the back of your mind you might be thinking if they don’t care about the photos of their house, what else in the house did not care about. Do you want buyers to say this about your home?

Some home owners take the photos themselves, while others rely on their agent. Some agents have a good eye, however, nothing can compete with hiring a professional photographer. They will have all kinds of tricks, allowing them to get the absolute best photos of your house. Tripods, wide-angle lenses, and natural lighting are just a few must-haves. Not to mention the editing skills the professional photographers have. Hiring a professional will easily pay for itself. Keep in mind, a photographer is not a stager. They are not there to clean up or position items throughout your home. They are there to capture the best photos and help you sell your home for more money.

Professional Stagers Can Help Make Your Home Look Like it Came Out of a Magazine

Professional staging is still largely seen as a boutique service, or something only used for luxury listings. But the fact is, staging has a big impact on your ability to successfully sell your home for more money.

People largely buy based on emotion. You will want to create a neutral environment, yet still, allow the viewer to feel as if they are in their own home.

Some stagers will refurnish and decorate the entire house, however, it is much more common to focus on a couple of main rooms.

Depending on what you already have, a stager can bring in many pieces or simply replace and repurpose items you already have to be more aesthetically pleasing.

The ultimate goal of staging is to maximize the perceived value of the home.

Tips

Declutter

Don’t take any photos or show your house to any buyer until all of the clutter has been removed.

Buyers do not want to see your personal possessions or photos while touring your house.

It can make people feel intrusive and subconsciously make them want to leave.

This isn’t how you want them to feel.

Say goodbye to all personal items

Putting away things like photos, awards, animal heads as well as religious and political items will make people feel more comfortable.

Your goal is to make people feel as if they could live there.

They need to be able to easily imagine themselves there, and that can prove difficult when looking at a wall of your family photos.

In addition, packing up unnecessary items and personal effects will help when the moving day arrives. This is a great time to get rid of things that you don’t need or have not used in years.

I was a full time Realtor for 6 years and I always told my clients that once they decided to put their home on the market, it was no longer their home. Yes, sometimes the sellers felt like they were visiting someone else’s home and not theirs. They felt like strangers in their own home, and that is OK. 

Don’t Neglect the Outside Areas

For both photography and viewing purposes, you will want to spend some time fixing up the outside of your home.

Don’t leave your cars in the driveway, instead park them down the street.

This will allow the focus to be on your home in the photos and will make people feel like they are pulling into their own driveway as opposed to someone else’s. I also recommend if possible to not have cars parked directly in front of your home on either side of the street.

You should also put away all personal items and kid stuff.

They say people decide if buying is a possibility in only a matter of seconds.

This is why it pays to clean up the front yard, plant a few flowers and refresh the front porch. When I was showing buyers homes, I remember all too often that I could almost 100 percent of the time tell what the inside of the home looked like before I even opened the front door or looked at any pictures. If the yard was kept, the front porch mat in good shape and a new or clean door handle was on the front door, I knew that the inside was going to look great.

The backyard should also be clear of clutter, with a warm and inviting feel.

People should want to spend their time there.

Keep it tidy

You never really know how other people live.

Keeping food out on the counter, the lid up on the toilet, or having cables running across your walls can be huge eyesores to certain people viewing your home.

Think about how you would expect a hotel or Airbnb to look upon arrival and strive for that.

I am an Austin, Texas based photographer focusing on Austin Real Estate Photography. To see a portfolio of my real estate photography click the following link. Real Estate Portfolio