Step 7 To Selling a Home: Professional Photography and More

By the time it's time for your professional photography appointment, we are so very close to getting your home on the market! Photography day is our last appointment and the very last step before we launch your listing.

We’ll schedule the appointment with you at least a few days, if not a full week, in advance. During the photography appointment, you you may feel as if your home is being invaded, as Ben and I, as well as the photographer, will all likely be on-site to finalize our marketing. The appointment itself will take between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of your home, and during that time, in addition to the photographer getting all of the shots needed, we'll be taking final notes for marketing, taking measurements and drawing your floorplan, shooting video and 360-tour shots, and getting everything done for the marketing that we discussed in you initial appointment. You do not need to be home for the appointment; in fact, sometimes it goes quicker when there are fewer people that we need to make sure are out of the shots. We pay for both the photos and floorplan; there is no cost to you.

Here are our basic tips to ensure that your home is photo-ready: 

• Remove any cats or dogs from the home or put them in a crate during the photography appointment
• Hide any pet beds, bowls, toys, etc.
• Make your bed (and every bed in the home)
• Put all dishes away (you can hide dirty dishes in the dishwasher)
• Put all laundry away (you can hide laundry in the washer or dryer)
• Turn on all lights and make sure all light bulbs, especially those in lamps, are working
• Refer back to the notes we made together about decluttering and staging and make sure that all of the items on that list have been covered

Click here to review our detailed, step-by-step guide to getting your home ready to be photographed!

During the photographs, we will likely move a lot of things in your home (some examples may include throw rugs particularly in kitchens and bathrooms, anything on kitchen or bathroom counters, etc.). We do our very best to put things back where they were, but don’t be surprised if you come home to find a few things out of place. We apologize in advance, but we want your photos to look the absolute best they can look and this often involves moving items to get the best shots.

We often photograph amenities in your neighborhood or complex, such as exercise rooms, pools, tennis courts, etc. If there is anything in particular you want to make sure we photograph, just let us know and we will do our best!

Just a reminder about our timeline, once the photos are taken: it usually takes 2 business days to get the photos back. As soon as they are back we will need 1 or 2 more days to get the marketing finalized and uploaded to the MLS and ready to launch. We will keep you updated during this time and let you know as soon as we have activated your listing in the MLS. As soon as we have activated your listing, you are LIVE and on the market! 

Have questions? Contact us anytime at 404-994-2181 or Ben(at)BuySellLiveAtlanta(dot)com