Its Real estate agents working with good real estate photographers that get houses sold — for the most money and quick.  But first, you’ve got homework to do - you want to have a charming and welcoming home to get the people interested in your house. 

Everything starts through the front door.  Font doors make a statement,  a fresh coat of paint or varnish can make it an eye-catching feature.  If you decide to repaint interiors, neutral tones work best.  Selling a home, starts at the sidewalk.  Curb appeal is an actual thing, it’s the first impression a buyer gets, sometimes it doesn’t work, home sellers don’t always do everything they should to get their homes ready to sell.  It’s the basics, you want everything to look good, smell good, to feel good in your home; to the buyers, it’s a house they want to make into their home.

MLS services usually require the front exterior picture to be the only required picture and the first one seen.  That won’t take you too far, potential buyers want to see everything; besides the front of the house, they want the entire tour, inside, upstairs and down in the basement and with a walk in the backyard.

Here are a few more suggestions to help you help your agent sell your house.  Always ask your agent if you have questions about any of this.

Spring time.  It’s the best time to arrange for a real estate photographer to photograph the exterior and interior of your home.  It’s a good time for decluttering your front and back yards, the trees and bushes are adding fresh leaves, flowers are blooming, the grass is getting greener every day and you’ll need to put out new mulch in your flower beds.  Remember, curb appeal is everything in real estate sales.  Any home improvements, like a fresh coat of paint, or house repairs should be completed sooner than waiting later.

Staging.  Impressions can mean very much, it shows that you’re the type of person who has taken care of this house you’re wanting someone to buy.  The interior staging is as important as your exterior staging.  Once people get inside your home, the insides need to be as impressive as you’ve gotten your front yard.  People want a nice, clean, well taken cared for home.  You want people feeling comfortable in your house.

A few ideas to keep in mind.  Neat and organized; remove the clutter, go overboard with the neatness.  Do a detailed dusting of the entire house!  Bedrooms should look great, beds made, curtains look neat, put away the kids toys.  You might place a few potted plants around inside and add a couple by your front door after you’ve freshened up the entry area.  Clean the kitchen stove, the oven. Remove fingerprints and smudges from the fridge, sweep and mop the floor, hide the trash cans.  Make sure your bathroom is Spotless! sinks, your tub or shower is sparkling - No Watermarks on the shower window doors - and make sure it smells clean.  Spend some time in the garage, remember neat and organized, and consider power washing your driveway.

Real Estate Photography is a main ingredient in your property marketing, know when your home will be photographed, the time of day your photography is scheduled is important, the sun falling on the front of your house makes for a very nice photograph and may very well make a difference if people want to see your property.

You’ll also want to check the front view of your property.  Are there any obstructions blocking the view to your house, tree branches, overgrown bushes that spoil the look. How do your windows look?  Does yard work need to be done?  All this can affect the composition you’ll end up with.  This is an area of personal taste but it’s an area where good composition can help bring out the character of your home, a few pictures, taken from a couple fresh angles can show the depth of front porches and make dormers stand out, gable roofs, front porch railings will benefit from a good composition.

While you’re at it, check your back yard, a covered patio, a nice fresh looking deck, gazebo, outdoor kitchen, pool or other special feature could help your property stand out against your competition. 

This is not everything that needs to be done, your agent will suggest other changes they think needs to be taken care of.  You can get a free copy of my Photographers List, its detailed, but will provide a lot of good information to help you get your property ready to sell.

Good luck.

A good real estate agent or broker is a valuable resource.  Agents know the mortgage brokers, inspectors, a good handyman, the neighborhood area, and sometimes even other listings that the rest of the public does not.  And then there’s all the contracts and other legal matters to keep in order. It’s a lot of work!

Agents also help the seller understand the reality of selling their home, the work involved in getting the home ready, and in a condition that will impress home buyers when the property is first seen, which will probably be on the Internet. Getting to that point requires a few steps. People will want to see what the property looks like, so this means professional photography. But before photographing the property, there is staging to be done, preparing the listing for sale. (http://www.joehaydenrealtor.com/home-sellers/updates-staging-and-photos/)

It only takes a quick glance--three seconds--and a prospective buyer forms an opinion of what the property means to them. Those three seconds will make a lasting impression. A realtor’s success may very well depend on a three-second viewing  (http://www.dailynews.com/lifestyle/20130822/the-truth-behind-staging-will-it-help-you-sell-your-house-faster-at-a-better-price) As a professional real estate photographer, I’ve gone into a home many times to find the home has not been well kept, is not clean, areas have not been picked up, beds are not made, dirty dishes are left in the sink or still on the table. Basically, I’ve walked into an unkempt house. The property was not staged. This is where realtors and real estate photographers can give their sellers some very valuable advice.

Staging can produce such good results for the home seller. A staged home will photograph better and make the home look like it’s just waiting for its new family. When staging and professionally photographed listings are used together, they compliment one another. The property will shine, creating a beautiful home showing.

Staging is best done by professionals, but home owners can do their own staging. There are many resources on the Internet explaining how to stage a home to sell. Staging should not be focused on the seller's personal taste and needs, but on making the home appeal to a broad range of buyers. The basic idea of staging is for buyers to be able to picture themselves living in the home as it’s presented and wanting to buy it.  (https://www.nar.realtor/news-releases/2015/01/home-staging-can-help-sell-home-for-more-realtors-say

Here in Knoxville, when I photograph a home that is for sale, I’m expecting to see that it is neat and organized. This means the home has been cleaned thoroughly; living areas are picked up, and beds are made. This means at least some staging effort has been made. I like a table set as if for an evening meal, to emphasize this home is waiting for you. Another small but important thing is to have window blinds open (or flat) to bring in the outside. This allows me to create a more comfortable, natural lighting as I photograph the home. These are just some of the ways staging can help show off your listings. I’m on the job to help Knoxville sellers show off their property, and this helps the agent get that awesome three-second viewing that will help sell the property quicker and for more money. (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-it-worth-it-to-stage-your-home-when-you-put-it-on-the-market-2016-05-04)