Home Prep: The Exterior
Getting your home ready to sell is tough. I’ve been compiling lists of things to do in order to get your home ready for listing photos and I’ve finally decided to talk a little more in-depth about what needs to be done. I’m a real estate photographer in south Texas, Corpus Christi to be exact, who has been photographing real estate since 2010. I’ve photographed over 6,400 homes (as of April 2022) and trust me, I’ve seen. some. things.
The first in-depth talk in my Home Prep series is going to focus on the outside. Most MLS (Multiple Listing Service/System) require that a front photo of your home be the first & primary photo. That makes your home’s curb appeal extremely important. As buyers are scrolling through the many real estate listing feeds that syndicate from the MLS, the primary photo (the front of your house) is all there is to grab attention.
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Home Exterior Prep Checklist
Move all vehicles out of the driveway (and don’t park them directly in front of the house)
Moving your vehicles from the driveway enables flexibility when it comes to composing photos of the front of your house. It also helps to keep vehicles from being prominent outside windows when photographing your home’s interior. When parking your vehicles, try to avoid parking them on the street directly in front of your house. This allows your photographer to photograph from the middle of the street, or even from across the street, providing more flexibility with composition.
Move Garbage & Recycling Cans completely out of sight
No matter where you live, we all know that trash cans aren’t known for providing curb appeal. Whether you move your refuse cans into the garage, behind your gate, or even out to the street, be sure they are out of sight. Going a step further: ask your neighbors if you can move their trash cans during photos so that the cans aren’t visible.
Put away all gardening tools including loose hoses
Mow & Rake your yard
Edge grass along sidewalks & driveways and remove weeds from cracks in concrete
Sweep Porches, patios, driveways, & sidewalks
Pull noticeable weeds from yard, planters, flower beds
Numbers 3- 7 are self-explanatory - making sure everything is picked up helps to increase your home’s curb appeal. A nicely kept yard conveys to potential buyers that you care about your home. Not only should these be done in your front yard, but ensure you do the same in your back yard. If you need a place to put things, side yards are your best bet because most of the time we can avoid photographing those while still capturing the majority of your back yard.
Move portable BBQ grills out of sight
This is true about 90% of the time. If you have a special grilling area and it is well kept and looks good, leave your grill out.
Clean outsides of windows
This will help your home look fresh, and it will help tremendously when we get to photographing the interior of your home. If you have some window screens that are tattered or torn and you can’t find an exact match, go ahead and take all of the screens off for photos and store them away safely.
Clean up patio/deck and remove ALL non-essential items
I totally understand outdoor life here in south Texas. Along with enjoying our outdoors year-round comes lots of “accessories” like spray bottles, toys, pet food bowls, charcoal, dead plants, broken chairs, empty bird feeders, bug spray, weed killer, poop scoops, pool nets, etc.) Again, I know I’ve mentioned that less is more, and it absolutely applies to outdoor spaces. Clean it up before your photos.
Extra Credit: Powerwash automotive stains from concrete
If it’s there when I come to shoot, I can’t photoshop it out without the risk of the photos being considered “deceptive”. If you think driveway stains are unsightly, so will potential buyers - get the stains removed by a professional.
Extra Credit: Touch up / repaint exterior siding
A fresh exterior isn’t necessarily, but it definitely helps.
Extra Credit: Add flowering plants (even if they are in pots) for a touch of color
The fastest way to pump up your home’s curb appeal is by adding flowers. Don’t stick fake flowers in the ground either. Find some inexpensive pots, and some pretty flowers, and keep them watered. In a neighborhood of plain green landscaping, you’d be surprised how much a couple of pots of pink and red petunias or vinca will stand out.
Extra Credit: Trim and Prune low hanging branches
One of the most difficult situations I come across is when a home is completely obscured by the beautiful trees in front of it. Sometimes it’s just unavoidable when trees are still young, but as trees mature, it helps to keep the lower branches thinned out. The same goes for walkways leading to your home - keep bushes and shrubs trimmed back and branches cut high.
Extra Credit: Patch yard with sod pieces
If you have some small bare spots, try to fill them with some fresh sod, and be sure to keep them watered.
Extra Credit: Replace burned-out exterior bulbs
Working bulbs on the exterior isn’t really important for listing photos (unless you are planning on having some twilight photos done.) What it will do is make sure that when buyers come to visit, they will know that all of the fixtures work.