Today, when it comes to putting your house on the market, a strong virtual presence of your home is not only key to selling, but it is also more important than ever before. In the past few years, the real estate market has become extremely reliant on the internet for an enticing presence, including postings on websites as well as social media.
Many people, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, feel more comfortable making the decision to purchase a home after seeing it online, sometimes without ever stepping foot in it in real life. Because of this, it is important that you put in the extra work to make sure that your “virtual appeal” is in tip-top shape, just like your curb appeal! If you are looking for some tips on how to get your home ready for the computer or smartphone screen, look no further.
We have rounded up some ways that you can make your virtual home stand out, check them out here:
Clean and declutter.
While this may seem like a routine step for preparing to sell your home, it is extremely important from a virtual standpoint. Decluttering helps to improve screen appeal and make your home look as aesthetic as possible. For example, rooms that have less items in it, whether that be furniture or general household items, will look bigger on screen, and therefore offer a more open look and feel. Another great tip is to try and let in as much natural light as possible, which will show off all the hard work and cleaning that you have done. You want someone to look at your home online and feel as if they are looking at a magazine!
Depersonalize.
While some people prefer to see a home in its “every day” fashion, overall, it is best practice to try and depersonalize your home as best as you can for photos and virtual walk-throughs. Depersonalizing means to remove items such as collectibles, any photos of family and friends, or any items that specifically speak to you owning the house versus someone else. Why is this important? You want potential buyers to feel like they can see themselves living day to day in the home, and not that they are getting an inside look and view into someone else’s daily life.
Angles, angles, angles.
You have heard it before – angles are everything! Before the big day when you are taking the final photos for the listing, make sure to do some test runs so that you are making sure that you are capturing the best angles of each of your rooms. Consider how your furniture is laid out and arranged and perhaps move some things around if you are finding that you are not getting the shot. Do not be afraid of rearranging anything as you want to make sure that these photos capture each room as accurately and in the most appealing way possible.
If you are planning on doing a virtual walkthrough, which is very common these days, make sure that you have a clear path from room to room so that there are no blockages or long pauses throughout the virtual walkthrough.
Hire a professional photographer and/or videographer.
If budget allows, you can never go wrong with a professional photographer and/or a professional videographer. While smartphones have great camera lenses these days, you want to make sure that you are investing to get the best shots possible for the biggest investment that you currently own! Many photographers and videographers specialize specifically in shooting houses for virtual tours, so they will also be able to help you align on the natural lighting and specific angles if you have any questions or are unsure about how you have set things up.