If your property is likely to have a vehicle(s) directly outside that isn't yours, please secure this space the day/evening before with your own car(s) or bins, so they can be moved on the day.

This is even more important if you don't have a private driveway &/or off-street parking, such as a terrace house that directly fronts the pavement, with little or no front garden.

PRO TIP

When securing a space from obstructions, try and secure at least one extra space each side of your property, so that no cars are shown in the photo composition, you can use either additional vehicles or bins by adding a note such as, no parking, delivery expected or something similar.

All vehicles (including caravans) should be removed off the driveway & hide all bins (including recycling), either inside a garage or on the opposite side of the road & not within the possible composition of a shot.

PRO TIP

If your property isn't detached well away from other properties, part or all of your neighbour's properties will also show up in the photos, it therefore would be advantageous to have their vehicles, or at least their bins moved off their driveway/frontage.

It's best during damp weather conditions, to remove vehicles & bins off the driveway the evening prior to the photo shoot to avoid any dry patches showing up in the photos.

PRO TIP

If this isn't possible, then a fix for dry patches, is to hose/water down the area until it no longer shows any dry patches.

The frontage should be clean, weed free, freshly mowed lawn & shrubs trimmed, spotless clean driveway & garage doors cleaned if required & don't forget the front door. If there are weeds on the pavement outside that are likely to be shown in the photo, please remove these.

PRO TIP

If they’re any communal pavement/grass areas within the likely composition of a shot, it would be beneficial to present this area tidy by mowing grass sweeping paths & weeding this area.

If you have a lawn, please mow it at least the day before the appointment, remove rotary dryer, pet toys & any pet soils, weeds, clean patios & in sunny conditions (spring/summer) set up your garden furniture including parasols & cushions etc.

NOTE: during the autumn I carry a leaf blower in my car, should you want to use it, if you don’t already own or aren’t able to borrow one from a friend, family member or neighbour etc.

PROP TIP

Avoid any hosing or jet washing driveways/patios on the same day of the appointment, as it will not dry out in time & show up as damp patches in the photos. Also doing the autumn/winter season unless it’s raining, remove any barbecue & furniture covers.

If you have a small garden & a trampoline that dominates it, it will be beneficial to part dismantle it so it can be easily moved out of the way for the various compositions.

PROP TIP

If you have a friendly neighbour, they may agree to temporarily store it in their garden, by lifting it over the fence into their garden.

Although not always, I usually will take a shot towards the back of the property, particularly if you have bi-fold doors or a loft extension, or other attractive feature to showcase.

PRO TIP

If you think i’m likely to photograph the back of your property, avoid putting anything outside when decluttering. If you’ve moved stuff around then garden & put it near the back of the house, it will either not be photographed or I’ll ask you to move it out of sight after the other garden photos have been shot.

This is one of the most powerful & impacting jobs you can undertake & therefore, door removals should be given serious consideration, when they open awkwardly into a room (particularly bathrooms & bedrooms) & obstruct the full view of the room.

N.B. when doors have been removed, the composition will be far more appeasing & often will show most of the room, as I will be able to shoot from outside of the door frame into the room, avoiding the door being shown in the photo.

CLICK TO VIEW BEFORE & AFTER DOOR REMOVAL

PROP TIP

You may not wish to remove a bathroom door in advance of my arrival due to it being used, so I recommend to loosen the screws & take out some in readiness for its removal, that way you shouldn’t have any difficulties with the screws not being easily removed.

N.B. If you need assistance I can help you, as I also carry with me a suitable battery operated screwdriver for this job.

If you have a feature fireplace, with gas flame or a log burner, you do not need to light it as the effect is actual better more even balanced flames when I photoshop the effect into the window or onto the coals etc.

PRO TIP

If the fireplace is a feature, then attention to cleaning the housing & dressing it around the area is recommended for a more lifestyle shot, as a close up composition may be shot.

Ideally dress the bed with fresh linen & use extra pillows for hotel/design look, extra pillows can be moved from other bedrooms & used in ones requiring the extra stylised look. Fresh linen may look creased, therefore a good tip is to iron the bedding on the bed, so only the visible creases need to be ironed.

PRO TIP

If any items are visible under the bed from the doorway please remove them, along with anything on display on top of wardrobes & items hanging on the back of doors, also declutter any bedside cabinets & hide any phone chargers etc.

Often one of the more challenging spaces to present. The key is to declutter as much as possible & sometimes, if you have a teenager that’s not so keen to help out, advising them that MOST if not ALL of their friends are going to have a sneaky look online at the house & particularly their bedroom usually does the trick in getting them suddenly proactive, so do try it out, as it actual works a treat!

PRO TIP

If a bedroom is really small, or full to the brim & beyond any form of presentation, then maybe this room can double up as temporary storage space when decluttering the other rooms, as not all rooms need to be photographed, it’s the 80/20 rule.

With more & more people working regularly from home at least two days a week, presented this space is equally as important as the other rooms. Therefore, the more decluttered & tidy this space looks the better as they will be thinking what will the background look like if i’m on a video conference call etc.

PRO TIP

If removal of clutter into storage is not possible, store items away in neatly stacked storage boxes. Also tidy up wires, by unplugging equipment & hiding them away, make the space as inviting as possible, so that someone can visualise themselves working in the space for 8+ hours a day.

If the door opens into the bathroom opposite to the wall & restricts the view, please give serious consideration to removing the door, so the full bathroom can be photographed.

It's best to fully declutter, close toilet seats, toilet rolls on holders should be neatly rolled up & remove all mats & towels (particularly when covering a feature radiator/heated towel rail).

PRO TIP

Create a more stylised look without completely decluttering this room, by using selective designer style products placed in un-obstructive spaces.

Glass shower screens/cubicles cleaning/presentation are one of the most difficult jobs & should be tackled as early as possible. The hard water marks on glass can make a bathroom look unattractive, therefore thorough cleaning should be undertaken as you may need to clean it several times.

PRO TIP

Avoid using the shower within a few hours of the photo shoot to avoid water droplets being shown in the photo.

N.B. hard water marks on your shower screen/cubicle, will show up more, the closer it is to the entrance doorway.

All living rooms should be very inviting, but at the same time not over cluttered with cables on show, also remove magazines, papers, turn off TV’s, dress furnishings with cushions, remove remote controls & any kids or pet toys.

PRO TIP

If you have a feature fireplace, this is likely to be photographed as a feature, therefore it should be thoroughly cleaned & decluttered, with only a handful of items on display, such as photo frames, flowers etc. Additionally some stylised magazines & books can be placed around the room to enhance the image composition.

Dining rooms should be very inviting, but at the same time not over cluttered, it’s important that the table is NOT set up as if you were having guests for dinner as this is reserved to show homes for new build properties & can look over staged when dressed in this way.

PRO TIP

A fresh vase of flowers is usually a great touch as a centre piece of a dining room table. If the table is marked, use as table cloth, otherwise showcase it without any coverings etc.

Usually the most challenging room, so start by decluttering all unnecessary items, with only the essential countertop appliances on display, remove anything on the top of wall cabinets or appliances, remove calendars, notice boards & any other items attached to any free-standing fridge/freezers such as magnets & remove any hand towels/oven gloves from oven doors or cabinets.

N.B. when items are shown on top of cupboards & fridge/freezers, this advertises a possible lack of kitchen storage space.

PRO TIP

If you have an attractive bin, please tuck the bin-liner inside so it's not hanging out, otherwise please remove it completely out of sight into storage. If visible remove any items of clothes in the washing machine or tumble dryer if it's within a position/location that is likely to be shown in a photo.

It’s important that extra special attention should be made to the underside of extractor hoods, as this is often forgotten (as not seen when standing) as the camera composition is lower than your eyeline & therefore the grease will be visible in the image.

PRO TIP

Also stainless steel will show up smears if not cleaned properly, therefore I strongly advice cleaning with a stainless steel cleaning product, as all other products will leave marks.

It's definitely worthwhile investing time in the oven cleaning, as glass screen ovens are the worst at showing up the grease on glass & steel racks inside, which can't be fixed in photoshop.

PRO TIP

If you don’t have enough time or it’s is a really bad condition, if you supply an image of the exact oven obtained online or a link to the oven, I may be able to replace it using photoshop.

If this is to be photographed present as per the kitchen tips. If visible remove any items of clothes in the washing machine or tumble dryer if it's within a position/location that is likely to be shown in a photo, as this can look very unsightly.

PRO TIP

This room is often not photographed, therefore it's an ideal storage location when decluttering the kitchen.

If you’re lucky enough to have the benefit of a child’s playroom, then you’re most likely have a good size family home that most likely a playroom is essential for any interested buyer or tenant. Therefore presenting this is most likely going to be hard work, but decluttering is the key to making it look welcoming for any parent or parent to be.

PRO TIP

You may need to ask friends or the grandparents for help looking after your children, so they don't mess up all of your hard work!

A conservatory should be presented as clutter free & inviting as possible, when used as a additional type of room, such as an office, or dining room, then present it as per that type of room.

PRO TIP

Conservatory glass roofs (clear or semi clear) can show up the dirt or debris from surrounding trees & sap off roofs, therefore it’s advisable to have the roof & the windows professionally cleaned.

If you have an attractive entrance hall, landing or staircase, then this will be photographed. Therefore, declutter all coats, shoes, keys & don’t forget to thoroughly clean any mirrors & door mats etc.

PRO TIP

If you have a piece of furniture in a good size entrance hallway or on the landing, if not already dressed, dress with fresh flowers or a plant & lamp etc.

If you’re lucky enough to haven entertainment room, then it’s definitely worthwhile showcasing it by presenting it clutter free, clean & tidy & if you have a projector screen, pull that down to show the screen size. If you have a pool table, set up the balls on the felt etc.

PRO TIP

If it’s a cinema room, rather than just having a blank screen, if you like I can photoshop in a screenshot of a Marvel movie or Paramount or Netflix logo etc. Therefore, if this is something you’d like, please advise me at the time of the appointment, otherwise it will be left blank, like the picture above.

The furniture layout can really impact the composition & overall look of an image, the closer an item of furniture is to where the photograph will be shot (often the doorway) will make the room look smaller & the furniture closest to the camera larger than it actual is. Therefore when possible, even if just for the photo shoot, rearrange furniture to make the room look larger & far more appealing.

PRO TIP

If you’re unsure of the best positioning of furniture, please take a photo on your phone, either email or WhatsApp me an image asking for my advice for the best furniture layout.

Beds should ideally not be butted up against a wall, unless it’s a small single bedroom & therefore unavoidable.

If any windows aren't obscured by either, net curtains or blinds, please follow the following guidance:

Thoroughly clean* the windows inside & out (this is highly important during the autumn/winter when the sun is low), whilst removing ALL obstructions, such as plants, flowers & photo frames.

* It is recommended to consider a professional for this important & extremely beneficial task.

N.B. even if windows are covered with blinds/net curtains, I thoroughly recommend decluttering all windowsills in all rooms as this provides clean lines.

IMPORTANT NOTE: clear window views are not possible/avaiable when obstructed by items on the windowsill, such as plants, pictures & ornaments.

PRO TIP

To reduce having to clean all the windows throughout the house, the windows that will need extra attention are those that have no blinds or nets & will have the sun directly shining through the windows at the time of the appointment.

If you’re not 100% sure of what windows will be affected, then I can let you know as I have a program that is able to provide me with the info. You can request what windows will be affected by emailing me by clicking here.

On a final note & hopefully not to be experienced that often, the following are a selection of images of how a property shouldn’t be presented for a professional photo shoot, as nothing can improve these images, other than proper presentation before I arrive for the photo shoot.

PRO TIP

If your property is tenanted, I strongly advise visiting the property well in advance of the photo shoot date & checking on its presentation, as you may need to negotiate with the tenant to have it somewhat better than currently presented, as my experience identifies 8/10 tenants make zero or little effort in presenting the property a photo shoot & even more so if you’ve given them notice.