With more buyers (79% per the last survey) shopping for homes on the Internet, virtual tours are a must. How can you make your home shine on camera?
To begin with you must understand the camera’s perspective. The camera’s eye is very different from the human eye. It magnifies clutter and poor furniture arrangement. To make a home shine in a virtual tour or video presentation, cater to the lens.
Make the home “Q-tip clean.” Because the camera magnifies grime, each room must be spotless. Don’t forget floor coverings and walls; a discolored spot on the rug might be overlooked by prospects during a regular home showing, but that stain becomes a focal point for online viewers.
Don’t forget to pack up the clutter. But leave three items of varying heights on each surface. For example, on an end table you can place a lamp (high), a small plant (medium), and a book (low).
Snap pictures or get out your own home video camera. This will give you an idea of what the home will look like with the Virtual Tour specialist comes in to take their shots. Closely examine the photos and list changes that would improve each room’s appearance: opening blinds to let in natural light, removing magnets from the refrigerator, or taking down distracting art.
Reduce the amount of furniture in each room. Identify one or two pieces of furniture that can be removed from each room to make the space appear larger.
The golden rule to Home Staging is the word “Rearrange.” Spotlight the flow of a space by creating a focal point on the furthest wall from the doorway and arranging the other pieces of furniture to make a triangle shape. The focal point may be a bed in a bedroom or a china cabinet in a dining room.
Next reaccessorize your key spaces. Include a healthy plant in every room; the camera loves green. Energize bland decor by placing a bright vase on a mantle or draping an afghan over a couch.
After the virtual tour is shot, keep the home in shape. You want buyers who liked what they saw online to encounter the same home in person. It is disheartening to see a pristine virtual tour online to show up and find the reality is that the homeowners did not take quite so good a care of their home as advertised! It turns buyers and Real Estate Professionals away.
