Real Estate Photography - Home Prep
HOME PREP Season 1 Episode 4
Ok, let’s talk about home prep today. This is a very common point of frustration for photographers and I am sure realtors as well. When a homeowner does not properly clean and organizes their home to get it ready for a photoshoot that can be a bit frustrating so now that we know what the issue is let’s dive into why it’s an issue and how can we help solve this problem.
First things first which happen to be the more complicated piece to this is why is this an issue. There can be several reasons for this. Maybe the realtor didn’t ask their client to get the home ready for the shoot, maybe the realtor meant to but forgot, maybe the realtor did mention it but didn’t provide any real direction as to what sort of cleaning or organizing is most helpful to the photographer. Sometimes the homeowner is just lazy or dirty and doesn’t want to clean, in that case, you are a bit out of luck and you just have to do your best to work with the situation.
This is a very important element of this conversation because it allows us to start breaking down what we actually need to do as photographers to help alleviate the issue. When we know why something is happening we can properly formulate a possible solution. How do we as photographers help solve or at least mitigate a reasonable amount of this issue occurring?
There are two major ways we make this happen. One we create a home prep list for the realtor to give to their client, and two we communicate communicate communicate. That is so vital and important and it’s a major element that a lot of photographers miss. You can’t just send them a document in an email and assume that that’s ok and it’s good enough I have done my part now they need to do theirs. So much of the success of that working is all in the communication and follow up prior to a scheduled shoot. When sending a realtor a home prep list always make sure that you confirm they received it and ask them if they have any questions about it or if they feel there may be any concerns with the client actually doing any of those things listed on the list.
Even ask if there is anything you can do to help that process along, and I would always provide a scenario for them and not leave that statement open-ended. So for example I would say something like “If the homeowner is unable to do some of the items on the list like moving unsightly furniture in the backyard like an old weathered table that’s ok, if they can take care of the majority of it I can help them move the table out of the way when I arrive. Of course, I won’t be moving any beds or heavy furniture around but if it’s something pretty simple and quick to do that’s difficult to manage for one person then that’s fine and I would be glad to help.” I would always want to provide an example of what I would do but also give the limit to what you won’t do as well so you are able to set a reasonable expectation for your client and the homeowner.
If a shoot is within your normal area of service and for me, that means any one-way trip 30 minutes or less from my office I usually won’t bother verifying that the home is ready the day of the shoot because in the event it isn’t I will call the realtor and ask if they want me to shoot it as is or reschedule for a later date. Now if a shoot is let’s say an hour away I am absolutely going to ask either the realtor or the homeowner to please verify that the house is ready to photograph and I will be specific with my ask saying something along the lines of “Has everything from the kitchen counters and the refrigerator been removed and any trash/junk or water hoses been removed from the backyard?” I won’t run through an exhaustive list but I will give a couple of specific requests just to be sure I am clear about what I am asking for. Again this is all about proper and effective communication. As the photographer do not ever act entitled and say some stupid shit like I’m hired to take photos not clean your house. I know we can all feel like that sometimes but that is an easy way to lose a potentially great realtor as a client because of a shitty homeowner that you can’t control. Have some humility, don’t take it personally, and understand that it comes with the territory of the job, and always be kind to your clients, clients. If you are never willing to get your hand dirty and go above and beyond for your clients then get out of the service business because that what is required to do this at a truly successful level for the long term. If you are willing to roll up your sleeves and make it happen and you have the skills to do the work well you are in for a very good career as a real estate photographer.
I hope that helps provide some good insights into home prep lists and how and why they can be an effective tool when paired with proper communication. If you have any questions for me or you would like to be a part of the conversation please drop me a line and reach out, I’d love to chat with you.
Thanks, everyone for reading, take care I’ll see you next time.
If you would prefer to listen to my podcast instead please check it out and give it a listen it would mean the world to me.
https://anchor.fm/andrew-johnson46
https://open.spotify.com/show/63mzShHEgTDBfH0TtApa7N