Preparing Your Property for a VHT Tour

If a picture is worth a thousand words, professional photographs and video are worth even more! Preparing a property for a VHT Tour is very similar to preparing a property for an open house or a walk through. This is a chance to really show the property in its best light. Remember there will potentially be thousands of people viewing the property tour online and the better a property looks, the higher the perceived value! With that in mind, the following is a checklist for you to use when preparing for the Professional VHT Photographer:

Interior
• Clean up the clutter! The nice thing about a VHT Property Tour is that you only have to clean once! Anything that you would not find in a model should either be put away or temporarily stored out of site.
• Put away or hide any valuables. Artwork, jewelry, high-end electronics, etc. should not be included in the property tour. While these items may look great, they are not for sale. If something valuable cannot be moved, simply point the item out to the photographer and it will not be included in the property tour.
• Try to clear out as many people and pets as possible before the photographer arrives. The property does not need to be empty, but it will make the process go quicker if the photographer does not have to work around people and pets.
• Make sure the property is well lit. Turn on all of the lights / open all of the blinds. Include oven hood light, spot lighting for artwork and cabinets.
• All bedding, comforters, pillows and bed skirts should be properly aligned.

Exterior
• Keep lawn trimmed and edged around driveways and sidewalks.
• Remove all cars from the front of the house and trash cans.
• If your MLS does not allow you to have signs in your photographs, please remove them prior to the photographer’s arrival.

General
Think like you are a producer. What are the highlights of the property? While VHT’s Photographers use our exclusive methodology for capturing images, no one knows the highlights better than the real estate sales professional.