In the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, I must admit prepping for our home’s photography shoot was far from a breeze. As I tried to find spaces to hide everything that is usually kept out, I kept thinking how much easier it would be if our place were bigger with more storage and closets. But then I realized if it were, I’d probably just have a lot more stuff!
After all my “Houdini acts”, the day came that our place was in order and photography ready. I’ve heard from our VHT Studios’ clients’ and photographers’ how great our offerings are, but now it was my turn to put us to the test and see for myself as I prepared to put our condo on the market. I must confess I’m even more impressed after going through the experience as a seller.
During the shoot, I was totally amazed by the synergy between my agent, Amanda McMillan of @properties, and one of her preferred VHT Studios photographers, Matt D. They clearly have worked together many times. Amanda isn’t only a real estate agent, she’s also an interior designer and photography director. Watching them in action, I witnessed how truly passionate these two professionals are, and teaming together, they really do know best how to photograph a home to sell it faster.
On the value of photography in real estate, Amanda shared her philosophy. “The simple truth is that when it comes to selling homes, exceptional photography is the starting point for all great marketing to follow. We put a tremendous amount of effort into creating those photographs. It truly is a collaborative event in that the homeowner, listing agent, photographer and studio editing team work together in unison to create the best version of the property. It’s complete teamwork and with the right team, the results can be astonishing.”
When Matt shared his passion for photography, I immediately knew why Amanda likes his work. “I take pride in capturing the most personal places in people’s lives. Paying special attention to angles, light and showing the potential of a space is always important. When I know a room is going to be virtually staged, I might shift an angle knowing a piece of furniture is going to be added or removed, or that more of the room will be needed in the photograph.”
One of the things I was most looking forward to was seeing how bathrooms are shot without any people or cameras ending up in the mirror in the photographs. And now I know. Magic. Note: This is one secret that can only be revealed when you experience it for yourself.
Working through the shoot, the three of us decided to use VHT Studios’ Virtual Redecorate to further expand our potential buyer pool, so we virtually redecorated the boys’ room to demonstrate how the room could be transformed into a guest bedroom or office.
Here’s how we went from Twin Toddler Territory to a Young Professional’s Post and a Guest Getaway Space.
BEFORE – Toddler Bedroom
AFTER – Office
AFTER – Guest Bedroom
Coming out on the other side of all the hard work with exceptional listing photography and personal and professional experience, I’d say it was worth all the effort. They are vivid proof of the importance of professional real estate photography in marketing one’s home. We’d even consider staying after viewing the photographs – if there was only more room for our growing family of 4 to live there comfortably!
BEFORE – Living Room
AFTER – Living Room Staged with Transitional Decor
AFTER – Living Room Staged with Modern Decor
BEFORE – Kitchen
AFTER – Kitchen using Virtual Staging Paint
BEFORE – Master Bedroom
AFTER – Master with Traditional Decor
I’m confident all the great VHT Studios’ photographs and Virtual Staging will bring in many prospective buyers and ultimately help my family move to a bigger home in the burbs. We’ll find a new home where we’ll have more room to play, entertain, spread out, and just live. And I’ll have more room for all those items I shoved into closets and drawers before the shoot.
