Listing Photos in Lexington SC: 6 Mistakes to Skip Before Photo Day

Listing photos in Lexington SC are the first showing your house gets. Buyers scroll through them on their phones before they ever drive over. If the photos are dark, cluttered, or shot on a gray afternoon, many buyers keep scrolling. You only get one first impression online, so photo day matters.

Here is what I tell every seller before the photographer walks in the door.

Why I care about this I have walked into alot of houses that looked great in person and flat online. The house was fine. The photo day just got rushed. Scrambling to clear things out of the picture frame and trying to make sure the images pop but realizing I forgot to turn off a fan or open the blinds.

Mistake 1. Do you shoot before the house is actually ready?

Yea, this one happens most. Photo day gets booked, and the night before is a scramble. Stuff gets shoved in closets and the counters still have stuff on them.

Clear the kitchen counters down to one or two items. Clear the bathroom counters completely. Take the mail, the chargers, and the spice rack off the stove.

The camera sees everything your eye skips over.

Mistake 2. Do you leave the pet stuff out?

I love dogs. Trust me, I have two. But dog beds, bowls, and toys show up in every wide shot, and a buyer will notice them.

Put the bowls, beds, crates, and litter boxes out of sight for the shoot. If your dog is not great with strangers, take the dog to a friend's house for the morning. Do the same with the leash by the door.

Mistake 3. Do you forget the yard and the driveway?

A lot of sellers clean the inside and forget the outside. The front of the house is the first photo, and it is the one buyers see on the search page.

Move cars out of the driveway and off the street in front. Put the trash cans around back. Pick up hoses, toys, and yard tools. Mow, edge, and blow off the walkway. Pick up after the dogs the day before, not that morning.

If the shoot lands in a rainy week, ask the photographer if the outside can be reshot on a sunny day. Most will do it.

Mistake 4. Do you keep the lights off and the blinds closed?

Dark photos make a house feel smaller. Open every blind and curtain. Turn on every light, including the lamps and the ones over the stove.

Swap out any burned out bulbs. Make sure the bulbs in a room all match, because some are warm and some are cool, and the camera shows it. Ask your photographer what they prefer. They know their camera better than we do.

Mistake 5. Do you leave too much of your own stuff on display?

Family photos, mail piles, big collections, and a lot of magnets on the fridge pull the eye away from the house. You want buyers looking at the room, not at your life.

Pack up the photos on the walls and shelves. Leave a few simple pieces of art. Take the fridge magnets off. Put away the toothbrushes and the towels you actually use.

Buyers need to picture their own things in the room. That is hard to do when your things fill every shelf.

Mistake 6. Do you skip looking at the photos before they go live?

Your photos set the tone for the whole listing, and the order matters. The first photo is what shows up in search. Make sure it is the best one.

Ask to see the photos before the listing goes live. Look for a trash can in the corner, a car in the street, or a crooked lamp. A good photographer will fix small things. Average turn around time to get photos back from the shoot are 32 hours. Your photo day checklist

Kitchen and bathroom counters cleared. Pet bowls, beds, and crates put away. Cars out of the driveway and off the street. Trash cans and hoses out of sight. Yard mowed and the walkway swept. Every blind open and every bulb working. Personal photos and fridge magnets down. Beds made and pillows straight.

Frequently asked questions about listing photos

Q: How long should I plan for photo day? A: Plan on a couple of hours for a typical house, and longer if you have a big lot or a lot of rooms. Ask your photographer how long they need. Be out of the house if you can.

Q: Should I be home during the shoot? A: It is easier if you are not. The photographer moves faster without people in the shot. Take the dogs with you.

Q: Do I need to stage the house before photos? A: Not always. A good clean, cleared counters, and a few simple touches go a long way. If the house is empty or very dated inside, we can talk about staging.

Q: What if the weather is bad on photo day? A: Inside shots are fine in the rain. The outside is the problem. Ask for a quick reshoot of the front of the house on a clear day.

Q: Can I use my phone to take the photos myself? A: Phone photos can work for a quick preview, but buyers expect better for the main listing. A pro photographer pays for itself in showings.

Close Photo day is the cheapest part of selling a house, and it does a lot of the work. Take an afternoon to get ready and it shows. If you are thinking about listing in Lexington, Columbia, or around Lake Murray, call or text me and we will walk the house together first.

Courtney McCullough, Pawmetto Homes Team at Tzedi Co Realty. 803-307-7788.