When preparing a home for a real estate shoot, one of the most sensitive issues you’ll encounter is what to do with personal items. While staging and cleaning are crucial to making a home look its best, handling personal items like family photos, personal memorabilia, and valuables requires special care. In addition, homeowners may have privacy concerns about what is visible in the photos and how their personal belongings are handled.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to strike the right balance between decluttering and maintaining privacy while ensuring the home feels warm and inviting. By being respectful of homeowners’ personal items and addressing privacy concerns upfront, you can create a seamless and stress-free experience.
Why Personal Items Matter
Personal items, especially those tied to specific people or lifestyles, can distract potential buyers from focusing on the home itself. Buyers want to envision themselves living in the space, and it’s harder to do that when they’re surrounded by someone else’s personal life. Items like family photos, religious objects, or children’s artwork can unintentionally take buyers out of the moment and make it harder for them to imagine the space as their own.
However, personal items can also be sensitive for the homeowner. It’s important to find a respectful way to minimize these distractions while protecting the privacy and comfort of the seller.
How to Handle Personal Items in Real Estate Photography
- Discuss Privacy Concerns with the Seller Before the shoot, it’s crucial to have an open conversation with the seller about privacy concerns. Some homeowners may not be comfortable with personal items appearing in the photos, or they might have valuables they want to keep out of sight. Address these concerns upfront and come up with a plan for removing or minimizing personal items during the shoot.
- Remove or Hide Personal Photos Family photos are one of the most common personal items that can detract from a buyer’s ability to picture themselves in the home. Encourage the seller to temporarily remove family portraits or personal snapshots. If it’s not possible to remove them entirely, suggest swapping them out with neutral artwork or simply turning them around during the shoot.
- Store Valuables Out of Sight Any valuables, including jewelry, electronics, or sentimental objects, should be stored securely and out of sight before the shoot. Buyers will be more interested in the home’s layout and features if they’re not distracted by high-value items. Storing valuables also protects the homeowner’s privacy and ensures that there’s no risk of anything being misplaced.
- Minimize Religious and Cultural Symbols Religious or cultural items can be very personal and meaningful, but they might also be distracting to potential buyers who come from different backgrounds. Encourage the homeowner to temporarily remove or minimize these items in common areas to create a more neutral, universal appeal.
- Create a Balance with Personal Touches While it’s important to declutter and depersonalize, it doesn’t mean that the home should feel sterile or devoid of personality. Small, neutral touches—like a vase of fresh flowers or a few tasteful decorative items—can make the space feel inviting and lived-in without overwhelming the buyer.
Real-World Example: Managing Privacy Concerns
We once worked with a seller who was concerned about family heirlooms and personal photos appearing in the listing photos. After discussing their privacy concerns, we helped them carefully remove these items or store them out of sight for the duration of the shoot. As a result, the home looked clean and neutral in the photos, and the seller felt comfortable knowing that their personal belongings were secure and out of view.
Activity: Evaluate Personal Items in Your Home
Walk through your home and identify any personal items that could be distracting or sensitive during a real estate shoot. Are there family photos, religious symbols, or valuables that should be removed? Make a list of these items and create a plan for storing them during the shoot. This simple step can make a big difference in how buyers perceive the space.
Discussion Question: How Do Personal Items Affect Buyer Perception?
Think about how personal items in a home can influence a buyer’s first impression. Why do you think buyers are more drawn to homes that feel neutral and universally appealing? Discuss how depersonalizing a home can help buyers focus on the space itself, rather than the seller’s personal life.
Wrapping It Up
Handling personal items and addressing privacy concerns is a delicate part of preparing for a real estate shoot. By discussing these concerns with the seller and taking steps to minimize distractions, you can create a photo-ready home that appeals to a wide range of buyers. Stay tuned for next week’s post, where we’ll explore how to use drones for larger properties and outdoor spaces to capture stunning aerial views.
