Selling Your Home? Here Are Some Tips From The Pros

From the Urban Angles article archive

Editorial reference. Article-era roles, equipment, offers and market conditions do not establish current company policy.

Where do you start when you’re getting ready to sell your home? Do you focus on the living areas, the bathrooms, or do you go outside and tidy up the garden?

We spoke to Suzanne, one of our photographers who cover inner-city Melbourne as well as Mick, who covers Sydney’s Northern Beaches, to get an insider’s perspective on what makes a property pop.

1. First Impressions

Whether it’s a house or a flat, the first thing your buyers see can influence how they remember the rest of your home. If the garden path is dirty, leaves are unraked or spider webs look pretty comfortable in window corners, prospective buyers will be on high alert when they’re going through your laundry, bathroom, and kitchen.

“If you’re tidying up your front garden for a sale, you’ll more than get your money back by planting established trees and lawn,” says Suzanne. “If the garden looks established, it doesn’t look like it needs work to keep it up.”

Large pots with a low-maintenance palm at either side of a front door make a statement at the entrance that’s hard to beat, especially when it’s clear of any other distractions (like gumboots or sporting gear).

2. You’re selling a home, not your stuff

“One of the biggest mistakes people make is over-decorating their homes,” says Mick. “No-one’s buying throw pillows or toothbrush holders or even your cookware.” Make it easy for buyers to imagine how their own things will look in your home by keeping benchtops, tables, sofas, and bedrooms as clear as you can to create the impression of plenty of space.

Even if you’re selling the home furnished, the same advice applies. A dining table with a full setting looks great in a magazine, but you’re not selling to readers and decorators. When you’re selling a home, people are buying a shell and need to be able to see their own tables and sofas, desks, and beds in each room. Make it easy for people to walk around and even measure if they need to.

3. Channel a lifestyle

What’s it like to live in your home, and who does it appeal to? Is it a low-maintenance inner-city flat? Or a home surrounded by parks close to the beach? “Depending on who you’re selling to, creating moments in your home that capture the imagination of your target buyer increases the chance they’ll love the home for all the right reasons, says Mick.

Now that many of us are working from home, an office and/or study areas are a key feature. Setting up dedicated rooms and nooks are essential if you’re selling to families and professionals.

If you have a 3-car garage, park a sports car or watercraft, or a couple of large inflatable swans in a pool can have the children of a family talking up the home days after an inspection. Adding a jar or tray of cutlery to an outdoor dining table with a BBQ (along with an ice bucket of cold beers and champagne) will make the home look like it’s a ready entertainer. Be mindful of how much of a lifestyle you create – keep things as simple as possible.

4. Clean and fresh

A coat of paint, especially on high-traffic areas has a double effect: clean walls and a fresh scent. Carpets, too, can be revived and any pet smells eliminated with a steam clean. And of course, make sure the kitchen cooktop, oven, and sink are clean. It all helps to make your home look move-in ready.

5. Bring the outdoors indoors

“The Aussie lifestyle is all about the outdoors,” says Suzanne. “Even if you have a tiny patio, opening up your sliding doors to a small table and a couple of chairs creates the appearance of another room.”

The clutter rule still applies: if you have a small outdoor living space, don’t crowd it with a BBQ or too many plants. For living areas that spill out to alfresco living, create some harmony between your indoor and outdoor furniture with easy access between the two. Sofas and tables should be clear of direct pathways.

Got a specific problem you need help with? Call us on 1300 144 255 for advice on staging and styling.

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Knowledge-base context

How this topic fits current Urban Angles guidance

The retouching article favours preparing an uncluttered property before capture, avoiding unnecessary personal details and using virtual furniture thoughtfully. It discusses removing temporary items and changing grass or paint where corresponding real changes are occurring. These examples are not a universal list of free editing inclusions.

Its treatment of permanent features requires care:

Source statement	Implication for KB use
The retouching article generally rejects removing permanent fixtures such as power lines or neighbouring buildings.	Preserve this restriction when explaining the article.
The same article describes idealised builder/architecture imagery with neighbours or distractions removed.	The article itself distinguishes a different use case without defining a complete approval policy.
The operational FAQ says removal of permanent external structures can misrepresent a property and requires written acceptance of legal responsibility for the requested edit.	Preserve the stated condition; do not convert it into blanket permission to make the change.

This is a source conflict and a context distinction that the KB cannot resolve. Obtain Urban Angles' review of the exact alteration and intended use; do not present either the older article or a written-liability condition as automatic authorisation. The blog's emphasis is faithful representation, while its sales-performance assertions remain promotional. Sources: Retouching article, Operational FAQ — Post-production / Retouching / Editing.

Relevant production capability

The related current service pathway is property and architectural photography. The following KB material describes that capability and its planning context. Historical dates, equipment, promotions and campaign examples in the archived article remain source-specific and are not presented as current offers.

Urban Angles offers property photography for real estate professionals and agencies, home builders, architects and developers. Its photography offering covers residential listings, commercial spaces, architectural work, locations and people. The service page describes support from shoot planning through to retouching and delivery, with the approach tailored to the project and the customer's branding.

The company positions photography as a way to attract attention and support property marketing. Claims about stronger engagement, competitive advantage or better campaign performance are company marketing claims; the source does not provide measured outcomes or establish a guarantee. Source: Photography service page.

The photography FAQ describes shoot planning around the property's strengths, prospective buyer profile and campaign strategy. Composition, lighting, lens selection and the sequence of images are factors in developing the final image set.

For customers with multiple listings or offices, Urban Angles says it works with defined shooting standards, colour profiles and editing processes to maintain visual consistency. It also says it can follow agency style guides, including composition preferences, colour treatment and delivery specifications. These details support the company's stated ability to serve both individual projects and customers who need repeatable presentation across several campaigns.

The page describes photographs as retouched and suitable for marketing delivery. It does not specify an image count, download method, resolution, file format, usage licence, revision allowance or standard inclusions. Those details should be confirmed for the particular booking. Source: Photography introduction and FAQs.