How to prepare your property for a Matterport tour

A Matterport video is far and away one of the best ways to sell your home; in fact, according to the company itself, 74% of estate agents who use the system to create 360 videos win more listings.

They also report that 95% of customers are more likely to call an agent about properties that offer a 360 video virtual tour, against those that don’t.

Since the pandemic, these figures have increased – some would say exponentially.

So – if you have decided that a Matterport 360 video is the perfect way to sell your property, then you are in excellent company.

But it is not just about having a 360 video – a key to successful property sales is to make the premises as attractive as possible on the video as well as on in-person tours.

Having decided to leverage all the advantages that Matterport offers, it is only sensible to then make the most of the opportunity.

This is what this article is all about – so if you have your Matterport shoot already booked (or even if you are still just considering it) – then this is going to help you really boost the look of your property when the time comes to video it.

We will be covering –

- What to leave on display – and what to hide
- How to stage your living areas
- Tips for the kitchen
- How to prepare your bathroom for maximum appeal
- Bedroom etiquette
- What – if anything – to do outside your home
- Potential pet problems

Matterport tour preparation – General advice

What to leave on display – and what to hide:

The golden rule of preparing your property for a Matterport video – or any other photo/video shoot – is presentation.

It goes without saying that the premises should be clean and tidy, but you would be surprised how many people don’t stop to even consider this.

Before the video day, clean the house from top to bottom. Consider that the camera is going to pick up everything visible – so yes, it is important to dust, polish and vacuum every room.

Fingerprints on mirrors and dusty shelves speak volumes to video viewers – and not in a good way.

Before cleaning, have a good tidy up and remove personal photos, ornaments and such items. We don’t mean leave your shelves bare, but you want to aim to depersonalise the rooms as much as possible.

Potential buyers don’t want to see your family photos – they want to see the home and imagine themselves living in it. By removing your personality from the rooms, you create a blank canvas for them to project themselves onto and make the task of their self-visualisation that much easier.

Also, if you have a lot of personal items, clearing them away first will make your dusting so much easier!

Keep pictures on the walls if you have any – it is preferable to an empty space.

Cushions should be placed tidily on soft furnishings, and generally, each room should be staged. Curtains and blinds should be fully open and light bulbs should be checked to make sure they are all working in case the video professional needs extra lighting on the shoot.

It is the details that often make or break a home property video, so pay attention to them.

Just remember that this should all be done before the video professional arrives; they are not there to tidy your home for you and will shoot it ‘as is’.

How to stage your living areas for a property video shoot

We’ve already mentioned cushions, but what else do you need to do?

Lounge / Living room

Have the furniture arranged to make the room appear as large as possible – this may mean removing an armchair or some other item if they make the room look just a little too crowded.

Books are great on bookshelves, but don’t leave them lying around unless you have a ‘coffee table book’ on your coffee table – they are fine to leave!

Make sure to remove all magazines, newspapers and other personal items. The TV remote controls should be hidden as well.

The same goes for children’s toys, pet bedding and any religious decorations.

Some people like to leave such items on view, thinking that it will make the home look ‘lived in’ – but as er have already discussed, you really want to be creating an environment that the viewers can see as theirs, not yours. Your personal items will only get in the way of this process.

Dining Room

If you have a dining room, it’s perfectly fine to dress the table for dinner (plates, cutlery etc). If you are going to do this, it’s a nice touch, but it is not necessary. However, if you do, make sure that everything is perfect – cutlery straight, and plates and glasses sparkling.

A vase of fresh-cut flowers will look great as a centrepiece as well.

Kitchen

Moving on to the kitchen and everything should be sparkling clean and tidy. Worktop items such as coffee machines should be hidden away and all cupboards should be closed.

Less is more in the kitchen, but the most important thing to remember is cleanliness – so no dirty dishes in the sink!

A bowl of fresh fruit will work wonders to add a splash of colour.

Bathroom

As with the kitchen, the bathroom should be spotless. Remove toilet rolls from the holder plus all personal items – toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos and so on. Towels are ok to leave if they are clean, colourful and folded perfectly – otherwise, it is best to remove those as well.

If you have a glass shower door, make sure to use a window squeegee and glass cleaner to remove all the water spots – they will show up on camera. Likewise your tiled areas, and if needed, clean up the grout between the tiles if it is looking grubby or off-colour. There are some amazing products in supermarkets that will make this job easy for you.

Bedrooms

As with all other rooms, personal items should not be visible, and anything stuffed under the bed should be checked to make sure it is completely out of sight from every angle.

Beds should be made with fresh and ironed bedclothes.

In children’s bedrooms, avoid the temptation to dress the bed with child-design duvet covers; go for something neutral instead. You are using it as your child’s room, but would-be buyers may have in mind a guest room, or even a home office, so as with all depersonalisation advice, the more neutral the better.

Posters and other personal wall-art (again, especially in a child’s bedroom) should be removed.

What – if anything – to do outside your home

Ideally, the outside of your home should receive as much care and attention as the inside.

Lawns cut, hedges trimmed, driveways and paths swept, and any pruning or other garden tidying up should be carried out as well.

Wheely bins and other rubbish should be out of sight.

Step onto the pavement and give your property a critical once-over to see if it has kerb appeal. Remember that first impressions count!

Once this is all done, repeat for your back garden, patio etc. if you have one.

Potential pet problems

Finally, pets. If you have one, you no doubt love it as it is a part of your family, but again, they are best not seen at all. Not everyone feels the same way about pets as you do, and you don’t want to put any potential buyers off for any reason.

If you can, remove any pets completely for the property for the shoot, as well as all bedding, feeding bowls, cages, and so on – wherever practical.

Final thoughts

Keep in mind that the camera will be recreating your home in 360 3D – it will see everything that is visible.

Take a final moment to stand in the centre of each room, turning slowly and carefully look at everything, to see if something needs removing, cleaning or adjusting in some way.

As with pets, also keep in mind that the Matterport professional will be taking, on average, around 100 to 200 shots of your home, carefully making their way around every room.

Although it is tempting to want to be involved, the best assistance you can provide on the day is to keep out of the way, as it is important that each of the shots taken does not have you (or your pet) lurking in the background.

And finally – we wish you every success with the selling of your property and know that with a Matterport 360 video tour, you have taken a big step to make that success much more of a reality.

If you have not yet decided whether to utilise the exciting opportunities that Matterport offers to homeowners looking to sell their property, or if you have any questions, then contact Splento today – we will be happy to help with any queries that you may have.