Guides

House portrait guides: styles, gifts and cards

Updated November 15, 2026

Plain, practical guides for anyone who wants a home on the wall, on a card or in a gift as a painting. Each one has things you can do yourself, and lists the other ways to get there, including the ones that aren’t ours.

Choosing a portrait

• Custom house portrait options: an artist, a print shop or AI: how each works, what it costs you in time and money, what to ask before you order, and how to take a good photo of a house.
• House watercolor painting: what makes the look, materials and steps for painting your own, what to ask an artist, and how an AI watercolor compares.

Gifts

• New home gift ideas that actually get used: practical things for moving week, food, plants, local favourites, keepsakes and help, and what to skip.
• Realtor closing gifts: ideas buyers use and keep, a picture of the house, and timing the gift and the card.

The holidays

• A house Christmas card: getting a snowy picture of your home, what to write, designing the card, and printing or sending it yourself.