Make a good first impression!
Before a buyer visits your home, he or she has viewed photos of it multiple times. It is absolutely essential that your photos showcase your home at its best. Your home needs to feel inviting and comfortable, so there are lots of inexpensive improvements, like updating landscaping, that can help. These tips will help our photographer provide the absolute best photos of your home to help sell it quickly!
General Tips:
- Thoroughly clean whole house (vacuum carpet, mop hard floors, clean counter tops, and clean windows)
- Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON and Replace all burned out light bulbs
- Use bulbs of the same temperature (ALL incandescent is BEST)
- Turn all ceiling fans, TVs, Computer screens OFF
- Open blinds/window treatments
- Remove personal photographs
- Remove small floor rugs to reveal actual flooring
- Place all shoes/jackets in closets
- Tidy / Hide all power leads / cables
- Remove piles of mail, newspaper and magazines.
Exterior Front:
- Close garage doors
- Remove cars from driveway and front of home
- Clean up landscaping (mow, trim shrubs, clear leaves)
- Remove empty planters
- Use broom to remove cobwebs from eaves and door frames
- Remove visible water hoses
- Remove toys, sports balls, basketball goals, soccer goals, etc.
Exterior Back:
- Ensure pool is clean
- Remove all pool cleaners, poles, and all pool toys
- Clean porch, tidy up outdoor tables/chairs/cushions
- Pillows/cushions should be fresh, not faded
- Clear out kid’s toys, balls, frisbees, etc.
- Clean pool Remove pool vacuum/cleaner hose
- Hide pool cleaning supplies
- Turn on pool fountains/water features
- Remove visible water hoses
- Remove trash cans
Kitchen:
- Clear counter tops completely
- No knife blocks, baking supplies, mail, etc.
- Leave out max of one small appliance (ex. coffee maker)
- Clear outside of refrigerator of magnets, papers, photos, etc.
- Hide garbage cans in pantry or closet
- Remove dishes from sink, place in dishwasher
Dining Room:
- Clear table, dust and polish the table top
- Use decorative place setting if available
- Feature one center piece such as a bouquet of flowers
- Straighten all chairs and space them evenly
- Remove child seats/booster chairs
Living Room:
- Remove stacks of magazines, papers, mail, etc.
- De-clutter fireplace mantel/hearth (no more than 5 items, including art)
- Clean interior of fireplace and re-paint if needed
- Fluff and arrange furniture pillows
- Remove kid’s toys
- Clean all windows inside and out
- Remove piles of mail, newspaper and magazines.
Bedrooms:
- Make bed, including decorative pillows/shams if available
- Press bed linens and bed skirts
- Clear nightstands of all personal items
- Store away phone/tablet charging cables
- Remove all clutter from top of dressers
- Remove family photos from walls
- Clean under bed, removing items that may show in the photos
- Remove personalized names from walls
- Remove wall stickers/posters
- Remove diaper genies
Bathrooms:
- Make sure glass and mirrors are spotless
- Clear counter tops completely
- No soap, toothbrushes, medications, deodorant, etc.
- Put toilet seats down
- Close closet doors
- Remove shampoo, soap, loofahs, etc. from showers and tubs
- Remove dirty towels – leave out only new, unused towels
- Remove floor mats
- Remove all non-matching towels.
Pets:
- Place food and water bowls in pantry or closet
- Place pet beds/toys in pantry or closet
- Use lint roller on furniture to remove pet hair
- Contain pets in hidden crate or outside
- NO loose pets
- Clear back yard of pet waste/toys