How to Prepare Your Home for Photo Day

General Staging Tips

Interior

• Thoroughly clean your whole house (vacuum carpets, mop hardwood floors and tile, clean countertops, clean windows)
• Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON, and be sure to replace any burned out light bulbs (Tip : use all bulbs of the same temperature, either all incandescent, all compact fluorescent or all LED)
•  Turn all TV and computer screens OFF
•  Open blinds and window treatments to let in natural light. 
•  Remove personal photographs (Tip:  replace with general landscape or object photographs)
•  Make all beds 
•  Remove small floor rugs to reveal  flooring materials
•  Place all shoes/jackets in closets
•  Clear your refrigerator of magnets, papers, photos, etc.
•  Hide garbage cans
•  Remove dishes from the sink
•  Clear off all countertops
•  Put toilet seat lids down
•  Remove shampoo, soap, loofahs, etc. from showers and tubs

•  Close garage doors
•  Remove cars from driveway and front of home
•  Clean up landscaping (mow, trim shrubs, clear leaves)
•  Remove empty planters
•  Remove cobwebs from eaves and door frames
•  Remove visible water hoses
•  Remove toys, sports balls, basketball nets, soccer goals, etc. 
•  Clean porch, tidy up outdoor tables/chairs/cushions
•  Remove trashcans

•   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
•   Clear back yard of pet waste/toys

Here’s a few things we cannot do:

• Move or re-arrange large furniture  
• Make beds, clean, dust or de-clutter
• Pick up toys or yard items
• “Photoshop” vehicles, walls, damaged walls, power lines, wall pictures, cords, etc.
• Touch personal bathroom supplies (shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, towels)

 

What To Expect

When our marketing specialists arrive for your scheduled appointment they will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to point out any areas or items you would specifically like to be highlighted or otherwise not like to be photographed. We kindly ask that you vacate your home and leave our marketing team to their craft. Often photographs are rendered useless due to personal reflections in windows or mirrors, and any additional presence can result in a disruption on our creative process. 

We will require 2 to 3 hours, and upon completion will shut off the lights, lock up your home, and notify you that we have finished. 

We want the photos of your home to be outstanding, and our goal is that you are thrilled when your home is presented to the market!