Almost every buyer meets your home through the listing photos first. If the photos don't make them stop scrolling, they never book the showing. Here's what's worth doing before the photographer comes, and what isn't.
Worth doing
- Declutter every surface. Kitchen counters, bathroom vanities, the top of the fridge, the dresser. A camera makes clutter look twice as bad as it does in person.
- Take out a third of the furniture. Rooms photograph bigger with less in them. Store it in the garage or a friend's basement for a few weeks.
- Put away personal photos and collections. Buyers need to picture their own life in the house, not yours.
- Replace every burnt-out bulb, and match the colours. Mixed warm and cool bulbs make rooms look patchy in photos. Pick one and use it everywhere.
- Fix the small things buyers notice. Dripping taps, sticky doors, loose handles, missing outlet covers, chipped paint on trim. Each one is cheap; together they make buyers wonder what else was skipped.
- Clean the windows, inside and out. It's the difference between bright photos and grey ones.
- Make the front of the house say welcome. Cut the grass, edge the beds, sweep the porch, put out one planter. The front photo is the one on the listing card.
- Stage the main rooms simply. Fresh towels in the bathroom, a bowl of fruit on the counter, beds made with plain light bedding. Nothing more.
- Plan where the pets and cars will be. Out of the shots, and the driveway clear for the exterior photos.
Usually not worth it before you sell
- A full kitchen or bathroom renovation. You rarely get the full cost back, and buyers often want to choose their own finishes.
- Expensive new flooring throughout. A deep clean or a refinish is usually enough.
- Bold paint colours, even fashionable ones. If you paint, go light and neutral.
The part that matters most: the price
A well-presented home priced right sells. A well-presented home priced too high sits, and every week on the market makes buyers ask what's wrong with it.
I price homes from what has actually sold nearby, not from what neighbours are asking. If you're thinking of selling, ask me for a free home value and I'll walk you through the numbers, including what to fix and what to leave.