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Getting ready to sell your home?

In this post, I will discuss the things you can do to get your home ready for sale, in particular preparing your property for the photos that will be taken by your Realtor or Professional Photographer to market your property.


 

There are many things to get ready for now that you have made the decision to list, one important component is preparing your home for the photos that will be taken and used to entice a prospective buyer to click on your property and book a showing. There are many strategies to accomplish this, here are a few tips and tricks that I have learned through the years.

 

Exterior.

 

Here are just a few basic and simple things to do to the exterior of your home on photoshoot day. While there are other more expensive and labor-intensive ideas that can be done I will just stick to the basics:

 

Never have anything sitting around the yard- While these items differ from winter and summer you should never have items lying about. Put away shovels in the winter and remove garden hoses, kids toys, and any flower pots that are not flowering in the summer. It will give the home a crisp look and a great first impression.

 

Cut the grass and shovel the walks - Speaking of first impressions! The first picture or cover photo that will be posted of your home on MLS or Realtor.ca is the outside front view of your property. The easiest way to have your home looking sharp is to have the sidewalks and driveway shoveled in the winter or in the summer you have the grass freshly cut and the garden, if you have one recently weeded/cultivated. Do a little edging for bonus points and add to curb appeal. 

 

Interior.

 

The interior can be challenging to be “picture perfect” but don’t sweat it - here are a few ideas to help:

 

Declutter - I know what you are thinking, and yes I too have been decluttering my home for five years now and never seem to get anywhere but this time you can call it packing! Get an early start on packing and declutter your home at the same time. Go pick up some moving boxes or totes and pack up those items that are lying around in plain sight. Items that you will not need for day-to-day living while selling your home. Don’t pack the toaster and the coffee machine, rather pack up non-essential items. They can be stored in a spare room, garage, or ideally in an off-site storage facility.

 

Have a garage sale - If you don’t like packing and decluttering have a pre-home sale garage sale! Pad your pockets with cash and prep your home at the same time. While this is not always feasible it is a great idea in the summer months. Maybe coordinate with your Realtor at the same time to swing by and put up a "Coming Soon' sign for you as well.


Remove personal items - While this one is sometimes hard to do it is always recommended to remove personal photographs and effects. Not having these items lying around can make rooms look larger than they are in some cases, all depending on how many photos and personal items you keep.

 

A coat of paint - Yes while this is a heavier task a fresh coat of paint in a nice, neutral color can make the difference! I was not going to put this one on the list as I mentioned these are just a few quick suggestions but this one is too important to skip. It freshens the home up, especially if you have been in the home for a while and have not painted. It can make the difference in thousands of dollars when it comes time to put up that SOLD sign.

 

Give your home a deep clean - This one you can do yourself or hirer out but a thorough cleaning should be done before photos. Shampooing carpets to remove stains, washing windows, and deep cleaning the bathroom all make for more impactful photos of your home.

 

While some of these items are a little more work than others you need to remember that the goal is to achieve the greatest value for your home. It will take effort from you and your Realtor of choice to make it happen and the starting point of all of that is your photos. This will be your first line of offense when you put your home on the market.

 

Thanks for reading. Please share your comments below or reach out to us if you have more questions about what you can do to help get ready for photo day!

 

Justin

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