How to Get Your Home Photo Ready

When selling your home, you want to display all its best features. Think of it like you’re getting it ready for your in-laws (that hardly come over) but when they do, the pressure is on! You need to do the deep cleaning that may get looked over - those tasks that are not on the weekly cleaning list.

Once all of your cleaning is finished, start thinking about staging your home. When it comes to staging your home, keep in mind that you want to de-personalize it and create an environment that future owners can see themselves in. Once the steps of cleaning, depersonalizing, and staging are completed, your home will not only be photo-ready for your listing and viewing by future home owners, but it will ease the process of moving as well.

Starting with cleaning, as there are many areas that do get looked over and are not considered. By utilizing the list below to do your cleaning, you will ensure all areas have been identified and cleaned.

1. Cleaning – Bigger Tasks

 a. Fridge

- Take everything out of your fridge and dispose of any expired food, drinks, or sauces.

- Remove any drawers, racks, or shelves and soak them in warm, soapy water (wait for glass shelves or racks to warm up to room temperature before placing into hot water as that might crack the glass).

- Since food attracts odors found in the fridge, use a natural cleanser like baking soda and water (1-part baking soda: 7 parts water) along with a cloth.

- For the exterior of a fridge (not stainless steel), wipe it down with a multi-purpose spray and put some elbow grease into the high contact areas:

        - Stainless steel fridges - all you need is a microfiber cloth, chlorine free dish soap, and water. Wipe the refrigerator down with the soap and water mixture and after,                use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe down any water marks or fingerprints.

b. Oven

- Take your racks out of the oven and let them soak in either your bathtub or a large enough bucket that the racks can fully submerge. Using hot water and dish soap, allow your racks to soak for at least 2 hours.

- While the racks are soaking, remove any large pieces of loose, baked-on food inside your oven. Create a paste of baking soda and water and apply it liberally over all of the interior and let sit for 20 minutes. If you want a bigger impact, pour vinegar into a spray bottle and spray where the paste was applied and let it bubble. Scrub the paste with a non-abrasive cleaning pad and then wipe clean.

c. Dishwasher

- Make sure your dishwasher is empty

- Keeping with an earth-friendly and money-conscious cleanser, place a dishwasher-safe mug filled with vinegar on the top rack and turn the dishwasher on to a setting with hot water. Complete the cycle and Voila! - a clean, fresh-smelling dishwasher!

d. Bathtubs & Sinks

- The best and most affordable cleanser to remove soap scum, and really make your bathtub and sink sparkle, is equal parts of handy dandy vinegar, water, and Dawn dish soap. Place in a spray bottle and heavily coat the entire surface of your bathtub and sink, let it sit for 20 minutes, and then scrub with sponge. Rinse with water and dry off any areas such as the counter top or the floor surrounding your shower.

 e. Glass & Mirrors

- Any surfaces that are or have glass and/or mirrors, make sure to dust them.

- Use any glass cleaner – vinegar and water are always handy - and wipe clean.

 f. Walls & Counters

- Wipe down all your walls using warm soapy water; for hard to reach areas on your walls, you can always use a clean mop. If there are marks on the wall that are not coming off - even with a little elbow grease - use a Magic Eraser, the name says it all.

- For your counter tops, you can also use soapy water to clean, remove fingerprints and leave them streak free; go over your countertop with a microfiber cloth.

 g. Floors and Baseboards

- Floors and baseboards are the easiest area to see so be diligent on making sure they are sparkling!

- Vacuum your floors and make sure to move the furniture so you can get all those hard to reach places, not forgetting about your baseboards and floor/wall vents.

- Once you are satisfied you have cleared all the dust and debris, you can mop down the floors and scrub the baseboards. Warm soapy water will do the trick, along with a mop and sponge. Don’t be afraid to use a cleanser specified to your floor, it can really make a difference in the final product.

- For those who have carpets, invest in getting your carpets/area rugs cleaned. It is hard to tell the depth of dirt, but cleaning them can freshen up not only the carpets themselves but the overall smell and cleanliness of your home.

2.  Cleaning – Smaller Tasks

- Dust and wipe light fixtures as well as replace faulty bulbs.

- It is easy to forget switch plates, but they are easily one of the most used things in your house. Scrub off that layer of dirt and grime, don’t forget to flip the switch so you can clean both sides.

- After vacuuming the vents in your home, make sure they are getting a wipe with a soapy warm cloth. The same thing goes for any ceiling fan blades in your home - wipe the dust off and clean with a damp cloth.

- Windowsills are one of the things in your home that people will base the cleanliness of your home on. Make sure they are fingerprint and grime free. A fresh coat of paint could always help if what you’re scrubbing is not coming off so easily. 

3. Staging

- When you are staging your home, you have to look at it objectively. Take any photos of you and your family down as well as any knick-knacks around the home; make sure your countertops are bare.

- Put all pet supplies away, including dog beds, crates, food dishes and toys.

- All but a couple of kids toys should be put away - you can leave some non-allergenic stuffed animals out to display on the made and tidied bed.

- Stash shoes, mail and paperwork piles, remote controls, and any loose cords away.

- Your fridge should be bare, no magnets, photos, or anything of that nature stuck to the exterior of the door.

- Highlight special features about your home; if you have an outdoor fire place make sure it is staged to be turned on, or if you have a pool, be sure to have it clean and uncovered.

  b. Outdoor Staging

- Deadhead your flowers, make them as fresh looking as possible.

- Rake, shovel, and/or cut the grass.

- Clear your porch and driveway of clutter.

A simple way to remember and prioritize your objective is by using the 3 D’s of Staging:

1. Downsize – Moving is the perfect excuse to downsize your belongings. You should make a plan as to where the items you are donating are going, if you are gifting items, who are they going to, and always having a set designation for the items in your new place.
2. Declutter – Remove any furniture that is not functional and used daily. Go through all of your belongings and ask yourself if it needs to come with you to your new home.

- Ask the questions:

- Why does this object live in my house and is this the best place for it?

- Does this item help me live the kind of life I want to lead?

** Another tip is removing at least 50% of what is in your closet, this gives the appearance of more storage which every home owner appreciates.**

3. Depersonalize – Although all the personal belongings is what makes your home feel like home, to outsiders looking in, it may feel overwhelming and difficult to picture themselves and their belongings in the home. The goal is to make your home feel neutral so that anyone can envision themselves living there.