How do I prepare my home for photos when selling?

Hello to all of my real estate friends as well as sellers! I want to share with you a few quick tips about how to prepare your home to have the best possible photos when selling:

• Remove personal items from the home. this may not seem like it would make a big difference, but items such as family photos, the wide variety of magnets on the fridge that you've accumulated over the years, your collection of knick knacks so proudly displayed on the mantle. when buying a home, buyers want to be able to visualize themselves living in the home. Personal objects often make it harder for buyers to see themselves living there if their interests don't align with yours.

• Clear off counters. yes, most of us never have a completely cleared off counter. oftentimes, our homes are more practical than beautiful. but when selling, it's important to have nice clean simple counters. it makes a huge difference in the photos.

• Declutter! along with the countertops, this goes along for the entire home. if you can hide it, hide it. buyers want to see your home and when your home is cluttered, it is sometimes hard for the buyers to focus on the home and are more focused on the clutter. when in doubt, hide it.

• Deep clean–nobody likes a dirty house. when buyers walk into a home that's just had a good deep clean, it instantly puts a sense of a well cared for home in their mind, which is what they want. dust off all surfaces (this will show in pictures), mop, sweep, vacuum floors, clean windows, etc.

• Stage the house. Fold a few towels,make the beds,add a few accent pillows,or

place a fashionable rug. plants are always a great addition for counters, end tables and mantles and won't give your home that cluttered feel.

• TURN OFF ALL FANS. MOTION BLUR FROM THE FANS CAN MAKE PHOTOS SEEM UNPROFESSIONAL, SO ALWAYS TURN OFF FANS PRIOR TO PHOTOS BEING MADE. THE FAN COMES WITH THE HOME, SO BUYERS WILL WANT TO SEE THEM AS WELL AND WHEN THEY'RE ON YOU CAN'T SEE THE FAN ITSELF.

• OPEN ALL BLINDS AND CURTAINS. OPENING BLINDS AND CURTAINS WILL BRING IN MORE LIGHT MAKING THE HOME MORE INVITING AND BRIGHT.

• TRY TO KEEP PETS OUT OF SIGHT DURING THE SHOOT. THEY'RE CUTE AND ADORABLE, I'M SURE, HOWEVER IT REALLY HELPS THINGS RUN MORE SMOOTHLY WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR HOME.

BEST WISHES ON SELLING!