Getting the house ready.

A day or two before

The things that need time, or a trip to the shop.

• Replace any dead or mismatched light bulbsEvery bulb in one room should be the same warmth. Mixed bulbs turn one half of a room orange and the other half blue, and it is the single hardest thing to fix afterwards.
• Mow, edge and clear the front yardLeaves, toys, hoses, bins. The front elevation is the first photo buyers see.
• Clean the insides of the windowsStreaks catch the light and show up in every room.
• Find somewhere for the bins, recycling and pet gearA neighbor's garage, the back of a car — anywhere out of frame.
• Book pets somewhere for the morningAnd plan where the kids will be. Ninety quiet minutes is the goal.

Every room

Do these once in each room and most of the work is done.

• Clear every flat surface down to one or two objectsCounters, sills, side tables, the top of the fridge. Empty always photographs better than tidy.
• Take down personal photos, certificates and children's artworkBuyers should be picturing themselves there. It also protects your privacy online.
• Hide cables, chargers, remotes and power strips
• Open every blind and curtain to the same heightUneven blinds are visible in every single frame and cannot be fixed later.
• Straighten rugs, cushions, lampshades and pictures
• Empty the bins

Kitchen

The room buyers scroll to first, and the one that takes the most work.

• Clear the countertops completelyThen put back at most two things — a bowl of fruit, a plant. Kettle, toaster, knife block and soap all go away.
• Strip the fridge doorMagnets, photos, schedules, shopping lists. All of it.
• Put dish soap, sponges and the drying rack under the sink
• Wipe fingerprints off stainless steelAppliances act like mirrors and pick up every mark.
• Hide the bin, the dog bowls and the floor mat
• Tuck the bar stools in evenly

Bathrooms

The fastest room to fix and the most obvious when it is not.

• Everything off the counterToothbrushes, razors, soap, skincare. Nothing but a folded towel.
• Clear the shower and bath of bottles
• Fresh, matching towels, hung straightA matching set makes a bathroom look finished. Mismatched towels read as lived-in.
• Toilet lids down, seats down
• Remove bath mats and floor rugs

Bedrooms

• Make every bed properlyPulled tight, pillows stood up, no creases. This is the whole photograph.
• Clear the bedside tables to a lamp
• Nothing on the floor, nothing under the bed showing
• Close wardrobe doorsUnless the wardrobe is a selling point — then tidy it and leave it open.
• Laundry baskets out of sight

Living and dining

• Clear the coffee table to one arrangement
• Set the dining table, or clear it completelyEither reads as deliberate. Half-cleared reads as interrupted.
• Chairs pushed in and evenly spaced
• Throws folded, cushions plumped and squared
• Move anything that blocks a doorway or a window

Outside

• Move all cars off the driveway and away from the front of the houseIncluding the neighbors' if you can ask nicely. This makes a bigger difference than anything else outdoors.
• Coil and hide hoses, and put away garden tools
• Sweep the walk, the porch and the patio
• Clean patio furniture and set it as if you were about to sit down
• Cover the pool, or make sure it is clean and the cover is fully off
• Put away signage, flags and seasonal decorationsSeasonal decorations date a listing the moment the season changes.

The last thirty minutes

Right before the photographer arrives.

• Turn on every light in the houseIncluding cupboards, hoods and under-cabinet strips. Yes, all of them.
• Turn off every ceiling fanA moving fan blurs, and it is one of very few things that cannot be fixed in editing.
• Turn off televisions and computer screens
• Last sweep for shoes, bags, keys and post by the door
• Pets and people out, or ready to move room to room