Home Staging Tips to Take Perfect Listing Photos

First, we gave you some tips to write the perfect listing for your home. Then, we showed you some tricks to take perfect photos with your smartphone. In week three of our epic quest to help you create the perfect listing for your home, we are going to share some secrets to staging your home. With these tips, you'll be able to highlight your home's strengths, downplay its weaknesses and appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers.

For the entire home:

• Thoroughly clean whole house (vacuum carpet, mop hard floors, clean counter tops, clean windows)
• Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON
• Replace all burned out light bulbs
• Use bulbs of the same temperature
• Turn all ceiling fans OFF
• Turn all TVs OFF
• Turn all computer screens OFF
• Open blinds/window treatments
• Remove personal photographs (or replace with general landscape/object photographs)
• Make all beds
• Remove small floor rugs to reveal actual flooring
• Place all shoes/jackets in closets

For the front of your house - the first photo a buyer sees:

• Close garage doors
• Remove cars from driveway and front of home
• Clean up landscaping
• Remove empty planters
• Remove cobwebs from eaves and door frames
• Remove visible water hoses
• Remove toys, sports balls, basketball goals, soccer goals, etc.

For the backyard:

• Clean porch, tidy up outdoor tables/chairs/cushions
• Pillows/cushions should be fresh, not faded
• Clear out kid's toys
• Clean pool
• Remove pool vacuum/cleaner hose
• Hide pool cleaning supplies
• Turn on pool fountains/water features
• Remove visible water hoses
• Remove trash cans

For the kitchen:

• Clear counter tops completely. No knife blocks, baking supplies, mail, etc.
• Leave one small appliance (ex. coffee maker)
• Clear outside of refrigerator of magnets, papers, photos, etc.
• Hide garbage cans
• Remove dishes from sink

For the dining room:

• Clear table, dust and polish the table top
• Use decorative place setting if available
• Feature one center piece such as a bouquet of flowers
• Straighten all chairs and space them evenly
• Remove child seats/booster chairs

For the living/family room:

• Remove stacks of magazines, papers, mail, etc.
• De-clutter fireplace mantel/hearth
• Clean interior of fireplace and re-paint if needed
• Fluff and arrange furniture pillows
• Remove kid's toys

For the master bedroom:

• Make bed, including decorative pillows/shams if available
• Press bed linens and bed skirts
• Clear nightstands of all personal items
• Store away phone/tablet charging cables
• Remove all clutter from top of dressers
• Remove family photos from walls
• Clean under bed

For the kid/guest bedroom(s):

• Remove personalized names from walls
• Remove wall stickers/posters
• Remove diaper genies
• Clean under bed

For the bathrooms:

• Clear counter tops completely. No soap, toothbrushes, medications, deodorant, etc.
• Put toilet seats down
• Close closet doors
• Remove shampoo, soap, loofahs, etc. from showers and tubs
• Remove dirty towels - leave out only new, unused towels
• Remove floor mats

For your pets:

• Place food and water bowls away
• Place pet beds/toys away
• Use lint roller on furniture to remove pet hair
• Contain pets in hidden crate or outside
• Clear back yard of pet waste/toys