How to prepare your home for photos and viewings

A guide to Home Staging

We wanted to help you prepare your home for photos and viewings, as we are aware that knowing what to do on these occasions can be a little daunting. ‘How do I prepare my home for photos or a viewing’ is one of the most asked questions when preparing to sell your home, let us take the guesswork out of the equation with our helpful room by room guide.

What are the benefits of home staging?

Homes that are clean, tidy, and clutter-free achieve the best-looking photos, gain more attention, and ultimately help achieve the best possible price. Research by the Home Staging Association has shown that staging a property for sale can achieve 8-10% more from a buyer and achieve a quicker sale.*

 Preparing the exterior

Curb appeal is very important; how your house looks from the outside is your chance to make a great first impression. This can be an excellent way to welcome potential buyers and make them feel at ease in your home.

• Move vehicles off the driveway
• Hide wheelie bins and tidy outdoor clutter
• Take down or fold up washing lines
• Mow the lawn, weed beds, and tidy edges
• Clean windows, window frames, and the front door
• Jet wash the driveway
• Remove covers and clean garden furniture

Preparing the entrance hall

If you have an entrance hall, this is likely to be the first part of your home that a potential buyer sees. Ensuring that it is clutter free and bright is very important.

• Clear the clutter such as coats, shoes, umbrellas etc. and tidy or move out of sight any other objects, if possible – this can make the hallway feel larger
• Make sure there are no objects blocking the passageway, buyers should not need to move around objects
• Open curtains and blinds to let in as much light as possible
• Clean your doormat
• Have a diffuser to create a welcoming smell, a floral scent is often a good choice as it is fresh
• Hide visible wires and unplug appliances that are not being used
• Turn on all lights and secondary lights, including lamps

Preparing the kitchen

The kitchen is commonly known as the heart of the home, so it needs to be presented in the best way possible.

• Clean and wipe down appliances
• Put away tea towels and utensils
• Clean the sink and put away drying racks
• Remove fridge magnets
• Take down blackboards with your weekly shop on, or a calendar with family birthdays
• Remove as much as you can from your kitchen worktop
• Open curtains and blinds to let light flood into your kitchen
• Store away any visible cleaning items like brooms and mops
• Empty bins and move them out of sight
• Hide visible wires and unplug appliances that are not being used
• Turn on all lights and secondary lights, including undercabinet lighting

 Preparing the lounge

The lounge is where people go to relax, so creating a calming and uncluttered space is very important. People who enter your home will want to be able to imagine themselves winding down at the end of the day to watch their favourite film, tv show or pick up their current read.

• Hoover the sofa and plump cushions
• Dust all surfaces, including blinds and light fittings
• Clear the room of clutter
• Make sure carpets are hoovered or floors are clean
• Open curtains and blinds to let the light in
• Hide visible wires and unplug appliances that are not being used
• Turn on all lights and secondary lights, including lamps

 Preparing bedrooms

Your bedrooms are an amazing opportunity to showcase your home. If you want to go that extra mile you could purchase a new bedding set with matching pillows to really give it that wow factor.

• Remove visible clutter from under the bed
• Make the bed and smooth bedding
• Plump pillows and cushions
• Clear dressing tables and surfaces
• Clean all mirrors and dust surfaces
• Tidy away children’s toys or leave neatly
• Hide visible wires and unplug appliances that are not being used
• Turn on all lights and secondary lights, including bedside lamps

Preparing bathrooms 

Bathrooms can be a very important selling point for any home, but if they aren’t pristine this will show up on professional photographs.

• Clean the toilet and place the lid down
• Wipe down mirrors and surfaces
• Pull back or remove shower curtains
• Remove bath and floor mats
• Remove bottles and personal items
• Remove items from shelves or from on top of the cistern
• Eliminate any traces of mould or damp
• Replace any sealant that is discoloured or peeled and use a grout pen to freshen up stained grout
• Turn on all lights and secondary lights

 Our visit to you

On the day, our professional photographer may conduct additional staging, or advise you to move items that may have been overlooked prior to our visit.

Lovely pets

As much as we love our pets, not everyone does, and it may put a potential buyer off. Pet bedding, toys and bowls can make a room look untidy, so it’s best to put these away if possible. It may even be worth getting a pet sitter whilst viewings are going on.

 Giraffe 360’s, video tours and drone photography

If we’re capturing 360, video or drone footage of your property, remember that much more will be on display. Make the most of your storage space and follow the guidance above.

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* Source Home Staging Association 2023: https://www.homestaging.org.uk/