Whole Home:
  Open all shades (let as much daylight in as possible)
  Dust your blinds
  Open your blinds
  Fix/remove broken blinds. This can really change the looks of a room, have decent blinds or none at all)
  Dust all ceiling fans. Yes, the dust will show up in photos.
  Remove pet items
  Remove personal items (Urns, Family Photos, Children's toys, etc.)
  Clean windows and mirrors. (When cleaning windows, mirrors and TVs, look at them from different angles. Often these objects will show unsightly cleaning streaks that are very visible from multiple angles.

Kitchen:
  Remove Dishes (especially those in the sink and drying on the countertop)
  Remove Soap Bottles, Scrub Brushes, Drain Plugs, Rags, Drying Racks and other dish accessories.
  Wipe your oven and microwave doors (Hiding something in there? It may show up in the photos)
  Remove All Magnets, Pictures, Calendars, Stickers, Drawings, etc. from the refrigerator.
  Remove Standing Mats and Rugs. We want to see the nice floor. (Floor not nice? Clean/repair if you can)
  Remove anything on top of the refrigerator. Anything on the fridge looks unsightly in photos.
  Remove Decomposing Fruit/Fruit Bowls. Browning bananas and soft oranges do not help sell a home.
  Remove phone charges, Bluetooth speakers & cords.
 Remove any dirty or broken countertop appliances.
 Remove an excessive number of appliances on the counter. Too many appliances makes the kitchen feel smaller.
 Remove Trash Cans
 Remove Pet items (Leashes from rack, pet food, pet water and food dishes, pet toys and more)
 Make sure all cabinet doors close (if it doesn't close, find a temporary fix for photos)
 Remove paperwork like mail, bills, magazines, coupons, letters, etc.
‍
‍Bathrooms:
‍  Remove Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
  Remove Toilet Plunger and Toilet Bowl Cleaner
  Remove Hair Dryers
  Remove Razors (both electric and manual)
  Remove Soaps (both bar soaps and their dishes & pump hand soaps)
  Remove Phone Chargers
  Remove Anything that is plugged into an outlet. (Chargers, wall vacuums, night lights, etc.)
  Remove All Personal Items (bath robes, photos of you and your spouse, that one broken shell you found at a beach)
  Remove Floor Rugs (Unless they match with other decor)
  Remove ALL items in showers with glass doors. (Even if the item is obscured, the color and shape will still appear in photos through the glass and look visually distracting/unappealing.)
 Replace any fringing or stained towels/rags
 Check to see the next piece of toilet paper on the roll is a full piece. If not, replace. If there's no roll, replace the roll.
 Make sure all lightbulbs work (If not, replace bulbs)
 Dust the bathroom fan

‍Bedrooms:
  Make the bed.
  Do not used stained sheets on beds.
  Hide the excessive amount of blankets. (Do not layer 20 blankets on the bed, hide any extras in the closet.)
  Remove all toys from sight. (Items displayed nicely and orderly on shelves may stay)
  Remove all pet items (beds, toys, leashes, pet hair etc.)
  Vacuum the floor. Sometimes small objects like Legos, Beads, and pieces of things show up in photos)
Dust the blinds.
‍
‍Laundry Rooms:
‍  Remove Soaps from sink
  Remove Mops & Brooms
  Remove Baskets and Garbage Cans
  Remove Cleaning Products & Laundry Products (like bottles of detergent, laundry sheets, etc.)
Remove ANYTHING that doesn't belong in laundry room (the two 12 packs of Coca Cola, the house vacuum, sports equipment, dirty boots and footwear, umbrellas, etc.)
‍
‍General Home Prep:
‍  Trash Cans: Trash cans can distract so it’s best to hide all of them in closets or the garage.
  Clear entryways: Remove all shoes, umbrellas, and similar items from entryways.
  Turn off ceiling fans: Before I arrive, please make sure all ceiling fans are turned off.
  Remove children / pet toys.
  Turn off all TVs.
  Hide all remotes
‍  Dust Fans

Exterior Home Prep:
‍  Remove Garbage Cans (The garage would be the best place.)
  Remove Cars from driveway.
  Wrap up hoses.
  Put all children/pet toys away.
  Remove all lawn tools from sight. (rakes, brooms, PVC pipes, stakes, lawnmower, yard trimming bags, etc.)
  Remove paddle boards, kayaks, life jackets and anything that shouldn't be laying out.
  Clean up grill area (Wipe grill down, hide grill tools)

Note: If you're unsure about whether to leave something or remove it, it's almost always a safe bet to remove it.

Interior & Exterior Home Prep

Painting the interior of a home can change the entire feel of it. Consider repainting your home if it uses outdated, darker colors or if the walls are heavily scuffed and marked up. Rooms should stick with one or two (if done tastefully) colors. Any more and it starts to look like a carnival.

Find a color that is Bright. Brighter spaces feel larger and more inviting than dark spaces.

Find a color that is Neutral. Typically homes with white, off-white, beige or gray interiors appeal to many buyers. Think about taking that dark brown, cherry red, or midnight blue room and giving it a facelift with some white paint.

Paint the Basement. Many basements with cement block look much better with a coat of white paint or another brighter color. This helps brighten the lower level, makes the space feel larger, and makes them a cleaner, more inviting atmosphere.

Lightbulb Kelvin temperature. Choose bulbs with a Kelvin Temperature of around ~5600K which is the average color temperature of natural sunlight. Tungsten lighting is ~2000-2,500K and will skew the colors of walls and objects in the home. (For example, saturated tungsten lighting will cast an orange color making gray walls look more brown. Higher kelvin temperatures like 6,500 and above will make your home look sterile like a lab or factory.​

‍No harsh or direct lighting. If you're looking to replace a few fixtures, try to choose one that has diffused light and no bare-bulbs.

Install more simple lighting in the basement.

‍Cabinet Pulls: These small pieces can completely change a kitchen. Going from a dated, small cabinet pull to a more tasteful one can make an unbelievable difference.

‍Staging: Staging makes one of the biggest differences in how a room looks or feels. By staging your home, you're creating a "space" that gives an example to a potential buyer on what the room could be.

‍- Option 1: Stage your home yourself. Don't know where to get started? Look on websites like Pinterest to get plenty of ideas for bedrooms kitchens and baths.

- Option 2: Hire a professional. While costly, a professional does a great deal to ensure your home is looking it's best.

- Option 3: Virtual staging. Sharper Home Media can stage a home virtually. Just make sure the room is mostly empty before photographs.