Lights! Camera! Action!  The photographer is coming! Common sense ways to make your virtual tour stand out and keep you cool.

Plan ahead

• What special features do you want the photographer to highlight? Views? Fireplace? Kitchen?  Walk through the house and see it as a buyer will – crisp, clean and de-cluttered. Or will they just remember your refrigerator notes?

• What time of the day is best to shoot your location?  What day of the week?

• Avoid “trash” days so you’re realtors doesn’t need to drag everyone’s cans out of your street view.

• Does your sunset view suggest additional evening shots?

• Is your garden most robust in the AM?  For instance, native gardens look best when the California poppies “wake up” in the morning.

• Unless you’re planning to include them in the sale, send pets and kids on play dates – the dog won’t trip the photographer and the kids won’t scream when you hide the 3 million Legos and/or dethrone Barbie.

 Outside

• Mow, trim, pull weeds.

• Bedding plants (CA Natives, of course) or dark shredded bark on bald spots – smells good too!

• Sweep drive way, walks and patios. Hose down just before the shoot.

• Tools, trash cans, toys out of sight.

• Pool, if there is one, needs to sparkle!

Inside

• DECLUTTER!!  Yes, all of it.  Including but not limited to the before mentioned refrigerator notes, kitchen counter tops, bathroom tub + counter toiletries, papers, magazines (ok – you can keep 2 interesting covers on the coffee table), piles of anything. Do this twice – you’ll be amazed! Consider this your first round of packing.

• Hide trash cans – even the fancy designer ones.

• Make beds.  All clothes, shoes, thinned and put away.  Your closets will look bigger when buyers visit and you’ll haul less to your favorite thrift store when escrow is ready to close.

• Wash windows – even if you’re going to keep shades drawn over the view of the neighbor’s dog run.

• Turn off computers, monitors and TV’s.

• If it’s helpful be there, stay.  If it’s a work day, go. Don’t worry, it will go fine without you.