11 Things Not To Show In Photos Or At An Open Home

There are many common mistakes made when getting marketing photos taken and then again when having potential buyers walk through your open home.

Give yourself the best chance of selling by putting the following items away before photos and open homes.

1. Bins

This includes kitchen and bathroom bins as well as council bins. No body needs to see these.

2. Dirty clothes, towels or linen

Wash, fold and put away clothes. Don't leave these lying around or in a basket in the laundry. Buyers look in wardrobe cupboards so make sure this is neat too.

Get rid of used bath towels, hand towels and wet bath mats. Refresh the bathrooms by either replacing them or buy new towels for display only.

No body needs to know who sleeps on what side of the bed. Make the bed by fluffing up the bedspread, plump the pillows and style it with a throw and some cushions. Again, you could purchase some beautiful new linen and a bedspread to use for display only.

3. Outdoor items

Put away any items such as pool toys, tools, shoes, garden ornaments and any odd items lying around.

4. Dishes

This is an obvious one. Wash and put away your dirty dishes. Even dish soaps, cloths and tea towels. Buy some new, clean tea towels for display only.

5. Pet items

Not everyone is a fan of animals, especially inside. Put away their bowls, beds and toys. For the open home, make sure to get rid of any animal fur and open up the windows to get rid of any smells.

6. Personal & valuable items

Your photos will be plastered all over the internet. Put away anything you don't want people to see. It's very important to depersonalise your home by removing photos and valuables.

7. Office paperwork

This is often a neglected area of the home. If you haven't paid any attention to your office in a while, you'll need to dedicate a day or two to organising and decluttering. Especially for the open home, any important paperwork needs to be filed away.

8. Bathroom products

Keep shelves and bench tops clean and clear. Put razors, sponges, shampoos, body washes and toothbrushes away in the cupboard (while you're there, put the toilet brush away too). You could purchase some new soap dispensers for presentations.

9. Kids toys

Try to put as many of these out of sight as you can. It can make it difficult to see the full size of a room if there's too many toys in the way. Items like bikes, scooters and outside toys should also be stored away.

10. Cords

There's nothing worse than seeing ugly, messy cords. Remove any extension cords that aren't being used and tidy cords behind televisions. A handy trick can be to use clear sticky hooks to hang up any dangling or loose cords.

11. Seasonal decorations

If it's June and there's still a christmas tree in your photos, buyers are going to know that your photos aren't current and up to date. They could also assume that it's already been on the market for 6 months. If you're getting marketing photos taken, take down any decorations. If you're selling your home around any major holidays, you might have miss out on the decorations this year.