Preparing your home for a Virtual Tour
...Give your home a cheap and easy facelift.

Take a look at some of our virtual tours. You will notice that the homes that show the best are homes that are clean, uncluttered, bright and inviting. These steps will not only make the virtual tour look better, but will also help your home look great to potential buyers which will lead to a faster sale.

Step 1: Unclutter
This is the first and most important part of the process. It's also the hardest. All those family pictures of babies, weddings, and high school dances on your fridge are nice to show friends and family, but these types of things often look like clutter to home buyers. Lets not forget about your collection of old magazines and newspapers next to the sofa that you keep forgetting to throw away, let alone read.

Uncluttering your home will make it appear cleaner, more inviting & open. Most importantly, this will open up the buyers imagination to what they can do with the space. This flow of ideas for the buyers will keep your home on their mind. You create this spark with a minimal but functional use of space. However, you don't want it to look awkwardly bare.

Start packing early if you can, and don't leave the boxes stacked inside the home. Get out boxes and trash bags. Pack away excess nick naks, anything that doesn't fit neatly on shelves, anything shoved under a bed, behind a sofa or on a coffee table, etc... Throw away things you don't need. Consider a garage sale or giving items to charity. You don't need to leave shelves bare, but you do need to organize what's on them. Keep just enough useful items, but not so much that it looks cluttered. A picture frame here, a couple books and a small plant there should do the trick. If your are not using it, consider packing it away.

On the other end of the spectrum. If your home is vacant or just a few rooms are not in use, consider adding a plant, maybe some drapes, a shower curtain, etc... A little flair can keep an empty home from appearing to empty or even to big to some buyers.

Also, it's important to mention that the less clutter my camera sees, the higher quality and cleaner the images will be once they are online. If I had to come up with a #1 reason why some tours have higher quality images than others, it would be clutter.

Step 2: Fix-up
Don't skip this step! This might not seem like a big deal to you, but when a buyer goes to walk down a hallway and the overhead light doesn't flick on or it has a cracked switch cover, they may see this as a bigger problem. You don't want buyers thinking about fixing and replacing things the first time they step into your home. Also it helps tremendously for the pictures I will be taking of your home.

Replace all light bulbs. If you have time, replace all broken or missing fixtures such as outlet covers. Replace or clean your dirty old shower curtains (a new cheap shower curtain can look better than an old dirty one). Inspect every room in your home, one at a time. Make a list and replace or fix anything that needs it. If your on a budget, make a budget and fix what you can.

Step 3: Vacuum, Sweep, Dust, Mop & Clean
This step is more for showing your house than it is for the virtual tour. A little dirt usually doesn't show up in a tour. If you can, you should hire a professional cleaner or set aside part of the day to do a thorough cleaning yourself.

Here's a good cleaning method: In my summers off in college I use to clean rental homes in the Outer Banks. I didn't save any money doing it, but I did learn how to clean well and fast. I also got a free beach house for the summer!

Do your dishes first. When they are done, take apart your stovetop, and soak the parts in soapy water in your sink. Let them soak while you do the rest of your cleaning....Next, take off all the bedding, drapes, shower curtains... anything you can.. and start getting it washed. Cleaning fabrics can really make each room smell good and fresh.

Start out by opening all your windows (and doors) to get fresh air circulating through your entire house while you clean. Shake out your rugs and vacuum them along with your carpets. This will kick up dust that you will end up having to clean off of other things, so do it before dusting. Sweep the rest of your flooring clean of debris. Now dust everything... Shelves, Tables, TV Stands, TV Screens, Window Sills, etc... Windex those windows and glass doors on both sides when possible. Now go room by room and see if anything needs to be cleaned like kitchen counter stains, soap scum on the faucet, hair balls in shower drains, etc... Fabreeze is always a good idea. Many homes have a distinct scent. Fabreeze will make it seem fresher. Fabreeze also has an anti-allergenic product now that is great if you have a pet. Finally, wet mop and then immediately dry mop to dry and shine before the dirty water just becomes a dirty floor again.

For open houses... Have some cookies or a loaf of bread cooking in the oven. What's better than walking into a home that smells like fresh cookies? Actually, I want come visit your home just thinking about it.

Step 4: Have Second Thoughts
The final Step is to walk into your house and ask yourself why you are selling this beautiful home in the first place? Put yourself in the position of the home buyer. When you are finished, you should be able to walk through your front door and impress yourself with a good days work.

Don't forget about the outside! A freshly mowed lawn, trimmed hedges, and removing branches and twigs is inviting to buyers. This also helps make the outside look great for your virtual tour. Even a new paint job outside and in can raise the value of your home much more than the cost of materials or even professional labor.

Written By Myles Lasco
For information on reprinting this article, contact info@tallytours.com

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