Our house sale process continues to inch forward. Today we had a real estate photographer come to take the listing photos that will show up on the internet websites.
For the past month we've been decluttering and depersonalizing the house, but now it was time to kick the straightening into high gear. The realtor had given us some helpful tips. The first, of course, was to make sure that everything was clean and sparkled. Others I wouldn't have thought of, like flipping over every bedspread that had a plain side, and tucking our bedside clocks under the bed.
Yesterday I cleaned all the soap scum off the master bathroom shower doors. It looked so pristine that I decided not to use it until after the photographer was done. In the meantime I temporarily stored my towel in one of my dresser drawers.
I hid the trash cans and all of our personal care items in the bathroom, took everything off the laundry room shelves and stored it temporarily in the garage, dusted all the wood surfaces one last time, and used a damp rag on any other surface. I swept the front porch and sidewalk up to the house.
I took everything off the counters in the kitchen. Some things that are less essential (like the banana holder, the coffee grinder, and the electric tea kettle) will stay put away unless needed. Others, like the coffee maker, were back on the counter 2 minutes after the photographer left.
When the photographer arrived she walked from room to room, using a laser ruler to measure the size of each. Next she turned on all the lights and took multiple shots of each room from different angles. When she was done with her camera, she walked through with a video camera. For her last step, she went outside and used a drone to take photos of the property.
It will take her 48 hours to edit the photos and pass them on to the realtor. On Monday the photos will be published and our listing will "go live", which is both exciting and scary at the same time.
Five years ago today: Cinnamonny
How well I remember. Good luck, and may your sale be soon.
ReplyDeleteI hope the sale happens quickly, too!
DeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteWow, that's a lot of work. You did a great job with it, Way-to-Go, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words.
DeleteSo much work and inconvenience, having to hide away necessary daily items. What was the rational for flipping the bedspread?
ReplyDeleteThe realtor said that prints can look too busy in photographs.
DeleteWe sold a condo back in 1974 and since then a house in 2002 , I do believe it is going to be a lot harder to prepare this one for sale in the next few years as everything is becoming more demanding!
ReplyDeleteI agree that buyers seem to want a potential house to be in ready to move in condition.
DeleteYou know what? That job sounds fun, taking pictures for a house like that. Here's to a quick sale. Happy weekend and boogie boogie.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the requirements are to be a professional house photographer, but it might be right up your alley!
DeleteI think I'm too private and paranoid to ever go through something like that. Good thing I own nothing then.
ReplyDeleteI think we've done a good job of containing our personal and private items where people won't be able to see them.
DeleteWith best wishes for a quick successful sale.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thanks.
DeleteWow! Good luck, Kathy. We were also told to take down family photos. So hard. We had a lot up. But then again, they would have to come down anyway.
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of artwork on the walls and a lot of knick-knacks on the shelves. In the process of removing them I decided that a lot of them could go to the thrift stores. I probably kept more than I can use in a smaller house, but that remains to be seen.
DeleteIt amazes me at the gadgets that are used these days, lasers and drones. What will the future look like?
ReplyDeleteEverything that you do (and sound funny), will help sell your house.
It's exciting...going live!
It IS exciting!
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