Photos decide whether a buyer books a showing. A weekend of the right preparation usually outperforms a month of the wrong renovation.
Buyers scroll before they visit. The photo set is the first and often only chance to earn a showing, and it is shot once — before the listing goes live, not after the first quiet weekend.
Remove before you add
Most homes photograph better with less in them. Clear counters, thin out furniture so rooms read as their full size, and take down the majority of wall art and personal photographs. The goal is for a buyer to picture their own life in the space.
- Clear every kitchen and bathroom counter completely
- Remove roughly a third of the furniture from tight rooms
- Take down fridge magnets, family photos and calendars
- Store shoes, coats and bins out of every entryway
Light is the whole job
Open every blind, replace mismatched or dead bulbs with matching warm-white ones, and clean the windows inside and out. Ottawa light changes dramatically by season — a mid-winter shoot benefits far more from good interior lighting than a June shoot does.
Do not skip the exterior
The exterior photo is usually the thumbnail. Cut the grass, clear the walkway, move bins and vehicles off the driveway, and take down seasonal decorations. In winter, a freshly cleared driveway and walk make a visible difference.
A tidy driveway and an open blind will do more for your thumbnail than a new backsplash.
Then leave it alone
Once the home is photo-ready, keeping it that way through the first ten days of showings is the highest-value thing a seller can do. See the full seller process on the selling your Ottawa home page, or reach out and Michelle will walk the house with you.