Have you ever had a formal photo shoot? Perhaps you’ve had one for work or arranged one for your family. If so, chances are you dressed up and made yourself look your best.

That’s the right mindset to be in when selling your home too. You want to make every room look as attractive as possible because, these days, many buyers will view pictures of your listing – usually online – before they actually come to see it.

So, how do you make your home look “picture perfect”?

An effective technique is to walk around your home with a camera. You don’t need to take any pictures, at least not yet. Just visit each room and view it through the camera lens. Look at the room from different angles – as though you were a Hollywood director planning a shot! Then, ask yourself the following questions:

• Will the room look cluttered in a picture?
• Does the room appear to be spacious and comfortable?
• Is there anything in the shot that stands out as distracting or negative?
• Will removing, adding or re-arranging furniture and other items make the room look better in a photo?
• Does the room look better at certain times of the day?
• Are there any other changes you can make to the room to make it look better in a photo?

After you’ve gone through this exercise, you’ll have a clear idea of what changes you need to make to ensure your listing looks its best in photos and video.