meticulous pet owner in the world, advertising to potential buyers that you have birds in a cage, a free- roaming guinea pig, or a bedroom dedicated to a family of rare Siamese cats, is going to scare people away. Pets often create odors that stick around for a while, and since you’ll be working hard to make this odor disappear, you want to avoid bringing any attention to these critters. Further, some people are not pet lovers and others are allergic. Be sure to keep pets out of photos, but consider also finding another place to shelter them if you want the most luck making the sale. • Add sprinkles on top. A few home accessories with colors that pop will go a long way. Do you have any bright sofa pillows? How about a healthy green plant or a vase of colorful flowers strategically placed in each room? • Lighten it up. Are your pictures dark or washed out? Not enough light from the windows? Add some lighting to bring them up a level. Bright LED lamps in the corners or off-camera can add the touch you need. • Hire a stager. If you don’t want to go through the effort on your own, you can hire a professional stager who can come in to rearrange the furniture or even bring in some accessories or extra pieces of furniture. When you’re interviewing different stagers for the job, make sure to check on rates per room. You may decide to photograph only certain rooms in the house, but you’ll win bigger with more pictures in more rooms. • Hire a photographer. Although you can take great pictures on your own without a very expensive camera, you might consider having a pro do the work. This can give you an even greater advantage over other sellers by
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