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I'd ask your realtor if you can look at the pictures before they get added to your listing. I've seen so many listings where the photos are so awful. If you wouldn't be tempted to check out your home based on the pictures, then have them re-do them.
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I forgot to mention, the house will show best in pictures with all lights on and blinds / curtains open on all windows!
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@Cherrybee: Ok, you know I just bought a house in the UK and based on what we did, and what our realtors showed us/their reactions to things we did, I would say definitely clean up the cupboards, but your wardrobes are probably safe. Wardrobes don't stay with the house so anyone looking through them is just being nosy and well out of line! But the cupboards are a different matter as they of course are a part of the house. As for the fridge, unless you will be leaving that with the house and have made that known to the agent showing your property, I really don't think anyone will be looking through it as they'd have no reason to do so.
The main things we looked for were a well kept house and lots of natural light, so make sure you have all of your window shades/blinds/curtains open prior to viewing to allow the maximum amount of light in. Also, I think not making it look as though you're trying too hard also goes a long way. There was one house that we looked at that had gone over the top with the staging and it made us wonder what they were trying to hide (they had the freshly baked bread, flowers throughout the house, table set for a dinner party, stylish magazines carefully organised on the coffee table etc - it could have all been legit, but it screamed out 'too posed' to us!)
Good luck with the house hunt! Where are you moving by the way? Closer to the Berks area?!
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@JMOM: Thank you for the encouragement.
It helps! @Ree723: Thanks for the UK specific advice! Has your experience of house hunting - and the types of properties etc - been much different to your experiences in other parts of the world. It seems so different to me when people are talking about their homes on here - especially the square footage conversations!! On my other thread, someone asked me about the "lot" my potential new house was on... and I thought "umm, do you mean the garden?".
We're looking for a house on the other side of the city we live in (Coventry). We should arrange to meet up though..... I've been trying to get together with Illumina for ages but I seem to never have any time free!
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The houses I liked the best were the ones that the realtors provided floor plans and large scale photo brochures. I was able to imagine reconfiguring those spaces as mine.
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@Cherrybee: I don't have loads of experience as this is the first house I've ever bought, but from my limited experience, yes, it is very different to house buying in the US! My family and friends were shocked (appalled really) when they saw the size house we were buying and the price we were paying for it; in the US, we'd be able to get a house four times the size, on acreage, for the price we paid. BUT, it's a totally different market with different priorities....
Anyway, if you and Illumina sort out a date/time/location, let me know! Am I right in thinking she just moved to Wales? If we can ever sort ourselves out, would be great to have a meet up!
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@Ree723: When I see the size of the houses some of the people on here live in - just regular people with normal jobs - my mind is BLOWN! Yes, we must definitely get a date in the diary. She has moved to Wales but she's actually closer to me now than when she was in England!
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@Cherrybee: Is it common for the fixtures to remain with the house when you sell, like the lights and whatnot?
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@looch: The solicitors acting for the vendor and the buyer thrash it out with a series of forms!! But yes, in the main, the "fixtures and fittings" remain with the house. If the vendor hasn't specified the kind of light fitting in the documents, he/she could replace with a standard pendant lamp I guess but the buyer's solicitor should really have checked. Carpets and flooring remain, as do integrated appliances but stand-alone appliances do not go with the house.
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@Cherrybee: Got it!
I'd probably remove any light fixtures that I really wanted to keep, especially if they are unique or expensive. Same for window treatments, and just put up something plain.
My husband had a difficult time visualizing the rooms without the sellers things in them, so he nixed a couple of options just based on the fact the rooms had oversized furniture.
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I've brokrn two leases by renting my apartment to the first person who saw it and just sold my home quickly for asking price. I have two pieces of advice that I 100% guarantee will help. First - declutter and remove almost everything from your closets. Make it look like you dont even need them. Second - invest in, borrow or rent high end furniture and clothing that is on display for open houses. I would even buy fancy face lotion and shampoo that people would see when they open the medicine cabinet. You are selling a lifestyle in addition to the home and these things always grab buyer's attention and they associate your house with luxury things.
In addition to that, reconfigure your furniture in a way that shows anyone can live there. In our tiny apartment we managed to have a spacious dining area, a huge l-shaped couch for TV watching, a nursery that was separate from the master bedroom and formal entryway. All because we chose and arranged our furniture smartly. It ended up appealing to all buyers and we got 3 offers from totally different kinds of people.
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@Modern Daisy: Wow! That IS a good idea! It's a little late for me to rent posh furniture now - they're coming to take the pictures tomorrow - but I love the face cream/posh clothes idea for viewings!
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Can anyone comment on what they do with pets when they are selling their home? We are not selling anytime soon, but we have two cats and I am not sure what to do about that. Can they just stay in the apartment?
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We also got new fluffy white towels we aren't allowed to use. Lol
The stager wanted it to appear spa like (those are just wash clothes rolled up on the right)
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@ElbieKay: we had a fenced in yard and kept the dog outside.
If they wanted a 2nd viewing then we took the dog to the park while they looked outside
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@Cherrybee: it's not too late at all! They will move things around accordingly for the pictures. When people come in you want them to see luxury, so even buying a fancy throw blanket for the couch would help.
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Just updating this thread and saying a huge thank you to everyone who gave tips - especially @MaryM: Thanks for the info. We put the house on the market and within 2 hours we had 7 viewings booked. The first person who viewed offered asking price.... by which time another couple had viewed. Long story short, there was a bidding war and we accepted an offer above asking price less than 24 hours after the house went on the market.
Thanks all!
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@Cherrybee:
amazing! Congrats!
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Wow! Congrats!!
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@Cherrybee: holy moly. That is amazing!! Congrats
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@Cherrybee: wow! Great update!
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@Cherrybee: That's awesome!! Congrats!
It helps! 
amazing! Congrats!
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