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Real estate listings are full of slideshows and photos showcasing houses, condos or apartments for sale. There is no better way to get potential buyers or renters on the hook to reel them in for an in-person showing. There is nothing worse, however, than a listing with terrible photos.

If you want your listing to sell, the photos should match its description. Often, listing photos are bogged down by lack of focus, terrible lighting or messy appearances. You don’t want to turn away potential buyers before you even get them through the front door! To quicken your turnaround, you need clean and sharp images that highlight the home’s more attractive qualities.

Clean up. Mowing the lawn and cleaning up the yard may seem like obvious suggestions, but this first step is often overlooked. First impressions count, as does curb appeal. The photos taken of the exterior should look stellar and put the home’s best foot forward. Clean up the inside of the home as well before snapping photos. If the home is currently occupied, try to move as many things out of a room as possible before shooting.

Good exterior shots go a long way. A good shot of the exterior of a home is the equivalent of curb appeal and could be the make-or-break aspect of your listing. Take a shot 10-20 feet above street level and be sure that cars, garbage cans and For Sale signs aren’t included in the shot. The less foreground elements, the better—unless they add to the appeal.

Using available light is softer and more appealing than a strobe or other artificial light, which washes out textures in wood, flooring and cabinets. Use a tripod if you have one for help in low-light situations.

Watch the weather and sun. The time of day you take photos is extremely important, especially if you’re shooting into the sun. Too much natural light will make your image feel flat, providing no contrast between light and dark. This will affect the overall appeal of the photos and the home. A professional photographer can make your home look great rain or shine, but if you’re going it alone, pick a day with great weather to shoot.

Try different angles. Sometimes moving a few feet from center really makes the home feel open. Having too many shots from the same angle fails to provide shoppers with enough views. Mix it up and try new, fresh ways of taking pictures of the home.

Hide those pets. Keep your pets, or any signs of them, out of listing photos. Some people are pet lovers, but those who aren’t associate pets with bad smells, dirty homes and germs. Get all pet toys, dishes and cages out of the way so everyone can look at the home with an unbiased eye.

To be successful, your photos need to accentuate the home’s potential and they need to be professional. Even if you can’t afford a professional photographer for every listing, you can still take these steps toward making your listing photos more presentable. After all, a picture’s worth a thousand words.