Photography Preparation

How should you prepare your home for real estate photography?

Home buyers will browse dozens or possibly hundreds of homes online before making an appointment to see a specific property. Sometimes, if shoppers are confident enough, home buyers may even buy a property sight unseen after only looking at the photos and video. Regardless of how buyers view your listing, preparation is vital. Our photography and video services combined with preparation will ensure that your listing media looks its best. The first step towards making a great first impression on buyers is preparing the property for photography. These tips not only apply for photography and video, they also apply to showing the property. We have arranged the tips by each section of the property.

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OVERVIEW FOR HOMEOWNERS & REALTORS

What areas aren’t photographed?
Unless otherwise requested, these areas are NOT typically photographed. Instead, use these areas for storage during the photo shoot. Occasionally, laundry rooms include features that are compelling enough for photography. The realtor will typically decide if any of these areas should be photographed.

Areas Not Photographed

Garage
Half Baths / Powder Rooms
Toilet Rooms (In Master Bathrooms)
Closets
Kitchen Pantry
Storage Sheds
Laundry Room

Real Estate Agent Notes

Remove the lock box during exterior photo shoot
Install signage AFTER photo shoot
Be sure to provide access code for gated communities.
Avoid scheduling shoots on garbage day.

General Prep

Thoroughly clean whole house (vacuum carpet, mop hard floors, clean countertops, clean windows)
Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON
Replace all burned out light bulbs
Use bulbs of the same temperature (ALL incandescent or ALL compact fluorescent)
Turn all ceiling fans OFF
Turn all TVs OFF
Turn all computer screens OFF
Open blinds/window treatments to let in outside light
If a window has a view, raise the blinds completely for a completely unobstructed view
Remove personal photographs (or replace with general landscape/object photographs)
Make all beds
Remove small floor rugs to reveal actual flooring
Place all shoes/jackets in closets
Remove exterior flags that may blow in the wind

Exterior

Front Exterior

The front of the home is usually the first picture buyers will see, and this picture will determine if they will look at additional property details.

Close garage doors
Remove cars from driveway and front of home
Remove trash cans from front of house
Clean up landscaping (mow, trim shrubs, clear leaves)
Remove empty planters
Use broom to remove cobwebs from eaves and door frames
Remove visible water hoses
Remove toys, sports balls, basketball goals, soccer goals, etc.

Back Yard / Decks / Docks

Clean porch, tidy up outdoor tables/chairs/cushions
Pillows/cushions should be fresh, not faded
Clear out kid’s toys, balls, frisbees, etc.
Clean pool
Remove pool vacuum/cleaner hose if possible
Hide pool cleaning supplies
Turn on pool fountains/water features
Remove visible water hoses
Remove trash cans
Docked boats and/or jet ski’s should be clean
Fishing gear should be neatly organized
Fire pits should be lit if evening photography is being provided

Kitchen

Clear countertops completely. No knife blocks, baking supplies, mail, etc.
Leave out max of one small appliance (ex. coffee maker)
Clear outside of refrigerator of magnets, papers, photos, etc.
Hide garbage cans in pantry or closet
Remove dishes from sink, place in dishwasher
Clean stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops to ensure there are no fingerprints or smudges

Dining Room

Clear table, dust and polish the table top
Use decorative place setting if available
Feature one center piece such as a bouquet of flowers
Straighten all chairs and space them evenly
Remove child seats/booster chairs

LIVING ROOM & FAMILY ROOM

Remove stacks of magazines, papers, mail, etc.
De-clutter fireplace mantel/hearth (no more than 5 items, including art)
Clean interior of fireplace and re-paint if needed
Do not block fireplace with furniture
Fluff and arrange furniture pillows
Remove kid’s toys

Bedrooms

Owners Suite

Make bed, including decorative pillows/shams if available
Press bed linens and bed skirts
Clear nightstands of all personal items
Store away phone/tablet charging cables
Remove all clutter from top of dressers
Remove family photos from walls
Clean under bed, removing items that may show in the photos

Kid Rooms & Secondary Rooms

Remove personalized names from walls
Remove wall stickers/posters
Remove diaper genies
Clean under bed, removing items that may show in the photos

Bathrooms

Clear countertops completely. No soap, toothbrushes, medications, deodorant, etc.
Put toilet seats down
Close closet doors
Remove shampoo, soap, loofahs, etc. from showers and tubs
Remove dirty towels – leave out only new, unused towels
Remove floor mats

Pets

Place food and water bowls in pantry or closet
Place pet beds/toys in pantry or closet
Use lint roller on furniture to remove pet hair
Contain pets in hidden crate or outside
Clear back yard of pet waste/toys

Holidays

Holiday decorations are not recommended for real estate photos. If a property listing has holiday decorations it can date the media, resulting in problems if the listing is active outside of the holidays. We strongly discourage our clients from displaying holiday decorations. Of course, we also understand the reality of decorating for the holidays. We will do our best to shoot around decorations, but we can’t guarantee that we can avoid decorations in the finished photos.

Remove yard decorations and visible lighting
Remove interior decorations including Christmas trees
Any decorations that are up should be kept to a minimum
Remove window decorations

Twilight Photography

Twilight photography is impressive and creates a dramatic presentation. Here are some tips to help achieve the best results. These tips are in addition to the Front Exterior tips previously covered.