Prep
How to prepare your house for real estate photos.
Forward this to your seller as-is. Every item below shows up in the photos — or keeps something out of them.
Also linked in every booking confirmation email.
Interior — morning of the shoot
Thirty focused minutes here does more for the photos than any edit can.
- Turn on every light, lamps included. Swap dead bulbs — matching warm bulbs beat mixed colors.
- Ceiling fans off. Spinning blades photograph as blur.
- Blinds even: all open to the same height, slats tilted the same way.
- Kitchen counters down to one or two styled items — small appliances, sponges, and drying racks off stage.
- Bathrooms: toilet lids down, counters bare, fresh towels folded straight.
- Beds made tight. Personal photos down if privacy matters to you.
- Fridge stripped: magnets, papers, and photos off.
- Cords, chargers, remotes, pet bowls, and trash cans out of sight.
- Pets secured off camera — and a heads-up if a dog will be home during the shoot.
Exterior — the day before helps
The first photo an agent posts is almost always the front of the house.
- Cars out of the driveway and off the curb directly in front of the home.
- Trash bins, hoses, tools, and toys out of sight.
- Mow, edge, and blow within 48 hours of the shoot.
- Pool skimmed; lanai furniture straightened, cushions on, screens closed.
- Porch swept, doormat squared, seasonal decor thinned.
- Exterior fixtures working — a dead porch light reads as deferred maintenance.
Twilight & aerial add-ons
Booked a twilight or drone deliverable? Four extra minutes of prep.
- Twilight: every window-facing interior light on before dusk — the glow is the shot.
- Landscape and pool lighting on and tested ahead of the evening.
- Gate and lockbox codes to me before arrival day.
- Aerial: unlock side gates and flag any HOA quirks — airspace clearance is my job, not yours.
Can’t get to everything? Shoot anyway — tasteful scene-straightening is part of every listing shoot. The list just moves the ceiling higher.
Prep questions, answered
How long does it take to prepare a house for real estate photos?
About thirty focused minutes inside on the morning of the shoot, if the home is already sale-ready — lights, blinds, counters, beds. The exterior gets its own pass the day before: mowing, edging, and blowing hold up fine within 48 hours.
Bigger jobs — decluttering closets, thinning furniture, pressure-washing — belong in the week before the shoot, not the morning of it.
Should all the lights be on for real estate photos?
Yes — every light, lamps included, even at midday. Layered light photographs warmer and brighter, and a dead bulb reads instantly on camera. Match bulb temperatures where you can: one cool-white bulb in a warm room shifts the color of the whole frame. Ceiling fans stay off — spinning blades photograph as blur.
What should you not do before a listing photo shoot?
The three most common misses: cars left in the driveway, ceiling fans left spinning, and counters cleaned but still crowded — a spotless counter full of small appliances photographs as clutter.
And don’t cancel over a gray forecast. Interiors shoot on schedule in any weather, and if clouds block an exterior, twilight, or drone frame, the missing shots are rescheduled at no charge.
What if the house isn’t ready when the photographer arrives?
Shoot anyway. Tasteful scene-straightening — pillows squared, cords tucked, counters cleared — is part of every listing shoot. The checklist raises the ceiling on the photos; it was never the price of admission.
Do drone or twilight shots need extra prep?
A little. For aerials: unlock side gates and get cars off the driveway and curb — they read even larger from the air. Airspace clearance is not your job; every flight is planned around the FAA’s Part 107 rules, with airspace checked before the shoot.
For twilight: every window-facing interior light on before dusk, landscape and pool lighting tested ahead of the evening — the glow is the shot.