20 Step Checklist to Prepare Your Home for Real Estate Photos

Posted by Winston Bowdre

If you've ever sold a home, you would probably agree that the day the photographer arrives is one of the most anxious times of the entire selling process. Everything has to be completely ready by the appointment time. It's a lot of stress.

As a photographer, it's common to show up on the day of a photo shoot to find the sellers frantically trying to finish the last steps of their cleaning & staging process. If you've ever been in this position, you understand the stress. The struggle is real.

Our Realtors work hard to help our clients get to this point of the selling process without much chaos. We use checklists and coaching visits from stagers, cleaners, and experienced agents to create a clear scope of work that makes our seller's homes look amazing BEFORE the photographer shows up.

I emphasize "BEFORE" the photographer shows up because there are sellers who think that the photos, videos, 3D tours, Floorplans, and marketing are just a small piece of the selling puzzle. They plan to have it all done before showings, but may not take the deadline before the photos as seriously. In reality, these marketing strategies are the MOST IMPORTANT piece of the puzzle! The marketing of your home will dramatically impact your buyers opinion of your house, and your sales price. The understanding of this is why real estate marketing has changed so drastically over the past few years.

When your photographer shows up, they are going to walk the house and spend some time searching out the most important aspects to highlight for potential buyers. Seasoned professionals have developed a uniquely honed ability to identify the pros and cons of the home, and know how to showcase the best parts of the property to lure buyers in. Their experience and trade tools allow them to manipulate light and space to make your home look as big and bright as possible.

Since your photographer/videographer is an artist, you will get significantly more out of their services if your house is completely ready when they arrive. Artists can get distracted if they have to rearrange and tidy rooms before a shoot. After all, that's not exactly part of their job description, You want their attention to be focused on a bright and tidy home, not on the work it takes to get the home to that point. They're often on a tight schedule, and time spent doing our job is time they can't spend doing theirs.

To get the most out of your professional real estate photographer, follow the checklist below. It will help ensure that your house is photo ready and welcoming to the artist coming to film/shoot your house. It will help the photographer/videographer emotionally connect to your home, allowing inspiration to flow freely, enabling them to make it look as alluring as possible. This translates to more money in your pocket when you sell your home!

Here's a checklist of the top 20 items to prepare your home for photos.

(Each item is explained in more detail below in the infographic.)

INTERIOR

Clear & Clean Kitchen Counters & Sink

When the kitchen counters are completely cleared off, it makes the kitchen look bigger, and buyers can imagine how they might use the space. Coffee makers, mixers, and decorations only distract buyers, and often make the kitchen feel cluttered. Remove everything but perhaps a few decorative items from the countertops and clean all surface areas, including the appliances, kitchen sink and back splash.

Clear & Clean Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, and Showers

Place all shampoo bottles, soaps, shaving razors, and other items into a bin that can fit underneath the bathroom sink. Take everything off of the bathroom counter as well. You want the bathrooms to appear vacant. Clean, neatly folded towels on towel racks are fine

Replace Burned Out Light Bulbs

This is one of the most overlooked itmes on the list. Be sure to check all of the ceiling lights, as well as extra lamps and exterior lights to make sure that they all work. If there are dark areas in the home, such as a basement, add a few extra lamps to brighten them up. Floor lamps that provide up-lighting are great! The more light, the better!

Turn On All Lights Throughout The Entire House

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. It's important to have as much light as possible. Turn on all of the lights in the house, including lamps and exterior lights. Your photographer will be happy to find your home in its brightest light when they arrive.

Open All Window Treatments

Natural light from windows brings life and emotion into real estate photos. We recommend opening all of the window treatments throughout the entire house to let in as much light as possible. If it's too bright outside, your photographer will alter your shades and curtains to balance out the shot. Don't forget to clean the windows!

Remove Unnecessary Furniture & Decorations

This is possibly the most difficult request for sellers, but it's one of the most important items on the list. Removing and storing excess or large bulky furniture can be challenging, but it opens up the floor space and makes the home look much larger. It's wise to consult a professional stager to determine which items should stay or go. This is truly one of those situations where "less is more".

Remove Floor Mats and Runners

Floor mats and runners are great at protecting your floors, but they can make the overall floor space look smaller, which in turn makes the room look smaller. Make sure to roll up and remove all of the floor mats in the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry areas. If you have any rugs, consult a stager to determine whether or not they should stay.

Turn All Ceiling Fans, TVs, and Computer Screens Off

Most photographers use HDR photography, which takes multiple light exposures for each photo and combines them into one final shot. Any moving items like ceiling fans or active TV/Computer screens look very strange in HDR. For this reason, we recommend turning off anything that moves or causes motion blur.

Clear Appliance Surfaces of Magnets and Clutter

It's very common to keep magnets, notes, reminders, and other personal information on the refrigerator. We ask our sellers to remove all magnets, calendars, and personal items from the refrigerator and any other place where they place notes. It will not only make your home appear tidier, it keeps your personal info safe from the general public.

Make All of the Beds

This is an obvious one that surprisingly gets overlooked often, especially in the secondary bedrooms. Be sure to make and decorate all the beds with matching sheets, blankets, and pillows. Use bedding that covers the entire bed and fits the mattress correctly. Use decorative pillows to brighten up the bed, if possible. If a room is clean, and the bed isn't made right, it makes the whole room seem off.

Remove All Personal Photos and Items

It's hard for buyers to visualize themselves in your house in your personal items are everywhere. Since you want your buyers to focus on the house and not on you, you'll need to remove all personal photos and items from the entire house; Including patios, porches, and garages.

Put All Shoes & Jackets in Closets

When buyers see shoes and jackets on coat racks and entryway floors, they subconsciously assume that the home lacks storage space. It's best to remove all jackets and shoes from anywhere that they can be seen throughout the entire house. Store away any loose items to remove all distractions.

Clear All Night Stands and Dressers

Night stands tend to accumulate items naturally. Half-read books, prescription drug bottles, tissues, and electronic devices will quickly clutter these areas. Remove everything but a lamp and one decorative item, such as a small floral arrangement or decorative book to make the area look clean and presentable. Think of a freshly cleaned hotel room.

Remove ALL Pet Items

When buyers see shoes and jackets on coat racks and entryway floors, they subconsciously assume that the home lacks storage space. It's best to remove all jackets and shoes from anywhere that they can be seen throughout the entire house. Store away any loose items to remove all distractions.

EXTERIOR

Clear & Clean Kitchen Counters & Sink

When the kitchen counters are completely cleared off, it makes the kitchen look bigger, and buyers can imagine how they might use the space. Coffee makers, mixers, and decorations only distract buyers, and often make the kitchen feel cluttered. Remove everything but perhaps a few decorative items from the countertops and clean all surface areas, including the appliances, kitchen sink and back splash.

Clear & Clean Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, and Showers

Place all shampoo bottles, soaps, shaving razors, and other items into a bin that can fit underneath the bathroom sink. Take everything off of the bathroom counter as well. You want the bathrooms to appear vacant. Clean, neatly folded towels on towel racks are fine

Replace Burned Out Light Bulbs

This is one of the most overlooked itmes on the list. Be sure to check all of the ceiling lights, as well as extra lamps and exterior lights to make sure that they all work. If there are dark areas in the home, such as a basement, add a few extra lamps to brighten them up. Floor lamps that provide up-lighting are great! The more light, the better!

Turn On All Lights Throughout The Entire House

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. It's important to have as much light as possible. Turn on all of the lights in the house, including lamps and exterior lights. Your photographer will be happy to find your home in its brightest light when they arrive.

Open All Window Treatments

Natural light from windows brings life and emotion into real estate photos. We recommend opening all of the window treatments throughout the entire house to let in as much light as possible. If it's too bright outside, your photographer will alter your shades and curtains to balance out the shot. Don't forget to clean the windows!

Remove Unnecessary Furniture & Decorations

This is possibly the most difficult request for sellers, but it's one of the most important items on the list. Removing and storing excess or large bulky furniture can be challenging, but it opens up the floor space and makes the home look much larger. It's wise to consult a professional stager to determine which items should stay or go. This is truly one of those situations where "less is more".

A Few Things to Be Aware Of:

Be Prepared to Reschedule

Most photographers work around the weather because it has such a strong impace on the final marketing materials. It's impossible to fly drones and get footage if it's raining or extremely windy. Be prepared to have your agent call and reschedule your photo shoot if the weather takes a turn for the worst. If a professional determines he/she should wait, trust them that it's for the best.

Be Prepared to Leave for a Few Hours

At Winston Alan Realty, we use HDR photography in order to capture the best photos for your home. If you have pets or kids running through the house during a photo shoot, they will likely be in the pictures somewhere. It's best to plan to leave your home and give the photographer a non-occupied space to work with. It also helps them to not get distracted, Even if you're just shuffling from room to room. You will get the most out of the process if the home is unoccupied.

Leave Instructions for the Photographer to Lock Up

When your professional photographer/videographer is finished, they will usually message the Realtor who scheduled the photo shoot to let them know that they are done. If you've followed our advice and aren't home, leave a key and/or instructions to let the photographer know your preferred method of locking up when they leave.

Final Thoughts:

The marketing of your home is the most important piece of the selling puzzle, and it begins with your preparation paired with a great photographer/videographer. Having the items on this checklist completed will ensure that your home will be ready before they arrive, which will enable you to get the most out of their time and talent. You've likely done a lot of work to get your home ready to sell; don't fizzle out at the end when these details matter the most! Remember, great marketing leads to great offers!

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