How to Prep a House for a Listing Shoot: A Checklist to Send Your Seller

The best listing photos are mostly decided before the photographer walks in. A clear counter, open blinds and a bare driveway do more for a listing than any amount of editing. This checklist is written so you can forward it straight to your seller. It covers what to do the day before, room by room, and what tends to slow a shoot down.

The day before

• Do the dishes, run the dishwasher and put everything away.
• Do a load of laundry so no baskets are sitting out.
• Mow, edge and blow off the walkways if the weather allows.
• Replace any burnt-out bulbs, inside and out. Mismatched bulb colors in one room are worth fixing too.
• Take the trash and recycling bins out of sight, not just to the curb.

The morning of the shoot

• Move every car off the driveway and away from the front of the house, including the street directly in front if you can.
• Turn on every light in the house, including lamps, under-cabinet lights and the oven hood light.
• Open all blinds and curtains. Raise the blinds fully rather than tilting the slats.
• Turn off ceiling fans and TVs.
• Close the toilet lids.
• Put pets, food bowls, beds, litter boxes and toys out of sight. If a pet will be home, plan for it to be crated or out for a walk while we shoot.

Kitchen

The kitchen is usually one of the first photos buyers see, and it is the room where clutter shows the most.

• Clear the counters almost completely. A bowl of fruit or one plant is plenty.
• Put away small appliances: toaster, coffee maker, air fryer, knife block.
• Remove everything from the front of the fridge: magnets, photos, calendars, kids' art.
• Hide dish soap, sponges and towels hanging on the oven door.

Living and dining rooms

• Put away remotes, chargers, game controllers and loose cables.
• Straighten couch cushions and fold or remove throw blankets.
• Clear the coffee table down to one or two items.
• Set the dining table simply or leave it bare. A centerpiece is fine; full place settings usually look staged in photos.

Bedrooms

• Make every bed, with the comforter pulled smooth and pillows straight.
• Clear nightstands down to a lamp.
• Put away clothes, shoes and anything on the floor.
• Close closet doors.

Bathrooms

• Remove everything from counters, the tub edge and the shower: toothbrushes, razors, shampoo bottles, bath mats.
• Hang one set of matching clean towels, or none.
• Hide the plunger, toilet brush and trash can.

Outside

• Put away hoses, tools, kids' toys and yard equipment.
• Clean off patio furniture and arrange it neatly.
• Cover or remove a grill if it is worn.
• Pick up after pets in the yard.
• If there is a pool, have it clean and the cover off.

What we will and will not move

On shoot day we make small adjustments to get a clean frame: straightening a pillow, nudging a chair, turning a lamp on, moving a stray item out of the shot and putting it back. That is part of the job.

What we do not do is declutter the house, move heavy furniture, handle valuables, medications or personal paperwork, or put away a sink full of dishes. We are there to photograph the home, and going through a seller's belongings is not something we should be doing. If a room is not ready when we get there, we will usually skip it and come back to it at the end, or photograph it as it is if the agent prefers.

What delays or derails a shoot

Most shoots that run long have one of the same few causes:

• Cars still in the driveway when we arrive.
• A locked door, gate or lockbox code that does not work.
• Rooms still being cleaned or decluttered while we are there.
• People in the house who need to move from room to room ahead of us.
• Pets loose in the house.
• Heavy rain or high wind on a drone shoot. We will reschedule aerials rather than fly unsafely.

If any of these are likely, tell us when you book so we can plan around it. A note about access or pets on the order saves real time on site.

A note for agents

Sellers take this list more seriously when it comes from you with a date and time attached. Send it a few days ahead, then send a short reminder the night before: cars off the driveway, every light on, blinds open, pets put up. Those four things alone make a visible difference in the finished photos.

When the house is ready, the shoot itself usually takes about an hour, and photos are back within 48 hours.