How to Prepare Your Home for Real Estate Photos
You do not need to make your house look like a model home.
You want buyers looking at the house, not your stuff.
Before the photographer arrives, remove the everyday distractions that compete with the rooms, features and condition of the property. For sellers in Niceville, Shalimar and Fort Walton Beach, the goal is simple: clean, clear, bright and ready.
Do These Things First
Do not spend the night trying to redecorate the entire house. Start with what the camera is most likely to notice.
1. Clear the View
Move cars, garbage bins, laundry baskets, pet items and obvious clutter out of sight.
2. Clean the Surfaces
Focus on floors, kitchen counters, bathroom counters, sinks, mirrors, tubs, showers and visible glass.
3. Finish the Basics
Make the beds, open blinds consistently, replace burned-out bulbs and straighten the exterior.
What Is Happening at This Milestone?
What Is Happening
The photographer is coming to create the images buyers will see when your home enters the market.
What You Need to Do
Have the house clean, uncluttered and photo-ready before the scheduled appointment.
What I Am Doing
Making sure the listing information, photography and launch plan work together so the property is ready when buyers first see it.
We Want Buyers Looking at the House, Not Your Stuff
A camera sees a room differently than you do when you live there every day.
The dog bed you barely notice, magnets on the refrigerator, laundry basket beside the dresser, collection on the mantel or garden hose by the driveway can become surprisingly noticeable in a photograph.
None of those things means there is anything wrong with your home. They are simply competing with what we actually want the buyer to notice.
The house should be the subject.
We are not trying to make the property look like something it is not. We are removing ordinary distractions so the photographs can show the property buyers are considering.
If Possible, Give the Photographer the House
The easiest setup is an empty house during the photography appointment.
The photographer needs to move from room to room and work from angles that may not be obvious while you are standing in the room. It is easier to work efficiently when people do not have to keep moving from one room to another.
Please take pets with you if you can.
This is not only about keeping them out of the photographs.
A photographer is an unfamiliar person moving throughout the house. Exterior doors may be opened while the photographer works inside and outside.
The safest and easiest plan is for pets to be off the property during the photo appointment whenever possible.
Do the Moving and Cleaning Before the Photographer Arrives
Photography time should be used for photography.
Do not plan on the photographer moving furniture, cleaning counters, making beds or deciding where your belongings should go.
Clean
Floors, carpets, counters, sinks, appliances, mirrors, tubs, showers and windows should be clean before the appointment.
Declutter
Reduce extra furniture, photographs, collectibles, toys, toiletries and everyday items sitting on surfaces.
Put Things Away
Store cleaning supplies, laundry, pet items, garbage cans, bathroom products and extra kitchen equipment out of sight.
Look From the Doorway
Stand at the doorway and look at the room as if you were seeing it for the first time. Remove anything that pulls your eye away from the room itself.
Start at the Street
Walk to the street and look back at your property. That first view matters because it is often one of the first photographs a buyer sees.
- Move cars out of the driveway and away from the front of the home.
- Check the home's curb appeal from the street.
- Trim or straighten landscaping and potted plants.
- Blow or rake leaves from walkways and exterior areas.
- Turn off sprinkler timers so sprinklers do not run during photos.
- Move garbage and recycling bins out of sight.
- Put away hoses, tools, toys and outdoor equipment.
- Straighten fire pits, grills and wood-pile areas.
- Clean obvious driveway stains when practical.
- Put away pool toys and loose pool equipment.
- Tidy sheds and visible storage areas.
- Straighten deck and patio furniture.
Make the Whole House Look Consistent
Light and Windows
- Open blinds consistently throughout the house.
- Turn on lights and lamps.
- Replace burned-out bulbs.
- Replace noticeably mismatched bulbs when practical.
- Turn ceiling fans off.
- Turn televisions and monitors off.
- Clean windows and mirrors.
Clutter and Personal Items
- Minimize excess furniture and clutter.
- Reduce visible personal photographs.
- Put away cleaning supplies.
- Hide cords where practical.
- Remove visible pet bowls, beds and toys.
- Tidy key racks, shoe areas and note holders.
- Secure valuables, firearms and other sensitive items.
- Empty visible trash containers.
Use Less, Then Straighten What Remains
- Reduce unnecessary furniture.
- Limit extra tables and footstools.
- Fold or put away loose blankets and throws.
- Straighten pillows and reduce extras.
- Reduce visible collectibles and small objects.
- Declutter the fireplace and mantel.
- Push dining chairs in evenly.
- Keep dining-table staging simple.
Clear Counters Make the Kitchen Easier to See
- Put away pots, pans, utensils and visible food.
- Clean appliances.
- Clean countertops and sinks.
- Put away oven mitts and dish towels.
- Hide soap, sponges and brushes.
- Store dish racks and extra countertop equipment.
- Tuck away cords from small appliances.
- Remove magnets, papers and clutter from the refrigerator.
- Move garbage cans and unnecessary floor mats out of sight.
Make the Bed and Let the Room Breathe
- Make every bed.
- Put clothes and shoes away.
- Put away or neatly arrange children's toys.
- Hide hampers and laundry baskets.
- Clear dresser tops.
- Declutter bedroom vanities.
- Clean mirrors.
Think Hotel Bathroom, Not Morning Routine
Your toothbrush, shampoo and hairbrush are normal parts of life. They just do not need to become part of the listing.
- Clean countertops and sinks.
- Clean mirrors.
- Clean showers and tubs.
- Put away toiletries and personal-care items.
- Use only a small number of clean, neatly arranged towels.
- Remove unnecessary bath mats.
- Put bathroom scales away.
- Clean toilets and close the lids.
You Are Preparing for Photographs, Not an Inspection
Photography day is not about proving that the house is perfect.
We are not trying to hide defects, disguise the property or make a room appear to be something it is not.
We are removing ordinary visual distractions so a buyer can see the home clearly.
Before You Leave on Photo Day
- Cars are moved.
- Garbage bins are hidden.
- Sprinklers are off.
- Blinds are open consistently.
- Lights and lamps are on.
- Ceiling fans are off.
- Televisions and monitors are off.
- Kitchen counters are clear.
- Bathroom counters are clear.
- Toilet lids are down.
- Beds are made.
- Trash has been emptied.
- Pet items are out of sight.
- Pets are safely off the property if possible.
- Everyone can leave the photographer to work.
Then stop.
You do not need to keep finding things to fix.
If the house is clean, orderly and ready, let the photographer do the photography.
You Are Here: Photography Day
Selling a home is easier to follow when you know what is happening now and what comes next.
Photography Day
See the Complete Seller Journey
Preparation, photography, showings, offers, inspections, repairs, appraisal and closing fit into one seller roadmap.
Complete Seller Roadmap →Next Milestone: Your Listing Goes Live
Once the listing is active, buyers can find the home and showing requests begin.
Listing Goes Live & Showings →The Photos Become Part of the Marketing
Once the photographs and listing information are ready, the home can move into the market.
The MLS, asking price, photographs, property information and showing access work together. Good photographs cannot fix the wrong price. The right price cannot make weak photographs disappear.
The goal is to give the right buyer a clear look at the property and remove unnecessary reasons to keep scrolling.
Questions Sellers Ask Before the Photographer Comes
Should I be home during real estate photography?
I prefer the house to be empty of people during the appointment when possible. It gives the photographer room to work efficiently without asking people to move from room to room.
What should I do with my pets?
Taking pets off the property is the best option when practical. Besides keeping them out of photographs, it reduces the risk of a frightened pet getting through an exterior door while the photographer is moving around the property.
Do I need to remove everything personal?
No. This is still your home. Reduce visual clutter and highly personal items so the house remains the focus of the photos.
Should I remove all the furniture?
No. An occupied home can photograph well. Reduce unnecessary pieces, arrange the remaining furniture neatly and make it easy for buyers to understand the size and function of each room.
Should the lights be on for real estate photos?
Have working bulbs in place and the home ready with lights and lamps on. Open blinds consistently and turn ceiling fans, televisions and computer monitors off.
What if I cannot get everything perfect before the photographer comes?
Do not chase perfection. Focus first on the exterior, visible clutter, kitchen and bathroom counters, floors, windows, beds and lighting.
Get the House Ready. Then Let the House Do Its Job.
At each step, I want you to know what is happening, what you need to do and what comes next.
Today that means getting the home photo-ready. Next we put those photographs to work when the listing goes live.
About This Checklist
This preparation guide is based in part on the real estate photography checklist provided to Uber Realty by Alluring Images, LLC and on Uber Realty's seller-preparation process.
The exact photography plan can vary with the property, weather, occupancy, photographer and listing needs.
Jim Whatley, Broker/Owner • Uber Realty LLC • 850-499-2940 • jim@uberrealty.com
Florida Broker License BK3174026 • Florida Brokerage License CQ1038333 • Equal Housing Opportunity