9 Step Checklist to Prepare Your Home for Real Estate Pictures

Before you prepare your home to be photographed, there are nine steps to consider. You want to get your home ready for the photoshoot because your home’s marketing will dramatically impact the buyer’s opinion of your house and sale price. Taking a picture of your home sounds easy; however, you best leave it to the photography professionals. Real estate photographers will make your home look amazing with their skill sets in photography and videography.

When your real estate photographer shows up, they will walk the house and spend time searching for important aspects to highlight to potential buyers. Your job is to make the house entirely ready when the photographer arrives because they are often on a tight schedule and don’t need to be spending time rearranging and tidying the rooms before the photoshoot. You want their attention to be focused on a bright and clean home that is ready. Use these helpful steps to ensure your house is photo-ready and welcoming before you list your home for sale.

1. Clean Kitchen Counters & Sink

Clear off kitchen counters to make the kitchen space appear more prominent. Kitchen counters with coffee makers, mixers, and decorations can be a distraction for buyers and make the kitchen feel cluttered. Remove everything except a few decorative items from the countertops and clean all surface areas, including appliances, kitchen sink, and backsplash.

2. Clean the Bathroom

Take all items off of the bathroom counter and place all of the shampoo bottles, soaps, shaving razors, and other items into a bin that can be stored underneath the bathroom sink. You want your bathroom to look bigger and vacant. Clean the countertops, sinks, toilet, and shower. Neatly fold any decorative towels on the towel rack and place a few for-show items on the countertop.

3. Turn On All Lights Throughout the Entire House

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. Be sure to check all of the ceiling lights, lamps, and exterior lights to make sure they all work. Turn on all the lights in the house before the photographer arrives.

4. Remove Unnecessary Furniture & Decorations

Removing and storing excess or large furniture can be challenging, but it opens up the floor space and makes the home look much more presentable. Consult a professional stager to determine which items should stay or go. Floor mats and runners can make the overall floor space look smaller. Make sure to roll up and remove all of the floor mats in the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry areas.

5. Make All of the Beds

This is the most obvious step, but it gets overlooked often, especially in the secondary bedrooms. Decorate all the beds with matching sheets, blankets, and pillows to brighten up the bed.

6. Remove All Personal Photos and Items

You want the buyer to visualize themselves in your house, but it will be hard if your items are everywhere. Since you want your buyers to fall in love with the house, you will need to remove all private photos and items from the entire home, including the patio, porch, and garage.

7. Put All Shoes & Jackets in Closets

Remove all jackets and shoes from anywhere they can be seen throughout the hour and store away any loose items to remove all distractions. Buyers do not want to see shoes and jackets on coat racks and entryway floors because they will assume that the home lacks storage space.

8. Remove All Pet Items

Not everyone has pets. Some people are severely allergic to animals, while others simply do not like having a pet in their home. Make sure your home shows no signs of pets, especially pet smells. Spend time cleaning your home to get rid of the pet odor and remove all pet items from the house.

9. Tidy Up the Yard & Landscape

First impressions are crucial when selling your home. Make sure your front yard is cleaned up, and all of the landscape should be trimmed back and tidy. The first picture that people will see of your home will be the outside front yard. Your front yard needs to be in very good condition to grab the buyer’s attention. Sweep the front and back porches and clean and clear all cars from the road and driveway.

Final Thoughts

Your home’s marketing is the most important part of selling your home. It begins with preparation and is paired with a great real estate photographer. Southern Property Videography Services can help make your home sell quickly with high-quality photography, drone photos, and video, and a cinematic video walkthrough with a 24-hour turnaround time. Call or text us at 678-330-5169 to book your shoot today!