Real Estate Photography Checklist that You Need to Make you House look Amazing

If you’re looking for a real estate photography checklist to follow to make your home look amazing, then you’ve come to the right place. This post is about how to make your house look good in photos. 

Download your free real estate photography checklist PDF here.

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Without further ado, let’s get into this post!

This post is about the only real estate photography checklist that you need.

General things to prep right before the photography shoot:

• Plan to be away for a few hours: It is best to plan to be away while the photographer is there so that you do not constantly have to move around and get out of their way.
• Use garage for storage: This is typically not photographed unless there is something special to show.
• Depersonalize: Put away personal items and photos. Go through your home and put away any personal items and photos. 
• Vacuum and sweep floors: Make sure your carpets are vacuumed and your floors are swept throughout your entire home. 
• Empty wastebaskets: Don’t forget to empty ALL of your visible trash cans, including in your bathroom(s).
• Remove all visible clutter: Next, go through and tidy up your home, remove any visible clutter throughout. 
• Open shades/blinds and turn on all the lights: Right before the photo shoot if you can, open all your shades/blinds and turn on all the lights. If you don’t do this the photographer can do it for you. 
• Replace burned-out light bulbs: The photographer is going to turn all the lights for the photos so make sure they are all in working order. 
• Hide animal beds, toys, bowls & litter boxes: Remove pets from the home or put them into one room & notify the photographer of where they are.
• Tidy up or put away all children’s toys: If you have kids make sure you put away all their toys. 

In general, make sure your home is looking as tidy as possible. Professional photography is a must when you’re listing your home. After all, your home online presence has never mattered more than in today’s world. Online photos are the first impression of your home for buyers so you must make it count by making your home look as good as possible!

Exterior Front and Back:

• Remove cars from driveway and street: Make sure no cars are in the driveway when the photographer is there.
• Powerwash: I recommend power washing exterior furniture, decks, patios, front steps, etc to get rid of any build-up or dirt. 
• Hide trash cans: This seems silly but make sure you put away your trash cans because no one wants to see them. 
• Landscape: Landscaping before photos is critical so that your home looks the best it can.
• Pick up dog poop: If you have any pets make sure all feces is picked up. 
• Clean pool area: Make sure your pool is looking good for photos. 
• Arrange and clean outdoor furniture: Staging the outside is just as important as the inside. Clean and nicely arrange any outdoor furniture pieces. 
• Close all windows: For photos you don’t want any windows open. 
• Pick up leaves, sticks, and branches: Clean up the yard beforehand so it looks the best it can. 

Kitchen:

• Depersonalize: Clear all appliance surfaces of magnets, calendars, and personal items. Like a fresh start
• Store food in cabinets: No one wants to see your food out on the counters.
• De-clutter counters, stove, etc: Make sure all clutter is gone.
• Hide soaps and sponges: Right before the shoot, put away your sponge and soaps under the sink. Trust me your photos will look ten times better!
• Put away dish rack: If you have a dish rack out then also put that under the sink.
• Clear sink of dishes: This one is a no-brainer, make the sink clear of dishes and look shiny. 
• Organize items on open shelves: Open shelves are great but make sure they are looking good for photos. 
• Organize pantry shelves: If you have a nice pantry that should be showcased in photos then tidy it up so that buyers can see its fullest potential.

The main things in the kitchen are to declutter, empty the counters, and wipe everything down so it looks sparkling clean for photos. When it comes to getting your kitchen photograph ready you will need to make sure the counters are completely cleared off. Not only does a clear counter make the kitchen look bigger, but buyers can imagine how they might use the space. Coffee makers, mixers, and decorations only distract buyers, and often make the kitchen feel cluttered. 

Dining Room:

• Straighten/push in dining chairs: Neaten up the space before photos. If you want to go a step further you can also set the table.
• Add centerpiece, candles, or a vase of flowers: Adding a centerpiece to the table is 
• Dust corners and furniture: Before the photos you may want to do a quick dust of the corners and furniture, make sure there are no cobwebs hanging out!

Bedrooms:

• Neatly make beds: Make your beds the best that you can
• Arrange decorative pillows: If you have throw pillows arrange these neatly
• Clean under the bed if visible: If under the bed is visible, make sure it’s clean
• Declutter floor, nightstands, and dressers, etc: Self explanatory 
• Tidy closets: If you have a walk-in closet you’ll want to tidy this up because this is an important feature. 

Bathrooms:

• Shine all windows, glass, and counters: Use some glass cleaner to shine everything up.
• Hang fresh towels: Hang some fresh neutral-colored towels up to make the space look lived-in.
• Clear counters of toiletries: Clear your counters of any unnecessary items, just leave the soap and hand towels out for photos. 
• Clean toilet and close lid: Always close the lid for photos because no one wants to see the inside of your toilet, that is for sure!
• Remove all items from tub and shower: Before photographs youll want to clear your shower of any products. this just makes the shower look better.
• Clean floors: Make sure your floors are swept and mopped 

All in all, you want to have your bathroom sparkling clean before photos are taken! Place all of the 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.

This post is about the only real estate photography checklist you need.

Posted By: By Annabelle Rose · In: All Posts on Home, All Posts on Lifestyle, Lifestyle