A Room-by-Room Checklist Before the Real Estate Photographer Arrives
This one is built to forward. Send it to the seller a week out, not the night before, because half of it takes a trip to the hardware store.
This real estate photography checklist is designed to help an agent and seller prepare the property before the photographer arrives.
The agents who send something like this get properties that are ready when the photographer arrives. Without a prep note, the first part of a shoot can go to last-minute clearing. Same apartment, different photos.
Real Estate Photography Checklist: A Week Out
- Walk every room and note dead bulbs. Buy replacements, matching color temperature within each room, which matters more than people expect.
- Arrange for pets to be off-site or securely contained for the shoot.
- Arrange somewhere off-site for the clutter. A car trunk, a neighbor’s, a storage unit. Not the bathtub, not the shower, not the oven.
- Handle the small repairs you’ve been meaning to get to. Loose cabinet pull, crooked switch plate, scuffed baseboard.
- If it’s a co-op or condo, confirm with management what’s permitted: certificate of insurance, allowed hours, whether amenity spaces can be shot.
Exterior and entry
- Cars off the driveway and away from the front of the building
- Hoses, tools, mowers, bins, kids’ equipment out of frame
- Walkways and steps swept
- Seasonal decorations down: they date the photo within weeks
- Entry cleared of shoes, coats, umbrellas, and the pile that lives by the door
Living and dining
- Cords bundled and hidden, power strips pushed behind furniture
- Televisions and monitors off, so they photograph as clean black rectangles
- Ceiling fans off. Moving blades smear across the ceiling in a long exposure and can’t be fixed afterward.
- Rugs straightened, chairs squared to the table
- Remotes, mail, magazines, and chargers out of sight
Kitchen
- Counters cleared. Toaster, blender, coffee maker, stand mixer, knife block: all of it.
- Dish rack, sponges, soap, and scrub brushes put away
- Refrigerator door completely bare. Magnets, photos, school art, takeout menus.
- Sink empty and dried
- Trash can relocated for the hour
- Stainless and glass wiped down: fingerprints show badly under flash
Bedrooms
- Beds made properly, linens smooth, pillows squared
- Nightstands cleared of chargers, books, tissues, medication
- Nothing visible under the bed
- Closet doors closed, unless the closet is a selling point, in which case it needs to be organized, not just open
Bathrooms
- Shower and tub completely empty. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofahs, razors.
- Vanities cleared. Toothbrushes, skincare, hair dryers, curling irons.
- Mirrors, glass doors, and chrome wiped free of water spots
- Floor mats up: they almost always photograph as a wrinkle
- Fresh towels on the bar, two, matching, hung straight
- Toilet lids down
- Trash cans, plungers, and brushes out of the room
Lighting and last pass
- Turn on lamps and fixtures unless your photographer advises otherwise; replace dead bulbs and match bulb color within each room
- Blinds and curtains open evenly, all the way, on every window
- Pets contained or off-site
- Personal photographs down
- Anything with an address or a name on it put away
The one-line version
If the seller reads nothing else: everything on a flat surface comes off, everything personal comes down, lamps and fixtures are turned on as appropriate, and the ceiling fan goes off.
More on the reasoning behind the clearing in what sellers should remove, and on the lighting in whether to turn on every light.
Hudson Heights RES shoots real estate photography, floor plans, and virtual staging across New York City and the nearby metro area, delivery timing is confirmed when you book. Packages and pricing, or schedule a shoot.
Redfin’s guide to staging a house for photos covers similar ground from the seller’s side and is easy to forward.
Related reading: What Sellers Should Remove, the lighting rundown, and How to Prepare a Home for Real Estate Photos.
Chris Leary is the founder of Hudson Heights RES, which photographs listings across New York City and the nearby metro area.
