How to Prepare Your Property for a Real Estate Photo Shoot

25 Sep How to Prepare Your Property for a Real Estate Photo Shoot

The photographer controls the camera, the light and the editing. Everything else — what is on
the counter, whether the bulbs match, where the cars are parked — is decided before we arrive.
Here is the checklist we send clients who want the most out of a shoot.

The day before

• Declutter first, clean second. Empty surfaces photograph better than clean
  clutter. Counters, the fridge door, bathroom vanities and bedside tables should be almost bare.
• Replace dead bulbs, and match them. A room with one cool white and two warm
  bulbs is visible in every frame and takes longer to correct.
• Put away the personal layer. Family photos, mail, laundry, pet bowls, toys,
  bins and cleaning products.
• Wash the windows and mirrors if the property is occupied. HDR photography
  keeps the view in the window, which also means it keeps the streaks.

Room by room

• Kitchen: clear the counters, hide the sponges and bins, straighten the stools,
  remove the magnets and drawings from the fridge.
• Living room: fluff and square the cushions, fold throws, hide remotes and
  cables, and centre the coffee table.
• Bedrooms: make the beds properly with matching linens, clear the floor, and
  close the closet doors.
• Bathrooms: fresh towels, nothing on the counter, toilet seats down, shampoo
  bottles out of the shower.
• Basement and garage: tidy enough to photograph, because buyers ask about both.

Outside

• Cars off the driveway and out of the frame, including the street in front of the house.
• Bins, hoses, ladders and seasonal decorations put away.
• Lawn cut, leaves cleared, garden furniture set as if someone is about to sit down.
• Pool cover off and the water clear when the pool is part of the sale.

Right before we arrive

• All lights on, including lamps, under-cabinet lighting and closets.
• Blinds and curtains open so the daylight and the view come in.
• Ceiling fans off — a moving fan blurs in the frame.
• Pets and people in one room that we shoot first, then out of the way.

Tell us in advance

• Anything that must not appear in the photos.
• Rooms that are locked, and where the key is — for
  floor plans we need access to every room, including the basement and
  the garage.
• The address, if a drone flight is booked: flight rules
  depend on the location and some areas need authorization arranged in advance.

What happens if the weather turns

Interiors are shot as planned and we return for the exterior, or reschedule at no extra cost.
The same applies to drone flights and to twilight
photography, which needs a clear sky in the short window after sunset.

Book the shoot

See the full price list by property size, or book
listing photography and we will send this checklist with the
confirmation. Call (416) 894-9373 or
contact us.