How to Prepare Your Home for Listing Photos: A Room-by-Room Checklist

By Weiting Yu, Texas-licensed agent (TREC #787385) · Updated November 13, 2026

Short answer: Buyers see your photos before they see your home, so the shoot is the real first showing. Finish repairs and deep cleaning the week before. The day before, clear every counter and floor. The morning of, turn on every light, open the blinds, hide cars and trash cans, and take pets out. A photographer can fix brightness and color afterward. A photographer cannot fix clutter.

Why do the photos matter so much?

In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 73% of buyers' agents said photos were highly important to their clients, ahead of physical staging at 57% and video at 48%. Most buyers decide which homes to visit from the listing alone.

What should you do the week before?

• Finish small repairs: burnt-out bulbs, dripping taps, loose handles, scuffed paint.
• Replace mismatched bulbs so every room has the same color of light.
• Deep clean, including windows inside and out, grout, baseboards and ceiling fans.
• Mow, edge, trim shrubs away from windows, and add fresh mulch.
• Pressure-wash the driveway, walk and front porch.
• Pack what you will not need for a month. You are moving anyway.

What should you do the day before?

Kitchen

• Clear the counters to two or three items at most.
• Remove magnets, papers and photos from the refrigerator.
• Hide dish soap, sponges, towels and the trash can.

Living areas

• Remove about a third of the furniture if rooms feel tight.
• Hide remotes, cords, toys and pet beds.
• Straighten pillows, throws and rugs.

Bedrooms

• Make beds with plain, pressed bedding.
• Clear nightstands and dressers.
• Empty the closet floors. Buyers open closets and photographers shoot them.

Bathrooms

• Clear every surface, including the shower.
• Hang fresh matching towels.
• Close the toilet lid and hide the plunger, brush and bath mat.

Outside

• Put away hoses, tools, toys and grill covers.
• Arrange patio furniture and open the umbrella.
• Clean the pool and remove the cleaner and hoses.

What should you do the morning of the shoot?

1. Turn on every light, including lamps, under-cabinet lights and closets.
2. Open all blinds and curtains.
3. Turn ceiling fans and televisions off.
4. Move cars out of the driveway and away from the front of the house.
5. Move trash and recycling bins out of sight.
6. Take pets out of the house, with their bowls and crates.
7. Be ready before the photographer arrives. The appointment is for shooting, not tidying.

What should you remove for privacy?

Family photos, diplomas, mail, prescriptions, calendars and anything with a name or account number on it. Remove valuables and firearms. Personal items also pull a buyer's attention away from the house.

What can't a photographer fix?

Clutter, stains, dead grass, a dirty pool, and a dark room with the blinds shut. Editing corrects exposure and color. It does not move furniture or clean a counter, and heavily altered photos mislead buyers.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a shoot take?

Plan on one to two hours for most homes, longer with drone or twilight photos.

Should I be home?

Be there at the start to answer questions, then stay out of the rooms being shot.

What if it rains?

Interior photos can go ahead. Ask to reschedule the exterior shots.

Is photography included with a flat fee listing?

With KAT Realty Group it is. Professional listing photography is part of our $5,999 full-service flat fee (homes under $900,000; higher-priced homes have their own fixed fee). Sellers pay $600 at listing signing and the balance at closing, only if the home sells. See what the listing fee includes.

Source: NAR, 2025 Profile of Home Staging.