Home Preparations

When asking the home owner to prep the home for a photo session, tell them it is more important than an open house. The photo session is the biggest open house they will have. More people will see the photos online, than the amount of buyers who will ever see the house in person.

When owners are setting up a home, I have a checklist of things I would like for them to understand.

1. The photo-shoot will take no more than 2 hours. I will be photographing both the inside and outside of your home.
2. I’ll be photographing all of the major rooms.
3. I normally do not photograph the garage unless it has special features.
4. If you have special features of your home that are not obvious please let me know about these so I include them in the shoot.
5. Contain pets in the garage or out of sight.
6. Remove all vehicles from driveways and do not park directly in front of the house.
7. Move garbage cans out of sight.
8. Remove all garden tools including hoses and sprinklers.
9. Mow and rake yard.
10. Sweep driveways, sidewalks and patios.
11. Clear off counter tops in kitchen and bathroom areas.
12. Remove photos, notes and papers from the refrigerator.
13. Turn on all interior lights.
14. De-clutter rooms which may be excessively furnished. They do not photograph well.
15. Make all beds and tidy bedrooms. Clothes hung, or folded and put away.
16. Remove piles of newspaper and magazines.
17. Tuck trash cans out of view in a closet or cupboard.
18. Let me know if your home contains valuable works of art. I can edit photos to make these items unrecognizable or make sure the are not in the photographs.

Here is a Printable Checklist