Preparing Your Home For Photos
General Tips
- Clean the whole house (vacuum carpet, sweep hard floors or mop if needed, clean counter tops, etc).
- Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON. (Only if you are home - Please don’t leave them on all day)
- Replace all burned out light bulbs & use bulbs of the same temperature - this can greatly effect color balance. (ALL incandescent or ALL compact fluorescent).
- Turn all ceiling fans OFF.
- Have all TVs and computer screens OFF.
- Open blinds/window treatments to let in outside light.
- Remove large personal photographs. Roughly 8x10 or smaller are fine.
- Make all of the beds.
- Remove small floor rugs to reveal actual flooring.
- Place all shoes and jackets in closets.
- Remove Holiday decorations. Inside and out.
Exterior
- Remove cars from driveway and front of home & close the garage doors.
- Yard maintained (mow, trim shrubs, clear leaves) and remove empty planters.
- Roll up or remove visible water hoses.
- Remove toys, sports balls, basketball goals, soccer goals, etc.
- Clean porch, tidy up outdoor tables/chairs/cushions.
- Turn on any water features.
- Pools should be cleaned, remove pool vacuum/cleaner hose, and hide the cleaning supplies.
Kitchen
- Clear counter tops of any clutter and remove any unnecessary small appliances. The coffee maker can stay, but hide the toaster, knife blocks, baking supplies, mail, etc.
- Clear the outside of refrigerator of large magnets, papers, photos, etc.
- Hide the garbage cans in a pantry or closet.
- Remove any dishes from the sink, place in dishwasher.
Living Room
- Remove stacks of magazines, papers, mail, etc.
- De-clutter fireplace mantel/hearth.
- Clean interior of fireplace and re-paint if needed.
- Fluff and arrange furniture pillows.
- Remove kid's toys.
Dining Room
- Clear and clean the table top.
- Use decorative place settings if available.
- Choose carefully if you have a center decoration.
- Straighten the chairs and space them evenly.
- Remove child seats or booster chairs.
Master Suite
- Make the bed, including decorative pillows and shams if available.
- Clear nightstands of unnecessary personal items and store away phone/tablet charging cables.
- Remove clutter from top of dressers.
- Remove any large family photos from walls.
- Organize large walk-in closets (Usually we won’t take photos inside but the door may be partially open).
- Clean the bathroom - put the toothbrushes in the holder, hide the toothpaste and razors, clean the mirror, toilet seat down, clean the glass shower door or replace with a fresh curtain liner, etc.
Other Bedrooms/Guest Rooms
- Make the bed.
- If possible, remove personal names from the walls.
- Remove wall stickers or posters that may not be as appreciated or admired by others.
- Put away toys and other personal belongings.
- Straighten-up shelves, tops of dressers and desks.
Bathrooms
- Clear and tidy up the counter tops.
- Put toilet seats down.
- Close any closet and cupboard doors.
- Clean the mirror and glass shower doors.
- Remove shampoo and loofahs from showers and tubs.
- Remove any dirty towels. Re-stock towel shelves or racks.
Pets
- Hide the food and water bowls in a pantry or closet.
- Place pet beds and toys in pantry or closet
- Use a lint roller on furniture to remove any sightly pet hair.
- Try not to have the pets roaming around during photos. Have them in a kennel or outside.
- Clear the yard of any pet waste or toys.