How to Prepare Your Home for a Real Estate Photoshoot: A room-by-room checklist

Great listing photos start before the photographer ever walks through the door. A well-prepared home photographs brighter, looks bigger, and helps buyers picture themselves living there instead of noticing the garbage can by the back door.

We photograph hundreds of homes across Utah and Idaho every year, and the difference between a home that was prepped and one that wasn't shows up in every single frame. The good news: prep is mostly free, takes an afternoon, and this checklist covers everything.

A quick note before we start: your photographer's job is to capture the home, not to clean or stage it. We will straighten a crooked lampshade, but moving furniture, clearing counters, and tidying rooms needs to happen before we arrive. Shoots are scheduled tightly, and prep time on site means rushed photos.

The Big Three (do these no matter what)

If you only do three things, do these. They affect every photo we take.

1. Turn on every light in the house. Every lamp, every overhead, every under-cabinet strip. Replace burned-out bulbs ahead of time, and if you can, make sure bulbs match (mixing warm and cool bulbs in the same room creates color casts we have to fight in editing).

2. Open all blinds and curtains. Natural light is the single biggest factor in how spacious and inviting a room feels. We shoot with windows open to the view whenever possible. If you have blinds, open them so that you can peer through the slats (they should be level).

3. Turn off all ceiling fans. Spinning blades show up as a blur in photos. This one gets forgotten constantly, and it is the first thing we check.

Exterior and Curb Appeal

The front exterior shot is the first photo buyers see. It decides whether they keep scrolling.

• Move all vehicles out of the driveway and away from the front of the house (down the street is best)

• Hide garbage cans, hoses, and yard tools in the garage

• Mow, edge, and clear leaves or snow from walkways

• Remove holiday decorations and seasonal flags

• Sweep porches and shake out doormats

• If you have outdoor furniture, arrange it like you are about to host: cushions on, angles straightened

• Pool or hot tub? Remove the cover, skim the surface, and store the cleaning equipment

Kitchen

Kitchens sell homes, and counters make or break kitchen photos.

• Clear countertops almost completely. Keep at most two or three intentional items: a bowl of fruit, a nice cutting board, a plant

• Remove everything from the refrigerator door: magnets, photos, calendars, kids' artwork

• Hide dish soap, sponges, drying racks, and paper towels

• Empty the sink and put dishes away

• Tuck garbage cans and pet bowls into a closet or the garage

Living and Dining Areas

• Declutter surfaces: remotes, chargers, mail, magazines

• Remove personal photos if possible (buyers connect better with neutral spaces, and it protects your family's privacy online)

• Fluff and arrange pillows, fold throws

• Style the dining table simply: a centerpiece or place settings, not bare but not busy

• Hide cords and cables where you can

Bedrooms

• Make every bed like a hotel would: pulled tight, pillows arranged

• Clear nightstands down to a lamp and one or two items

• Floors clear of laundry, shoes, and storage bins

• Close closet doors

Bathrooms

• Counters completely clear: no toothbrushes, razors, soap bottles, or hair tools

• Fresh, matching towels folded or hung neatly

• Toilet lids down (always)

• Remove plungers, scales, trash cans, and bath mats (floors photograph better bare)

• Tuck shampoo bottles out of the shower or into a corner the camera will not see

Pets

We love them, but buyers should not see evidence of them.

• Put away food bowls, litter boxes, crates, beds, and toys

• Plan for pets to be out of the house or secured during the shoot, both for the photos and for safety while doors are opening and closing

If Your Shoot Includes Twilight Photos

Twilight shoots happen in a short window right after sunset, so prep ahead:

• Confirm all exterior lighting works: porch lights, landscape lighting, accent lights

• Turn on every interior light so windows glow

• If you have a firepit, pool lighting, or a hot tub, have them ready to run

If Your Shoot Includes Drone Photography

• Clear the driveway and street frontage of vehicles if possible

• Tidy the full yard, not just what is visible from the ground: trampolines, toys, and equipment are very visible from above

• For acreage or lots, let your agent know where property lines run so we can frame accordingly

The Day of the Shoot

• Finish prep before the photographer arrives so the time goes to photography

• Lights on, blinds open, fans off (one more time, because it matters)

• Plan to step out or stay in one finished room during the shoot; empty rooms photograph faster and better

• Walk the house one last time the way a buyer would, starting at the front door

A Final Word

You do not need to renovate, repaint, or rent furniture to get listing photos that stand out. Clean, bright, and uncluttered beats expensive every time. An afternoon of prep is the cheapest improvement you will ever make to your sale price.

Have questions about your upcoming shoot, or ready to schedule one? Book a shoot with Gloho Photo or reach out at office@glohophoto.com. We serve Northern Utah, the St. George area, Bear Lake, Southeast Idaho, and McCall / Valley County with next business day delivery.