Listing photo prep checklist
Forward this to the seller. A short tidy before we arrive does more for the gallery than a second pass in editing.
BrightSpaces Photography · Twin Cities and western Wisconsin · Text 651-253-6380
Why prep matters
A clear, well-lit house reads larger. We can correct color, straighten vertical lines, and give exteriors and drone frames our blue-sky look. We cannot make a piled counter or a car in the driveway look like it was never there. Prep once and every photo, including a highlight video or a 3D tour, gets better.
The seller does not need to be there
A Supra lockbox, a door code, or a garage code is enough. Add it when you book so nobody has to meet us. We turn the lights off and lock up when we leave.
The night before
- Replace dead bulbs, and keep the bulbs in one room the same color so the light does not look half-warm and half-cool.
- Run the dishwasher and empty the sink. Dishes are the usual reason a kitchen needs another frame.
- Hide trash and recycling, including the kitchen can.
- Charge a robot vacuum or tuck it away so it does not roll into a shot.
- Pick one closed room, the garage, or a neighbor for pets. Move beds, bowls, and litter boxes out of rooms we will photograph. Pets cannot appear in MLS photos.
- Mow a day or two ahead if you can. A same-morning cut often leaves clippings and stripes in the frame.
Thirty minutes before we arrive
- Open every blind and curtain all the way. We photograph the window and the room together.
- Turn on every light: overheads, lamps, under-cabinet lights, and the range hood.
- Move cars off the driveway and away from the front of the house, and off the curb in the hero exterior.
- Clear kitchen counters. Small appliances, knife blocks, mail, and fruit bowls all come off.
- Clear bathroom counters. Shower bottles go fully out of sight. Seats down. Fresh towels, or none.
- Make every bed and straighten the pillows.
- Turn ceiling fans off. A spinning fan blurs.
- Close closet doors and push under-bed storage out of sight.
Room by room
Kitchen
Counters bare. Magnets and papers off the fridge. Dish towels away. Trash out of the room.
Living areas
Remotes, chargers, and game controllers put away. Cushions straightened. Fewer personal photos, so buyers look at the room.
Bedrooms
Beds made, floors clear, laundry and exercise gear out of sight.
Bathrooms
Surfaces clear, seats down, and the shower door or curtain set the way it looks best.
Outside
Hoses coiled, toys and tools put away, patio furniture straightened, pool cover off if you have one. Driveway empty.
What editing can and cannot fix
Editing handles color, vertical lines, and blue skies on exteriors and drone photos. It does not remove a lived-in counter, a full sink, or a vehicle in the driveway without it looking edited. If a room is empty, we still photograph it. Virtual staging is a useful add for living rooms and primary bedrooms that feel too bare.
What we move, and what we leave
We will nudge a small item out of a frame and put it back. We do not rearrange furniture. We do not go into locked rooms, attics, or crawl spaces.
Access, weather, and fees
- Supra, lockbox, door, and garage codes are all fine. Put them in the booking notes.
- Keep pets contained and out of the frames. Open doors and gear bags are a poor mix with a curious dog or cat.
- Minnesota weather changes. If the day turns, reschedule from your original confirmation. There is no fee to reschedule or cancel.
- Gray skies on exteriors and drone photos get our blue-sky treatment in editing when we do fly and shoot. That is the only guarantee we make.
Same prep for video, floor plans, and 3D tours
If the booking includes a highlight video tour, a floor plan, or a 3D tour, prep the whole home the same way. Those products see every room, including baths and closets.
Questions? Text 651-253-6380 or book online.