How to Prepare Your Home for Listing Photos (Denver Agent's Guide)

First impressions in real estate happen online and they happen fast. Before a buyer ever schedules a showing, they've already judged your listing based on its photos. Professional photography can only do so much if the home isn't ready, which is why preparation is one of the most important things you can do before your photographer arrives.

At Cloud Peak Media, we've photographed thousands of listings across Denver, Boulder, and the Front Range. The homes that show best aren't always the most expensive, they're the most prepared. Here's exactly what to do before your shoot.

Start with the Basics

Before you focus on individual rooms, knock out these tasks throughout the entire home. Vacuum all carpeted areas and mop hard-surface floors. Clean windows inside and out, natural light is your best friend in listing photos, and dirty glass kills views. Replace any burned-out or mismatched light bulbs, then turn every overhead light on before the photographer arrives. Hide cords wherever possible, remove small rugs and floor mats, and stash all pet products out of sight.

Living Room

The living room is where people spend most of their time, so it definitely sets the tone for the rest of the house. Clear off all surfaces mantels, shelves, coffee tables, and side tables. Fluff and arrange couch and chair pillows, hide remotes, and clean any reflective surfaces like the TV screen and fireplace glass. A clean, minimal living room photographs significantly larger than a cluttered one.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the most scrutinized room in any listing. Clear countertops of everything except a small number of intentional staging items, a coffee maker is fine, but hide the cord. Clean the exterior of all appliances, clear everything off the refrigerator including magnets and photos, and remove everything from the sink including sponges, dish soap, and drying racks. Hide the garbage can. Buyers want to imagine themselves in the kitchen, not navigate around your daily routine.

Bedrooms

Make every bed and style the pillows. Clear nightstands of personal items, remove clutter from dressers and shelves, and hide all cords. One often-overlooked detail: check under the bed. Photos are typically taken from around 4.5 feet high, so crouch down before the shoot to see if anything under the bed will show up in the frame.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms need to look like a hotel, not a lived-in home. Clear countertops completely, no toothbrushes, toiletries, or personal items. Remove everything from the shower and tub, make sure surfaces are clean, swap out everyday towels for fresh staging towels, remove floor mats, and tuck away toilet brushes, plungers, and extra toilet paper.

Exterior

Curb appeal matters as much online as it does in person. Mow the lawn, rake leaves, and trim any dead branches. Remove or coil hoses, pick up toys, and take down any flags, they can blur in photos and draw the eye away from the home. Move cars out of the driveway and away from the front of the house. Tidy outdoor furniture and remove grill covers.

A Few Final Tips

Don't schedule cleaning crews or repair services on the same day as your shoot, they frequently run long, and overlapping appointments mean photographing a home mid-clean or mid-repair, which helps no one. Secure pets and plan to have the home as clear of people as possible during the appointment. And remove anything a potential buyer might find off-putting.

A little preparation goes a long way. When a home is shoot-ready, we can focus entirely on capturing it at its best — and that's what gets buyers through the door.

Cloud Peak Media provides professional real estate photography, drone, cinematic video, 3D virtual tours, and floor plans to agents across Denver, Boulder, Longmont, and the surrounding Front Range. Book your shoot today.