We recently put together this checklist for our clients to give to the homeowners of the houses we are photographing. Following these important steps will help improve the quality of the photographs and will help get more eyes on your listings which will hopefully sell the house quickly. Some of these are obvious, but some are not. We want the house to look just the way you want it to in the photographs at the time of the photoshoot. Some of our clients assume we can fix everything in Photoshop, but that isn’t usually the case. Removing objects or making major adjustments in Photoshop are extremely time consuming and unfortunately we typically don’t have the time to spend doing that. Using this checklist will ensure that you get the best possible photographs. Here is a link to download the checklist, but we have also posted the content of the checklist below.
Bare Minimum
Turn on all lights
Turn off all ceiling fans
Open all of the blinds and make sure blinds are even
Replace burnt out light bulbs
Make sure the front and back of the house is clear of any cars, garbage cans, or clutter
Recommended
Vacuum
Mop
Clean windows
Pick up clutter, such as children’s toys or TV remotes
Put away family photos
Remove items from the exterior of the fridge, such as magnets or photos
Clear kitchen countertops of excessive appliances, soap bottles, sponges, and other clutter
Wipe down countertops
Clear bathroom countertops of toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap bottles, and other clutter
Clean showers and remove shampoo bottles, soap, and sponges
Remove dirty towels from bathrooms
Put all toilet seat lids down
Pull Weeds
Mow the lawn
Sweep the patio
Pick up after pets
Make sure the pool is clean and blue
Remove pool cleaning supplies from sight
Turn on pool features, such as waterfalls or the spa
For Twilight Photography
Make sure all exterior lighting is operational and set up to turn on right when the sun sets
Check pool light, this can make or break a twilight photoshoot
Make sure exterior fireplace or fire pit is working