How Do I Get My House Ready for Listing Photos?

Clear the counters and surfaces, open every blind, turn on every light, and put away the everyday things buyers do not need to see. Most of the work is putting things away, not buying anything new.

I am Delia Bayna, a REALTOR with eXp Realty in Salt Lake City, Utah. Every home I list gets professional photography and video, and this is how to get your house ready for that day.

Photos and video are how most buyers see your home for the first time. They decide from a phone screen whether your house is worth a drive. A listing that looks like an afterthought gets treated like one.

Listing photos go up before the first showing, and buyers study them all through the first week, when a home gets the most attention it ever will. Photo day is worth a little effort for that reason alone. I explain that first stretch in why the first week on the market matters so much.

A camera makes a room look busier than it feels in person. Mail, a fruit bowl, and a few picture frames look like clutter in a photo.

• Kitchen: clear the counters except for one or two things. Put away dish soap, sponges, towels, magnets, and the knife block.
• Bathrooms: put away toothbrushes, razors, bottles, and the bath mat. Close the toilet lid. Hang one set of matching towels.
• Bedrooms: make the beds, clear the nightstands, and close the closet doors.
• Living areas: put away remotes, chargers, cords, and stacks of mail or magazines.

Put family photos away too. Buyers are trying to picture their own lives in the house, and your photos keep reminding them it is yours. Pack them in a labeled box now, and that is one box you will not have to pack later.

On photo day, open every blind and curtain and turn on every light, including lamps, stove lights, and closet lights. Replace dead bulbs a few days ahead, and match the color of the bulbs so one room does not look yellow while the next looks blue.

Clean the windows inside and out if you can. Clean glass lets in more light, and if your windows look out at the Wasatch, buyers will want to see that view.

Basements need extra help. Many Salt Lake City homes have one, and it is usually the darkest space in the house. Clear the leaves out of the window wells, open every window covering, and add a lamp to any corner that stays dark.

Listing in October or November means getting the outside ready for the camera too.

• Rake the leaves the day before, and sweep the walks and front steps.
• Clean the gutters if leaves are spilling over the edge.
• Put away the hoses, yard tools, and trash cans.
• Set a pot of mums by the door and stop there. Holiday decorations can date the photos if your home is still listed after the holiday.

If an early snow comes before photo day, shovel the walks and driveway all the way to the pavement before the photographer arrives. Clear walks look cared for, even in a winter picture.

The week before photos, make a short list room by room, and work through one room a day. I taught for eighteen years, and I still find that a list on paper beats ten reminders. You know what to do, and you know when you are done.

Where a home will benefit from it, I bring in a professional stager and pay for it myself upfront. I am reimbursed at closing, so staging never competes with your moving budget. Not every house needs it, and I will tell you if yours does not.

If you are earlier in the process, start with what to do first when you are thinking about selling. You can see how photos fit into my whole plan on how I sell a home, and read more about selling a home in Salt Lake City or downsizing to something smaller.

How do I prepare my house for listing photos?

Clear the surfaces, put away personal items and family photos, open the blinds, turn on every light, and tidy the yard. Most of it is putting things away.

Should I be home during the photo shoot?

It is easier for the photographer if you are out, so they can move from room to room. If you stay, plan to stay out of the shots.

Do I need to stage my house before photos?

Not always. Where a home will benefit from it, I bring in a stager and pay for it upfront, and I am reimbursed at closing.

Can listing photos be taken in the fall or winter?

Yes. Rake, sweep, shovel if there is snow, and turn on the lights. A clean, bright home looks good in any season.