How to Prepare Your Home for a Real Estate Media Day

01

Why Preparing for Real Estate Photography Matters

Even the most sophisticated camera cannot compensate for excessive clutter, unfinished cleaning, or distracting personal items. Preparation helps create images that feel spacious, refined, and inviting.

A properly prepared property also allows the photographer to focus on composition, lighting, and storytelling instead of waiting for rooms to be cleaned or belongings to be moved. This results in a more efficient appointment and a consistent visual presentation across photography, video, 3D tours, and social media content.

02

Start With a Thorough Cleaning

Luxury presentation begins with cleanliness. Clean the home as carefully as you would for an important showing, paying special attention to surfaces that catch light or appear prominently on camera.

Before your real estate media day:

• Vacuum, sweep, and mop all floors.
• Clean windows, mirrors, countertops, and glass doors.
• Remove dust from visible furniture and shelving.
• Wipe fingerprints from stainless steel appliances.
• Clean sinks, faucets, showers, and bathtubs.
• Replace stained or heavily worn towels and linens.
• Empty trash cans and conceal the containers.
• Remove pet hair from furniture, rugs, and floors.

Bright photography can make dust, streaks, and smudges more noticeable. Clean windows are especially important because they improve the view and allow natural light to enter the room.

03

Declutter and Depersonalize the Home

The goal is not to remove all personality. It is to create a calm, aspirational environment in which prospective buyers can imagine their own lives.

Remove excess items from countertops, tables, floors, and open shelving. Hide family photographs, calendars, mail, paperwork, school schedules, and anything displaying private information. Prescription medications, jewelry, financial documents, spare keys, and other valuables should be secured before the media team arrives.

Video and 3D tours require particularly careful preparation. Unlike still photography, these services create a continuous view of the property, making it more difficult to avoid clutter or unfinished areas.

When possible, store removed items inside cabinets, drawers, or a designated space that will not be photographed. Avoid placing everything in a garage unless you have confirmed that the garage will not be included in the listing.

04

Prepare the Kitchen

The kitchen is often one of the most important rooms in a real estate listing. A clean, simplified kitchen will feel larger and allow countertops, cabinetry, appliances, and finishes to stand out.

Remove dishes, drying racks, sponges, cleaning products, paper towels, and countertop appliances that are not essential to the design. Clear magnets, photographs, and papers from the refrigerator. Conceal trash cans, pet bowls, food containers, and floor mats that make the room feel busy.

A small decorative arrangement—such as fresh flowers, a tasteful bowl of fruit, or a single cookbook—can add warmth. Keep styling minimal so it supports the space instead of becoming a distraction.

05

Style the Living and Dining Areas

Arrange furniture to create open walkways and showcase the size and function of each room. Remove unnecessary chairs, oversized toys, exercise equipment, remote controls, charging cables, and personal collections.

Fluff sofa cushions, straighten throw pillows, and neatly fold blankets. Clear the dining table or add one simple centerpiece. If the room has a fireplace, remove excessive décor and clean the surrounding area.

Turn televisions and computer monitors off. Dark screens generally look cleaner and prevent unwanted reflections from appearing in photographs and video.

06

Prepare the Bedrooms

Every bed should be neatly made with smooth, coordinated bedding. Straighten pillows, tuck in sheets, and remove clothing, laundry baskets, tissue boxes, charging cables, and personal items from nightstands.

Clear the floor and reduce the number of objects on dressers. In children’s rooms, organize toys and remove excessive wall or door decorations when practical. Closets should also be organized if they are a significant selling feature or may appear during a video or 3D tour.

Hotel-inspired simplicity works especially well for luxury real estate marketing: clean bedding, balanced pillows, clear surfaces, and a few intentional decorative details.

07

Refresh the Bathrooms

Bathrooms should feel pristine and spa-like. Clear countertops of toothbrushes, cosmetics, grooming products, medications, and cleaning supplies. Remove toilet brushes, plungers, scales, bath mats, used towels, and wastebaskets.

Close toilet lids and hang fresh, coordinated towels neatly. Clean shower glass, mirrors, faucets, tubs, and sinks. Place a new roll of toilet paper on the holder and remove extra products from the shower.

A small plant, folded hand towel, or understated decorative item can soften the space without creating clutter.

08

Check Lighting Throughout the Property

Replace burned-out bulbs before the appointment and use matching bulb colors whenever possible. A mixture of warm and cool bulbs can make a room look inconsistent on camera.

Unless your photographer provides different instructions, turn on interior and exterior lights before the appointment. Open curtains and straighten blinds so they appear uniform. The photographer may adjust window coverings or lights depending on the room and shooting technique.

Turn off all ceiling fans, televisions, and computer monitors. Moving fan blades can blur in photographs and create distractions in video footage.

09

Create Strong Curb Appeal

Exterior images often become the first photos buyers see online, so the front of the property deserves special attention.

Mow and edge the lawn, trim shrubs, remove weeds, sweep walkways, and clear leaves or debris. Hide garden hoses, trash bins, tools, toys, portable basketball goals, and seasonal decorations. Clean the front door and arrange any outdoor furniture neatly.

Move vehicles out of the driveway and, if possible, away from the front of the property. This is particularly important for drone photography and video because vehicles may remain visible from above even when parked farther down the street.

In the Greater Houston Area, pay close attention to patios, pools, and outdoor living areas. Skim the pool, remove cleaning equipment, straighten lounge chairs, close outdoor storage, and clear patios of unnecessary items. If you have water features, fire features, or outdoor lighting, make sure they are operational.

10

Prepare for Drone, Twilight, and Specialty Services

Drone photography captures the entire property and its surroundings. Clear the driveway, yard, patio, pool area, and other outdoor spaces. Inform the media team in advance about gates, restricted access, nearby airports, or other conditions that could affect drone operations. Flights always remain subject to weather and applicable airspace requirements.

For twilight photography, replace exterior bulbs, clean outdoor fixtures, and confirm that landscape, pool, patio, and architectural lighting works properly. The warm glow of consistent lighting is essential to the finished look.

For virtual staging, empty rooms should be completely clean and free of boxes, cords, cleaning equipment, and leftover furniture. Virtual staging looks most convincing when the original room has a polished, unobstructed foundation.

Social media reels and property videos capture transitions between rooms, so hallways, entryways, staircases, and connecting spaces should receive the same attention as the main rooms.

11

Secure Pets and Plan to Leave During the Appointment

For everyone’s safety and comfort, pets should be removed from the property or secured in a crate or enclosed area that will not be photographed. Remember to hide pet beds, bowls, toys, litter boxes, and waste.

Homeowners, tenants, children, and additional vehicles should ideally be away from the property during the appointment. This gives the media team space to work efficiently and prevents people from appearing in photographs, reflections, video, drone footage, or 3D tours.

Before leaving, make sure the photographer has any necessary gate codes, lockbox instructions, alarm details, and access information.