How to prepare a home for real estate photos

The week before

Small repairs show up in high-resolution photos far more than in person. Fix them now, not on the morning of the shoot.

• Replace blown globes and match the colour of the bulbs in each room, so one room isn't half yellow and half white.
• Mow the lawn two or three days before, so it has time to recover and doesn't look freshly scalped.
• Wash the windows inside and out, especially those facing the street and the garden.
• Touch up scuffed paint on doors, skirting boards and the front door.
• Book a cleaner for the day before, not the week before.

Room by room

Kitchen

• Clear the benches completely, then add back at most one or two things: a bowl of lemons, a single plant, a chopping board.
• Put away the kettle, toaster, dish rack, sponges and tea towels.
• Take every magnet, photo and calendar off the fridge.
• Close the dishwasher and every cupboard door. Turn the range hood light on.

Living and dining

• Remove remotes, chargers, cables and gaming gear from view.
• Straighten cushions and throws, then remove half of them.
• Push the dining chairs in evenly and clear the table, apart from one centrepiece.
• Turn off TVs and screens. A black screen reads better than a frozen picture.

Bedrooms

• Make the beds with plain, ironed linen. White or a solid colour photographs best.
• Clear bedside tables down to a lamp and one book.
• Close wardrobe doors and take anything off the floor, including shoes and laundry baskets.

Bathrooms

• Remove every bottle, toothbrush and razor from the vanity, shower niche and bath edge.
• Close the toilet lid. Hang one set of clean, matching towels.
• Take the bath mat, scales and bin out of the room.

Outside and the street view

• Move cars off the driveway and away from the front of the house, including visitors' cars if you can.
• Wheel bins out of sight, roll up hoses and put away kids' toys and tools.
• Sweep paths, decks and the alfresco area. Wipe outdoor furniture and set it out neatly.
• If there's a pool, run the cleaner the day before and take it out on shoot day.
• Open the garage door only if the garage is clean and part of the selling story.

Under Victorian rules, listing photos can't hide problems with a property. We can remove temporary things like a bin or a car in editing, but never permanent features such as power lines, a neighbour's wall or damage. Read more in our guide to virtual staging and photo editing rules.

On the day

1. Turn on every light in the house, including lamps, under-cabinet strips and exterior lights.
2. Open all blinds and curtains fully.
3. Turn off ceiling fans so they don't blur in long exposures.
4. Put pets with a neighbour or in the car for the hour, along with their bowls and beds.
5. Plan to step out, or stay in one room ahead of us, so you're not in reflections.

A typical house takes about an hour to photograph, longer with video or a twilight shoot. We work room by room and tell you which rooms are finished so you can start living in them again.

If you're booking twilight shots

Twilight photos are taken in a short window after sunset, when the sky is deep blue and the house glows. They work best on homes with lots of glass, good garden or facade lighting, or a pool.

• Check every exterior and garden light works, and turn them all on before sunset.
• Leave interior lights on in every room that faces the camera.
• Have the front yard finished before we arrive, because there's no time to tidy once the light starts going.

See real estate twilight photography for how we shoot and edit it.