5 Listing Photography Prep Items you can’t skip

We all know that time is stretched thin, and sometimes you just can’t get to everything on my 8-page real estate photography prep guide. I’ve considered everything on the list, and I feel like these are the Top 5 prep items you shouldn’t skip if you are pressed for time before your listing photos.

1. Lightbulbs (15 - 60 minutes)

   Making sure that all of your lightbulbs work serves several purposes for both real estate listing photos as well as when it comes time to showings. During photos, ensuring that all light bulbs are in working order before I get there will make your photos look more uniform and let potential buyers know that all of the fixtures are working. I don’t always need all of the lights on (and in fact sometimes I turn them off when I’m shooting) but I won’t know exactly what I need until I’m in your home.
   Not only should all of the lightbulbs work, but in the same fixture, all the lightbulbs need to be the same color temperature. Perhaps you’ve noticed that some bulbs are very orange and others are so white they almost look blue? Well, when you have a bathroom vanity that features one of each color variety, it can be very distracting to the viewer (and very hard to color balance for your photographer.)
   When buyers begin viewing your home in person, ensuring that lightbulbs work means that when they start flipping switches, something is going to turn on or off.

2. Yard Maintenance (60 minutes)

   While this is a huge, broad topic, I’m going to touch on the important aspects of your yard maintenance prior to listing photos: mowing & edging. In fact, if you’re hard-pressed for time and your yard is uniform in height without weeds, you can even get away with edging only. There is just something about a lush, crisply cut lawn with perfect edges that really completes your home’s front curb appeal. Having curb appeal in person means your photos are going to showcase that curb appeal.

3. Bathroom Clutter (10 minutes)

   Right now, go grab the Amazon box from your garage that came yesterday and take everything with a label off of your bathroom vanities. Take off the gallon bottle of mouthwash, your toothpaste tube, moisturizing cream, hair products, prescription medicine, etc. Make those countertops barren. Then get another box and move all of the bottles, razors, old bar soap, loofas, etc., out of your shower and bathtub. As an added bonus, making sure your mirror isn’t streaked or dirty will help tremendously.

4. Fans (6 minutes per room)

   Your fans will be turned off for photos to help prevent them from blurring. Even if they aren’t turned off, the flash will freeze part of the spinning blade. Most of us in south Texas that live with ceiling fans going 24/7 forget how much dust bunnies love to grow on the blades. Those same dust bunnies will be visible in the photos. Give your fan blades a quick wipe down with a microfiber cloth and eradicate those bunnies.
   Second, if you enjoy additional floor fans for air circulation, when it comes time for photos they need to be stowed carefully in their upright position out of sight.

5. Kitchen Labels (15 minutes)

   Food packaging and labels are designed to catch our attention. When you have a fairly monochromatic space (like most kitchens tend to be) those brightly colored labels and items are going to jump out to the viewer. Grab another Amazon box from your garage and take all of the packaged food off your countertops. Don’t try hiding things on top of the fridge either. As soon as we’re done with the photos, you can bring all the food back out.