The Room-by-Room Staging Checklist We Send Before Every Shoot

We send every client a staging guide before their shoot, and the honest truth is that prep matters more than almost anything we do behind the camera. A well-staged, well-lit room photographs beautifully with almost any equipment. A cluttered, dim one is a lot of work to save in editing — and sometimes can't be fully fixed. Here's the version of that guide broken down room by room, plus what to flag to a seller before your shoot day arrives.

Whole house, before we arrive

A few things apply everywhere: all lights on (including lamps — overhead fixtures alone rarely light a room evenly), all ceiling fans off (a spinning fan blurs badly in photos and video), blinds and curtains open for natural light, and personal items — family photos, mail, toiletries, pet bowls — put away. Pets should be removed from the property, crated, or secured for the full shoot, both for their comfort and so they don't end up wandering into frame.

Someone also needs to be available to let the photographer in, or access instructions need to be sent ahead of time if the property will be vacant. This sounds obvious, but it's one of the most common reasons a shoot starts late.

Kitchen

Clear the counters down to a few intentional items — a bowl of fruit or a cutting board is fine, a full dish rack or a week of mail is not. Push in chairs, clear the sink, and take anything off the front of the refrigerator. Kitchens photograph best when they read as spacious, and counter clutter is the fastest way to undercut that.

Living & dining rooms

Straighten cushions and throws, clear coffee tables of remotes and cups, and tuck away cords where possible. If there's a TV, turning it off (rather than leaving it on a home screen or paused show) reads cleaner in photos. Open sightlines matter here more than almost any other room — if a couch or chair is blocking a natural walking path, it's worth temporarily repositioning before we arrive, since our photographers can make only light adjustments on-site and can't move furniture.

Primary bedroom & bathrooms

Beds made with the linens pulled taut, nightstands cleared to one or two items, and closet doors closed. In bathrooms: countertops clear, towels folded and hung evenly, toilet lids down, shower curtains or doors clean and pulled back where possible. These are consistently the two areas buyers zoom in on most in listing photos, so they're worth the extra few minutes.

Exterior & curb appeal

Move cars out of the driveway and off the street directly in front of the house if possible, put away trash and recycling bins, coil up hoses, and clear toys or yard equipment from the lawn. If it's trash day, that's worth planning around. For aerial and twilight shots specifically, exterior lighting (porch lights, landscape lighting) should be functional and ready to switch on.

What happens if a property isn't ready

We understand life happens and last-minute issues come up. But because our schedule is booked tightly shoot to shoot, a property that isn't photo-ready when we arrive typically means a return trip — which comes with a $150 fee, since it displaces time reserved for another client. Walking a seller through this checklist ahead of time is by far the most common way to avoid it.