DX Photo Ready | Home Prep Guide

Great photos start before we arrive.

A little prep helps your home photograph its best, gets you ahead for showings and open houses, and helps avoid return trips that add cost or slow down your listing.

Sweat equity now beats a return trip fee later.

Clean ≠ Photo Ready — A spotless home can still look cluttered in photos. Photo-ready means clear surfaces, clear floors, and fewer visual distractions.

What your photographer handles — Your photographer may make a few small adjustments while composing a shot, but cleaning, making beds, clearing counters, moving belongings, and preparing rooms should be finished before they arrive. That keeps the appointment focused on lighting, composition, and creating the best possible images.

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Short on time? Do these 8 things first. 0 / 8 ▾

These 8 items make the biggest visual difference. If time is tight, start here and work through the rest as you can.

Clear kitchen counters — leave out only 1–2 simple items, such as a coffee maker, knife block, or small plant

Clear bathroom counters completely

Remove visible clutter from floors and furniture surfaces

Make every bed with pillows arranged

Hide pet bowls, beds, toys, crates, and litter boxes

Put away dishes and laundry and hide interior trash cans

Remove trash cans and exterior clutter from view

Move all vehicles away from the driveway and the street directly in front of the home

📂 Where does it all go?

Use laundry baskets or storage totes and work one room at a time. Temporarily move items into a designated storage area as you go. In most cases, closets and garages are not photographed unless specifically requested, so those spaces are usually the best place to store totes, baskets, and other everyday items during the shoot. If a closet or garage is being photographed, ask your agent which space can be used as a temporary staging zone instead.

Have more time? Work through the full room-by-room guide below.

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Kitchen 0 / 6 ▾

Focus here first. Keep counters mostly clear. Leave out only 1–2 simple, intentional items such as a coffee maker, knife block, or small plant.

Clear countertops of dishes, soap, paper towels, and everyday appliances like toasters, blenders, and air fryers

Remove items from the top of the refrigerator and clear it of magnets, notes, and art

Clear the sink area — put away dishes, dish soap, sponges, drying racks, and cleaning supplies

Hide the kitchen trash can

Remove dish towels and hand towels from counters, sinks, and appliance handles

Replace any burned-out bulbs

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Living & Common Areas 0 / 6 ▾

Remove visible clutter from floors and all surface areas

Straighten bookshelves and display items — remove anything that feels cluttered

Fluff sofa cushions and arrange throw pillows neatly

Tuck away remote controls, charging cables, and electronics clutter

Reduce excess family photos or memorabilia where needed

Replace any burned-out bulbs

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Bedrooms 0 / 5 ▾

Make every bed neatly with pillows arranged

Clear nightstands — remove glasses, books, medications, and personal items

Put away all clothing, shoes, and laundry — close closet doors

Remove or tidy exercise equipment that makes a room feel crowded or distracts from the space

Replace any burned-out bulbs

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Bathrooms 0 / 6 ▾

Clear all countertops — remove toothbrushes, soap, cosmetics, and toiletries

Clear the shower and tub completely — shampoo, razors, loofahs, and all products

Put down toilet lids

Wipe down sinks, mirrors, and floors — they all show up in photos

Hang fresh, neatly folded towels

Replace any burned-out bulbs

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Outside & Exterior 0 / 3 ▾

Put away hoses, yard tools, and equipment

Remove trash cans and exterior clutter from view

Clear the porch and entryway of shoes, worn doormats, and clutter

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Twilight Session 0 / 3 · if booked ▾

Only applies if you’ve booked a twilight or dusk session.

Turn on all exterior lights — porch, path, landscape, and pool lights

Turn on all interior lights visible from outside

Stage the pool or patio area — tidy chairs, outdoor cushions, remove clutter

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30 Minutes Before — Final Walkthrough 0 / 8 ▾

Move all vehicles away from the driveway and the street directly in front of the home

All blinds and curtains open

All lights on — every room, every lamp

Toilet lids down in all bathrooms

Counter surfaces checked one more time — nothing that shouldn’t be there

Pets secured or removed from the property

Hide interior and exterior trash cans

Walk through each room and pause in the doorway — if something immediately catches your eye, put it away