Getting your home ready to sell

A practical getting-ready list and a plan for the photo session.

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Before you list · 6 steps · free · the same words a Keighbor seller reads

Why this page existsThis is the guide a Keighbor seller reads at the "Prep and photograph the home" milestone, published in full so you can read the whole job before anybody asks you to pay for help with it.

Key takeaways

Every room looks like a staged listing photo, and every closet reads generous.
No visible scuffs under normal light, and nothing catches your nose when you walk in cold.
From the curb, it looks like a home a buyer would click on.
You have a written report and a short handle-this-now list, or you have decided to skip it.
The shoot is booked, and on the morning the photographer has an empty, camera-ready house.
The gallery flows in walk-through order and the hero shot is your best.

Clear out and put things away

You're done when: Every room looks like a staged listing photo, and every closet reads generous.

Rooms photograph and feel bigger when surfaces are clear, and picturing themselves in the home is a huge part of how buyers decide. Personal things - family photos, diplomas, collections - quietly get in the way of that.

How to do it

Clear every horizontal surface, counters and dressers and coffee tables, down to two or three deliberate items.
Pull about a third of the furniture out of crowded rooms. Anything blocking a walkway goes first.
Empty closets to about 70% so the storage reads generous. Boxes stacked in the garage count as storage.
Pack away family photos, kids' art, diplomas, religious items, and personal collections.
If there is nowhere to put the boxes, a small storage unit runs $50 to $200 a month.

Worth knowing

Buyers open closets and cabinets. Yes, really.
This step alone noticeably improves how your listing photos come out.
Depersonalising is not about hiding who you are. It is about making room for the buyer's imagination.
Do this before the photographer, not after.

What it costs: Free, or $50-200 a month for a storage unit
Where to check: Photograph each room on your phone and look at the photo, not the room

Fresh paint and a deep clean

You're done when: No visible scuffs under normal light, and nothing catches your nose when you walk in cold.

One interior reset, two passes: paint fixes the scuffs and dated colors, and a deep clean handles the surfaces buyers touch and the smells you have stopped noticing. Done together, before the photographer, they are most of what makes a home read as cared-for.

How to do it

Walk each room with a bright light and mark every scuff, nail hole, and door-frame ding.
Take a paint chip to the store to match colors. If the match is close but not exact, repainting the whole wall corner to corner looks better than a spot touch-up.
Prime any water stains so they do not ghost through the fresh paint.
If you decide to repaint, consider how the current colors appear in photos and at showings.
Save the front door and door frame for last.

Worth knowing

Semi-gloss on trim, flat or eggshell on walls, satin in bathrooms. That is the standard playbook.
Low-VOC paint skips the lingering chemical smell at showings.
A slightly wrong touch-up is more visible than the original scuff.

What it costs: $60-200 doing it yourself, $400-900 a room professionally
Where to check: Check with the lights on and the curtains open

The deep clean, room by room

A deep clean is different from a tidy. It targets the surfaces buyers touch and the smells you have stopped noticing.
Windows inside and out, including the sills and tracks.
Grout, glass shower doors, and any hard-water buildup.
Inside the oven, fridge, and dishwasher, and every cabinet face.
Baseboards, vents, ceiling fans, and light fixtures.
Consider a one-time professional clean the day before the photo shoot, and again before the first big showing weekend.
Worth knowing: Air the home out for an hour and skip strong scent plug-ins. Heavy fragrance makes buyers wonder what you are masking.
Worth knowing: Ask a friend with a neutral nose to walk in cold. They notice what you have grown used to.
Worth knowing: Booking the cleaner and the photographer close together gives you one clean-and-shoot window.
Typical cost: $150-400 for a typical home.

Make the front look great

You're done when: From the curb, it looks like a home a buyer would click on.

Your exterior is the first photo buyers see online and the first thing they see in person. You do not need landscaping work, just enough for the home to look cared-for from the curb.

How to do it

Cut the lawn, edge every border including along the driveway, and pull weeds.
Trim shrubs and cut back anything covering windows or the house numbers.
Refresh the mulch in the front beds. A few bags often changes the look completely.
Add two matching planters by the front door and sweep the walkway.
Hide hoses, bins, and cords. Fix tired house numbers and replace burned-out porch lights.

Worth knowing

Sharp edges and fresh mulch read as maintained, and cost less than adding plants.
Do this within a few days of the photo shoot so the yard is at its peak.
If the grass is rough, a one-time cleanup from a local landscaper runs $150 to $400.

What it costs: $150-400 for a one-time cleanup
Where to check: Stand at the curb where the listing photo will be taken

Let an inspector look before buyers do

You're done when: You have a written report and a short handle-this-now list, or you have decided to skip it.

A pre-listing inspection lets you find and fix, or price in, issues before a buyer's inspector does. It is entirely optional and plenty of sellers skip it.

How to do it

Hire a licensed inspector. Search locally, or use the ASHI (ashi.org) or InterNACHI (nachi.org) member directories.
Ask whether they are ASHI or InterNACHI certified.
Get a written report. A full one often runs 30 to 80 pages, which is normal.
Sort the findings into three buckets: safety and structural, systems near end of life, and cosmetic.
Keep receipts for anything you fix. You can share them with the buyer later.

Worth knowing

Whatever the inspection turns up, you generally still have to disclose known material defects. Finding a problem does not let you forget it.
Even well-maintained homes get long reports. Length is not severity.
This cuts both ways, which is why it is optional - knowing about a defect creates a disclosure obligation you did not have before.

What it costs: $300-500 for a standard home, more for larger or older ones
Where to check: ASHI or InterNACHI's member directory for the inspector's certification

Book someone to take the pictures

You're done when: The shoot is booked, and on the morning the photographer has an empty, camera-ready house.

Hire a real estate photographer - it is a specialty, not a generalist's job - then get the house camera-ready for them: every room prepped, the light right, and a twenty-minute sweep the morning of. The prep work below is what the shoot date is for.

How to do it

Search for real estate photographers in your city, or ask a neighbor who recently sold for a referral.
Look at three of each photographer's recent listings end to end, not just their portfolio highlights.
Ask about turnaround (24 to 48 hours is standard), what is included (interior, exterior, drone, floor plan, twilight), and whether you get full-resolution files.
Ask the photographer how much lead time they need and when the home photographs well.
Confirm the price in writing.

Worth knowing

Confirm the license lets you use the photos anywhere the listing goes - MLS, Zillow, Redfin, social. Most photographers grant this by default, but ask.
Drone shots shine on land, corner lots, and homes with views. They add little on a townhouse.
Twilight shots stand out in a crowded feed if your front elevation is attractive.

What it costs: $150-350 for a standard package; $300-700 with drone and floor plan
Where to check: Three of the photographer's recent listings, viewed end to end

Prepping every room for the camera

These photos live on the internet for the life of your listing. Every visible detail goes in the frame - a stray phone charger, a pet bed, a bathroom bin.
Do one more decluttering pass in every room that will be shot.
Remove pet items: bowls, beds, crates, litter boxes, toys. Vacuum pet hair, especially off furniture, and kill odours with an enzymatic cleaner rather than air freshener.
Clear the small stuff: chargers, remotes, toiletries, sponges, dish racks, bins.
Freshen the exterior once more - fresh doormat, tidy planters, bins out of sight.
Make beds tightly, fluff pillows, and hang fresh towels in every bathroom.
Worth knowing: Some buyers are pet-averse or allergic. Visible pet items lose that segment before they have seen the kitchen.
Worth knowing: Bathrooms and bedrooms are the two rooms that usually get under-prepped.
Worth knowing: Walk through with your phone and photograph each room first. Anything that looks off in a phone photo looks off in the real ones.
Typical cost: Free.

Getting the light right

Lighting is the difference between flat photos and bright, warm ones. The exterior hero shot is usually what drives the click.
Shoot during the day, and open every blind and curtain fully.
Turn on every interior light and lamp, even in daylight. Layered light adds warmth.
Replace burned-out bulbs and match the color temperature - warm white, 2700 to 3000K, in most rooms. Mismatched bulbs cost a few dollars to fix.
Clean every window and light fixture. Dust and grime dim and yellow the light.
For the exterior, do one last walk: fresh doormat, tidy planters, cleared walkway, bins hidden, crisp house numbers.
Worth knowing: A good photographer uses HDR or flash to balance a bright window against the room.
Worth knowing: Twilight, just after sunset, adds real impact on exteriors. Ask whether it is included.
Worth knowing: Mid-morning to early afternoon is the sweet spot for even natural light.
Typical cost: A few dollars for matching bulbs.

The morning-of sweep

Even a fully staged home picks up daily clutter overnight. A twenty-minute reset before the photographer arrives keeps it camera-ready.
Clear counters of everything except one or two deliberate items - a bowl of fruit, a coffee grinder.
Hide bins, pet bowls, chargers, remotes, toiletries, and dish racks.
Make beds, fluff pillows, hang fresh towels, open blinds, and turn on all the lights.
Do a final floor pass: quick vacuum or sweep, and clear shoes and coats from the door.
Walk through once as if you are seeing the home for the first time.
Worth knowing: Small items - soap bottles, sponges, chargers - sneak into wide shots.
Worth knowing: Keep a sweep bin, a big basket, for fast decluttering. It comes in handy for showings too.
Worth knowing: The photographer needs the space once they start. Have coffee ready, then leave for a couple of hours.
Typical cost: Free.

Pick your best pictures

You're done when: The gallery flows in walk-through order and the hero shot is your best.

The order photos appear in matters as much as the photos themselves. The hero shot drives the click; the sequence tells the story.

How to do it

Choose a clear lead photo that represents the home accurately, often an exterior or main living space.
Order the rest like a walk-through: approach, entry, main living, kitchen, dining, primary suite, other bedrooms, bathrooms, bonus spaces, outdoor spaces.
Do not lead with a bathroom, a garage, or an empty corner.
Aim for 20 to 35 photos for a standard home, more for a larger property. Most MLS platforms accept 25 to 50.
Preview the gallery on both a phone and a laptop before publishing. Portals crop differently.

Worth knowing

The hero image is the first thing buyers see in search results.
If you use virtually staged images - empty rooms with digital furniture added - you have to disclose that. Most MLS rules require it.
If a room came out dark or awkward, ask the photographer to reshoot. That is part of the deal.
Do not post photos before the listing goes live, or you spend the debut quietly.

What it costs: Included with the shoot
Where to check: The live gallery, opened on a phone and on a laptop

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