Home Preparation Guide
Miami Luxe Images has a pre-shoot checklist for real estate agents to optimize our creative specialists’ time behind the camera.
Ensure the following are done prior to our arrival. A clean and staged home helps sell faster, and we need your help for a well-executed shoot. Not all items on the list apply to every home, but it’s important to review them all to ensure nothing is missed.
We aim to make the appointment run smoothly, and your assistance is appreciated. Trust us to provide premium quality services with your help in setting the stage.
Exterior
- Remove cars from the driveway and front of the home, either in the garage or down the street. Garage doors must remain closed.
- Hide garbage cans, hoses, and gardening tools.
- Mow the lawn and remove any leftover debris (twigs, branches, discernible weeds).
- Remove any toys or sports equipment from the lawn and driveway.
- Uncover pools and hot tubs if clean; skim leaves. We will turn on lights and hot tub jets. Please put away cleaning equipment.
- Clean and arrange outside furniture, open patio table umbrella, tidy chairs, and plump cushions.
- Remove grill cover and hide utensils.
- Sweep sidewalks, driveway, patio, decks, and pool area.
- Remove all flags, hanging ornaments, and home security signs.
Lighting
- Turn on ALL lights in the house; replace burnt-out bulbs.
- Turn ON ceiling fan lights; please keep fan OFF.
- If a window has curtains, please open them. If the window has blinds, lower them but keep horizontal slats open.
- Turn all TVs and computer screens OFF.
- Any glass door/window/mirror should be clean and free of streaks or fingerprints.
Kitchen/Dining Room
- Recommended: Use standard dining table set up (i.e. plates, napkins, placemats, cutlery. Place bowl of fruit or flowers to add color, if possible).
- Clean off and wipe down all countertops.
- Remove appliances, knife blocks, toasters, etc. ONE nice, modern-looking device can stay (i.e., coffee maker or tea kettle on stove).
- Remove all items from the refrigerator (no magnets, pictures, etc.)
- Remove throw rugs, hanging towels, and paper towels.
- Hide garbage can, remove dishes and drain stopper.
- Straighten and tidy all chairs.
Bedrooms
- Make all beds; use decorative pillows if available.
- Remove ALL clutter from end tables, dressers, and nightstands. This includes personal photos, drinking cups, alarm clocks, etc.).
- Store away the phone, tablets, charging cords, books, tissues, and other items.
- If possible, remove all personal photos.
- Address any clutter under the bed that may show in photos or video.
- Walk-in closets should be clean and kept.
Bathrooms
- Arrange clean hand and body towels to be orderly.
- Hide all trash cans, plungers, or toilet scrubbers.
- Remove floor mats and be sure to close the toilet seat. Apply fresh toilet paper roll.
- Remove hygiene products from the counter, including bar soap, medications, and toothbrushes.
- Remove shampoos, razors, and loofahs from the shower; close the shower curtain or door.
Living Room/Family Room
- Vacuum, sweep, and mop where appropriate. This includes sweeping/dusting wooden floors.
- Tidy couches, fluff pillows, remove clutter from tables/desks.
- Dust off any screens.
- Sweep wooden floors.
FAQ
The length of the photoshoot depends on the size of the property and which services we’re doing.
We guarantee photos to be delivered the following day by 5:00pm. For videos, please give us 2/3 business days.
The amount of photos you receive depends on the size of the property and if you have added any extra services.
No, you don’t have to be present as long as the photographer is given proper instructions to access the property via a lockbox or any other forms of entry.
We can remove some minor (non-material) things using Photoshop, but nothing is as good as making sure the home is ready to be photographed when the photographer arrives.
In the event of rain, the photographer will re-schedule at no extra cost. It is not an issue if the weather is cloudy, since we can easily replace the sky in Photoshop.
No! We encourage that you and the homeowner make plans ahead of time about the staging of the home.
We provide a home preparation guide to help you set up the property before the photoshoot appointment.
Click the following link to view the home prep guide Home Preparation Guide.