Quick Answer
How do I prep my home for a real estate photo shoot in 48 hours?
T-48 hours: deep clean every room, declutter horizontal surfaces, mow lawn. T-24 hours: deep-cleaning detail (windows, baseboards), make beds tightly, hide kid/pet items. T-2 hours: final walkthrough toilet lids/lights/cables. Morning of shoot: open all blinds, turn off all interior lights, last sweep for visible clutter. Photographer arrives ready to shoot, not to triage problems.
Most sellers think pre-shoot prep is a single push the morning of the shoot. It's not. Done well, prep is a 48-hour staged process where each phase handles a different category of work. Skipping the early phases means the morning-of becomes panicked triage, which is when small mistakes (toilet lid open, cables visible) slip through.
Below is the K94 Production recommended prep timeline. Print it, give a copy to the seller, and review the morning of.
T-48 hours (2 days before shoot)
Heavy lifting that needs time to dry/settle: (1) Mow lawn if exterior is being shot. (2) Deep clean every room — kitchen surfaces, bathroom surfaces, bedroom dust. (3) Declutter horizontal surfaces — clear off coffee tables, kitchen counters, bedroom nightstands. (4) Take down personal photos and refrigerator magnets. (5) Move excess furniture into garage or storage to make rooms feel spacious. (6) Address any obvious damage (touch up paint, fix loose handles).
T-24 hours (1 day before shoot)
Detail work and staging that needs to look fresh: (1) Wash all visible windows (interior and exterior). (2) Wipe baseboards in main rooms. (3) Make beds tightly (hospital corners). (4) Style key surfaces — books, flowers, or small decor on coffee tables; clean towels in bathrooms. (5) Hide kids' toys, pet bowls, pet beds (or move them out of frame). (6) Pre-coordinate with photographer if any room is in unusual condition.
T-2 hours (morning of shoot, 2 hours before)
Final readiness pass: (1) Close all toilet lids. (2) Open all blinds and curtains for natural light. (3) Turn OFF all interior lights (counterintuitive — pros shoot with lights off so HDR captures pure window light without mixed lighting). (4) Coil and hide any visible cables (especially in living rooms and bedrooms). (5) Remove magnets from refrigerator. (6) Hide trash bins, kitchen sponges, dish drying racks. (7) Pull patio furniture to its photo-ready position outside if exterior shots include it.
T-30 minutes before shoot
Last sweep for forgotten items: (1) Walk through every room one more time scanning for anything missed. (2) Take pets to a neighbor or close them in one room not being photographed (label that room as off-limits). (3) Park the seller's cars away from the front of the house if exterior shots will include the driveway. (4) Have your phone on for the photographer to call if they need to confirm anything.
The morning-of mistake to avoid
Most pre-shoot prep failures come from sellers doing all the work in the final 90 minutes before the shoot. By then there's no time for things that need to settle (paint touch-ups, freshly washed sheets, mopped floors). The 48-hour schedule above paces the work so each phase has time to finish properly.
Working with K94 Production's prep checklist
K94 Production sends a prep checklist 5 days before every shoot. The checklist mirrors this timeline plus property-specific notes (e.g., if your listing is a kitchen-focused home, the kitchen prep gets extra attention). Returning the checklist with photos of the prepped property is optional but accelerates shoot day.
What we can't fix in post-production
Toilet lid open: unfixable. Trash bin in frame: usually unfixable. Pet bowls visible: usually fixable. Lights mixed temperatures: fixable but takes editing time. Window streaks: usually fixable. Crooked walls (untruly vertical): fixable. Wrinkled bedding: difficult to fix. The prep timeline is faster than fixing in post.
K94 Production Pricing
Starter
$175
25 HDR Photos - 48h Delivery - MLS Ready
Pro
$300
40 HDR Photos - Listing Video - Social Content
Elite
$500
60 Photos - Cinematic Video - Drone - 3D Tour
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do all prep the same day as the shoot?
Yes for fast properties (small condos, well-maintained homes). No for larger properties or homes with significant clutter. The 48-hour timeline is safer for most listings.
What if I miss a step?
The photographer can pause shoot day to handle small things (closing a toilet lid, hiding a cable). For larger issues (significant clutter), the photographer will note and reshoot if the seller requests.
Should I be home during the shoot?
Optional. If you're home, work in a room not being shot. Most photographers prefer to have one point of contact in case questions arise but otherwise work uninterrupted.
What if I have pets that can't be moved?
Confine them to a single room before the shoot starts. Label that room as off-limits. Most photographers can work around this; the photos won't include the confined room.
Work with K94 Production
Listings, agent content, drone, twilight - all from one team in Chicagoland.
See Pricing