Good photography cannot invent a made bed or an empty driveway. Prep is what makes a $1M house look like one on a phone.
Send this list to the seller two days before the shoot. Walk the property the afternoon before if you can.
Outside
• Cars out of the drive and off the apron. Guest cars down the street, not in the frame.
• Trash cans, hoses, toys, and extension cords put away.
• Lawn cut, edges run, beds raked. Brown patches do not disappear in post.
• Pool clear and running if it is a feature. Cover off. Waterline clean.
• Outdoor cushions straight. Ceiling fans on low if they read on camera.
Pet water bowls and flags pulled unless they are part of the story.
• Gates closed or fully open — not half.
Aerial adds one more pass
Look at the roof, the yard, the fence lines, and the neighbor’s yard from above in your head. A tarp, a boat on the side yard, or a trash day pile will own the establishing shot.
Inside
• Lights on in every room we will shoot. Replace burned bulbs before we arrive, not while we are metering.
• Blinds and shades set the same in connected rooms. Pick a position and repeat it.
• Counters clear. One bowl or one book is a choice. Twelve appliances is clutter.
• Beds made. Bathrooms staged to empty-and-clean, not hotel-excess.
• TVs off. Computers closed. Phones and chargers out of the frame.
• Pets secured. We can work around a calm dog. We cannot work around a dog in every doorway.
• Personal photos and mail off the kitchen desk if the seller cares about privacy.
What not to do
Do not paint the front door the morning of the shoot. Do not start a renovation in the room we are meant to feature. Do not ask us to “fix the weather.” Overcast Hill Country light is often better than hard noon sun. We will pick the window.
Access
Someone with a key should be on site or the lockbox should work. Alarm off. Gates unlocked. If there is a tenant or a family still in the house, they need a room to stay in that we can skip.
Timing
Morning and late day are the default for exteriors in this market. Midday is for interiors when the sun is harsh on limestone and metal roofs. If the house faces west and the view is the point, we plan the exterior around that light — not around the first slot on the calendar.
If the house is not ready when we arrive, we can wait a short window or we can reschedule. We will not spend the session styling a property that was not prepped. The set will show what is there.
Send the address, the access plan, and the list date when you request a project review. We will tell you if the light and the lot call for aerial, ground, or both.