How to Prepare Your Home for Professional Photography and Video
Photography day is one of the most important moments in your entire selling journey — it’s when your home’s first impression is created for potentially hundreds of online buyers. Here’s how to make sure it counts.
Start With a Deep Clean and Declutter
Before anything else, a thorough clean and decluttering pass makes the single biggest difference to how your home photographs. Clear countertops, tidy away personal items, and remove excess furniture that makes rooms feel smaller than they actually are.
Pay particular attention to high-traffic areas — kitchens and bathrooms especially. These rooms tend to draw the most buyer attention in photos, so they deserve the most careful preparation.
Maximise Natural Light
Open all curtains and blinds, clean windows thoroughly, and if possible, schedule your photography for a bright day. Natural light consistently produces more appealing, inviting photographs than artificial lighting alone.
Outdoor Spaces Matter Too
Mow the lawn, tidy garden beds, and clear away any clutter from patios or driveways. If drone photography is part of your package, this outdoor preparation becomes even more important, since aerial shots capture the full context of your property and surroundings.
What to Do the Morning Of
Put away personal items like family photos, mail, and toiletries. Make beds, clear kitchen counters completely, and do a final walkthrough of every room that will be photographed, checking for anything that might distract from the space itself.
Why This Preparation Genuinely Matters
Lorraine Mulligan, Broker at Team Lorraine / REMAX and a 27 year veteran real estate agent, has seen firsthand across more than 7,000 home sales how much preparation influences the final quality — and ultimately the performance — of a listing’s photography.
Common Questions About Photography Prep
- Should pets be present during photography? It’s generally best to arrange for pets to be elsewhere during the shoot, both for their comfort and to keep the focus entirely on the property itself.
- What about photographing occupied rooms with personal furniture? A well-prepared, decluttered version of your existing furniture setup usually photographs better than an empty room — the goal is tidy and neutral, not necessarily bare.
- How long should I set aside for preparation? A thorough preparation typically takes a full day for the entire home, though this varies based on property size and current condition.
A Seller’s Reflection on Photography Day
One recent client shared: “I didn’t realise how much difference the prep work would make until I saw the final photos — the house looked genuinely bigger and brighter than I expected.” This kind of outcome is a recurring theme across Team Lorraine’s 400 Google 5-star reviews.
The Payoff of Getting This Right
Strong photography doesn’t just look good — it directly drives more clicks, more viewing requests, and ultimately more genuine buyer interest in your Lucan Ireland homes for sale listing.
Let Us Guide Your Preparation
Team Lorraine / REMAX Lucan Ireland provides sellers with a detailed preparation checklist ahead of every photography appointment, ensuring your home is shown at its absolute best.
Contact Lorraine Mulligan at Team Lorraine / REMAX | ++353 1 627 2770 | www.TeamLorraine.ie for a FREE 2026 Market Strategy Session
Email: lorraine@teamlorraine.ie Website: https://teamlorraine.ie/ Address: Main St, Celbridge, Co Kildare | Unit 2, Lower Main Street, Lucan, Co Dublin