How Do I Get My Home Ready for Photos and Showings?

Get the house ready once, properly, before photo day, and then keep it there. Clear the closets and counters, put away most of the personal things, deep clean, rearrange the furniture so each room looks open, freshen the front of the house, and take care of anything that smells. Your photos are the first showing your home ever gets, so they should show it at its best. After that, each showing is mostly a quick reset: lights on, blinds open, kitchen and bathrooms wiped down, pets taken care of, and you somewhere else.

I'm Courtney Foster, a REALTOR® in Bozeman, Montana, helping longtime homeowners decide what their equity is for and move into a home that fits their life now. This is the part of selling most people dread, so here is exactly what it asks of you, in order.

Because buyers see your photos long before they see your house.

By the time someone books a showing, they have already walked through your home on a screen. They have scrolled the pictures, maybe watched the video, and decided whether it is worth the drive. If the photos show crowded counters, dark rooms and a bedroom full of boxes, a lot of good buyers never ask to come in at all. They do not know what they missed.

That is why professional photography and video are part of Step 5 of my Simple Selling Method™, Digital Domination, and why the preparation in Step 3, Home Preparation, comes first. The camera is only as good as the room in front of it.

Think of this as getting the house ready for the most important showing it will ever have. Everything here also makes the showings that follow easier, so none of it is wasted.

Start with the closets and cupboards

Buyers open everything. Closets, the pantry, kitchen cupboards, linen closets, even the bathroom cabinet. They are not being nosy. They are trying to picture their own things where yours are.

A crowded closet looks small even when it is not. Box up whatever you do not use every week, and pack it away. You have to pack anyway, so starting now just moves the work earlier.

Clear the clutter from every surface

Counters, tables, dressers, the top of the refrigerator. Keep out what you use every day and put it somewhere easy to reach but out of sight. Everything else goes in a box.

This is not about judging how anyone lives. A cluttered room reads as a room that has not been looked after, and buyers start looking at everything else with a suspicious eye. A clear room reads as cared for.

Put most of the personal things away

Family photos, the kids' art on the refrigerator, collections, trophies, anything with a slogan on it. The goal is for a buyer to see themselves in the house, not you. Think about how it feels to walk into a model home compared with walking into a stranger's living room. The model home lets you imagine living there.

This one is often the hardest, especially in a house you have lived in a long time. You are not erasing your history. You are packing it first so it moves with you safely.

Deep clean, then keep it there

The standard for listing is sparkling, not tidy. A real deep clean covers the windows, fireplaces, ceiling fans, baseboards and vents, the tile grout, the carpets and rugs, and the floors. Touch up paint and patch the holes in the walls while you are at it.

Kitchens and bathrooms get the closest look, in the photos and in person, so give them extra attention.

Look at the furniture with fresh eyes

You do not need new furniture. Most of the time it is a matter of rearranging so a room looks open and welcoming, or taking out a piece or two, like the extra dining chairs or the oversized sofa, and storing them. Moving a lamp can change how a room photographs. In some homes, professional staging is the right call, and that is part of Step 3 too.

Deal with how the house smells

Every home has a smell, and you stop noticing your own. Buyers notice it the moment they walk in. Musty air, pets and cooking smells set the tone of a showing before anyone looks at a single room. Small odors can often be handled with fresh air and a light, pleasant scent. Bigger ones may need professional cleaning, new carpet or fresh paint, and it is far better to know that before you list.

Freshen the front of the house

The front of your home is the first photo in most listings and the first thing a buyer sees in person. It does not have to cost much. Mow and trim, wash down the walkway and porch, roll up the hose and put it away, and add a new welcome mat or some seasonal flowers by the door. Small touches like fresh hardware on the front door or a painted mailbox make a bigger difference than people expect.

Fix the small things the camera and the buyer will find

Burned-out bulbs, blinds that will not open, a door that sticks, a leaky faucet. These are cheap to fix and they quietly tell a buyer the house has been looked after. If you are wondering what else is worth repairing, here is how I think about repairs before selling.

By photo day, the hard part should already be done. I plan the professional photography and video so they happen after the preparation, never before it, because photos taken in a half-ready house follow your listing everywhere.

For most homes that means more than still photos: a professional video and walkthrough that shows how the house actually lives, a tour buyers can move through on their own time, and drone photos and video when the land or the views are part of the story. On the day, your job is short. Clear the last of the everyday things off the counters, open the blinds, turn on the lights, and plan to be out while the photographer works.

This is the part that worries people most, and it is much easier than it sounds when the preparation was done properly. Each showing is a reset, not a fresh start.

When you get word that someone wants to see your home, or each morning before you leave if you are away during the day:

• Turn on all the lights. Nobody should have to hunt for a switch, and a bright house feels bigger and warmer.
• Open the blinds and curtains. Light makes rooms look larger and shows off the view.
• Put away what came out since yesterday. The mail, the dishes, the shoes by the door. Because you already packed, this takes minutes.
• Give the kitchen and bathrooms a last polish. Wipe the counters and sinks, fold the towels, empty the trash.
• Sweep the front step and entry. It is the first impression, and it keeps dirt from being tracked through the house you just cleaned.
• Use a light scent. Pleasant, never strong.
• Take care of the pets. Not everyone loves animals the way you do, and a buyer who is nervous around dogs will not linger.
• Leave. Be somewhere else during the showing.

Why should I leave during a showing?

Because buyers need to feel free to look around properly. They want to open cupboards, check the garage, pace off the dining room and talk openly with their agent about what they like and what they do not. Even if you sit quietly in another room, your being there makes that awkward, and an awkward showing is a short one.

What if I come home and they are still there?

Be pleasant, say hello, and make yourself scarce. Do not get into a conversation about the house or about why you are moving. Even friendly, harmless-seeming answers can hand the other side information that weakens your position when an offer comes in. Questions about the house come to me, and I answer them.

• Taking photos before the house is ready. The first photos are the ones every buyer sees. They follow the listing everywhere.
• Leaving the closets full. Buyers open them, and full closets make a home look short on storage.
• Keeping the house the way it works for you. The way your home is set up may be perfect for your life. The question is how it looks to someone picturing theirs.
• Getting used to the smell. You stop noticing it. Buyers do not.
• Staying home during showings. It cuts the showing short and keeps buyers from saying what they think.
• Chatting with the buyer or their agent. Friendly conversation is how private details end up in a negotiation.
• Patching instead of preparing. A house that was only half prepared before listing turns every showing into a scramble.

Amanda's fifteen acres outside Ennis, with river views, had sat on the market more than three years with two other agents. A stager, fresh white paint, new photographs and real online marketing later, she had an offer inside sixty days and a thirty-day close. Nothing about the land changed. How it was presented did.

Do I have to move out before photos?

No. Most people I work with live in the house through the sale. The preparation is what makes that workable, because each showing becomes a short reset instead of a full clean.

Do I need to stage my house?

Not always. Sometimes rearranging and removing a few pieces is enough. Sometimes professional staging is what makes the difference, and it was a big part of Amanda's sale. Here is how I think about staging it yourself or hiring help.

Where do my things go while the house is listed?

Anything you do not need every week gets packed and stored, whether that is a garage, a storage unit or a family member's basement. Sorting comes before this, in Step 2, Sorting and Simplifying, so you are only packing what you are keeping.

How much notice will I get before a showing?

It varies, and some buyers want to see a home the same day. That is exactly why keeping the house close to ready matters. The reset is quick when the real work is already done.

What if I cannot do all of this myself?

You do not have to. I bring in trusted professionals for sorting, cleaning, repairs and staging, so it does not become a second job for you.

Is this different from preparing the house to sell?

It is the last part of it. The full order, from the first walkthrough to listing day, is in how I prepare a home for sale, step by step. This article is about the camera and the showings that follow.

Good photos start with a plan, not a camera. Tell me about your house and when you are hoping to move, or call me at (406) 606-9551. If you want a number first, start with a real value on your home. You can also read all seven steps of the Simple Selling Method™ on one page.

Courtney Foster is a REALTOR® in Bozeman, Montana, helping longtime homeowners decide what their equity is for and move into a home that fits their life now. www.CourtneyFoster.com