Preparation Checklist
Below are key tasks the homeowner or the realtor should accomplish prior to the appointment. This will help make the photos and videos the best they can be while also minimizing the appointment time.
When Booking the Shoot
Tasks you should always do:
Tell us how we’ll get into the home - realtor onsite, lockbox code, etc.
Book all the services you might want done.
We allot time based on home size and the services selected. We likely won’t have enough time to accommodate a surprise increase to the scope of work. If you’d like the photographer’s opinion if a service will be worthwhile once onsite (such as drone photos for a wooded lot), book the service for the appointment and note that you’d like our opinion before shooting.
Call out any unusual features, things to avoid, or easy-to-miss rooms.
We don’t shoot garage interiors, attics, pantries, or closets unless requested. Additionally, sometimes you might want us to avoid getting a certain window or backyard hill in the photos. Also, we request you open the doors to all the rooms you want captured.
If you are ordering photo/video of neighborhood highlights or local amenities, let us know what you would like captured in advance.
Ensure you are giving the photographer enough uninterrupted time.
Our booking software will automatically calculate the needed time and send a calendar invite. The appointment will be faster and the deliverables will be better if the photographer doesn’t have to compete with contractors, wandering pets, and curious children.
Tasks you can optionally do:
Book an ideal time of day for exterior photos.
We make all our photos look great, of course. But if you’re looking for a little extra pop on either the front or back of a home, choose the time of day when the sun will be shining on that area. For example, if you want the front of the home to look its best and the home faces eastward, it’s better to book an appointment time in the first half of the day. If westward, second half of the day. If southern, you’re golden. If northern, well… we can’t win them all :)
Exterior Preparation
Tasks you should always do:
Remove cars from the driveway and out of any window line-of-sight.
Hide garbage cans, lawn equipment, hoses, and signage.
Tidy the yard, rake any leaves, and sweep hard surfaces.
Avoid watering the driveway or other hard surfaces.
Open all blinds, curtains, and shades.
If the windows aren’t ready for the interior photos, then they aren’t ready for the exterior photos either. Attached garage window blinds are commonly forgotten. Blinds should be dropped down and turned fully horizontal/flat.
Tasks you should almost always (90%+) do:
Open patio umbrellas.
If it is a very tight area, instead consider removing the umbrella altogether.
Remove home security signage.
Remove the pool cover, remove pool toys and tools, and turn on lights and waterfalls.
Tasks you can optionally do:
Remove grill covers if the grill is clean and if in grilling season. Hide the cover.
Turn on outdoor fireplaces.
Turn on exterior lights, excluding flood lights or other harsh lights. This is mostly a matter of preference for daytime exterior photos. We typically recommend exterior lights to be turned off except for low-light areas (e.g., covered entryway with no sunlight) or recessed lights in a covered patio/porch.
Interior Preparation
Tasks you should always do:
Act like a minimalist and clear out clutter; common places or items to de-clutter are:
Kitchen countertops
Bedroom nightstands
Bathroom hygiene items
Children’s toys
Excess decor and knick-knacks
Remotes and small electronics
Hampers and laundry baskets
Vacuum the carpets and clean the floors.
Dust and wipe down surfaces, especially windows and mirrors.
Hide pet dishes, toys, food, and beds.
Turn off ceiling fans.
Place toilet lids down.
Either remove or neatly fold towels. Our recommendation is to remove unless professionally staged.
Replace burned-out or missing bulbs.
Straighten furniture and decor, especially any items hanging on the wall.
Remove seasonal decor.
Hide trash cans in the garage or a closet.
Hide wires to the best of your ability.
Open doors to rooms you would like photographed; the photographer will close as needed.
Tasks you should almost always (90%+) do:
Turn on all ceiling lights and any other primary light sources.
We occasionally shoot homes with their lights off (<5% of homes), but the prerequisites are (1) realtor requested and (2) strong natural lighting. Other exceptions include lamps in already-bright rooms or mixed-temperature lights.
Open all blinds and curtains.
Typical blinds should be brought down and turned perfectly horizontal/flat. Exceptions are if you want to avoid seeing what’s on the other side of the window (then bring blinds down and slightly angle up) or if blinds are heavily damaged (bring all the blinds in a room to a position where they can be consistent with one another).
Turn off TVs, monitors, and other electronic displays.
The primary exceptions are the Frame TVs that display artwork with a matte-like quality.
Remove floor mats and runners.
Tasks you can optionally do:
Window shades: fully up, quarter down, or halfway down.
Whatever you decide, make sure there is plenty of light and you are consistent with your decision.
Remove personalized items.
Family photos, diplomas with your name, campaign posters, etc.
Turn on the fireplace.
Remove unnecessary furniture.
Listed as optional only due to the amount of work required.
Other Things to Know
Weather
We cannot shoot home exteriors when raining, misting, or thundering. We recommend rescheduling home interiors too when raining or misting as well, though we can still shoot them when in a pinch.
Through the magic of photo editing, we guarantee blue skies in our photos even if it’s overcast outside.
The drone will not fly safely if it’s too windy (not a common scenario).
Tall townhouses, apartment buildings, or homes on steep hills
These structures can be difficult to capture non-distorted looking exterior photos by a camera only 5-6ft off the ground, especially if there is a small front yard. We make adjustments in post-production to accommodate for this, but we recommend ordering aerial/drone photos to receive better quality results.
Photoshopping requests
We do not ‘photoshop’ the removal of items unless requested as we don’t want to be at fault for misrepresentation. Even then, there is no guarantee we can photoshop the removal of any item. However, if something is bothering you about the home and it can’t be resolved physically, let us know about it! (preferably before we start taking pictures)
Rush orders
We deliver typical photos and walkthrough-style videos the next business day. More involved photo work or showcase-style videos may take 2-3 business days. Roughly 90% of our projects are delivered between 9:00 am and 11:59 am, but that’s not a guarantee. We don’t offer same-day delivery. Please book your services in advance of needing to list your home to accommodate the potential of weather rescheduling.
Split visits or unprepared homes
We will charge an additional trip fee based on location if we need to split a home across multiple appointments.
Music in videos
Most of our videos will be sent with no music so that you can layer on any music or sounds at your heart’s desire. The exception is when we are including voice audio from intros or narrations in our videos. We’ll include music in those videos so that there’s a natural transition between voice and music. In these instances, please provide us with your selected song title and artist. Any copyright responsibilities are on the customer.
Instagram provides a vast selection of popular music with automatic permission of use. Follow Instagram’s rules for crediting or use. Tik Tok, however, does not have the same level of support and is known to strike down videos with non-permitted music.
Restricted air zones
Some areas of Charlotte are blocked from drone flight. Our drone won’t be able to launch from or enter blocked airspace, even if we wanted to break the law and lose our license. The two main areas are the CLT airport area and a small swath near Myers Park (presumably due to mercy flight landings). We wouldn’t expect you to know if the home is in these blocked airspaces or not; we will let you know onsite if this is an issue.
Photographer’s responsibilities
We want to produce the best photos and videos possible in order to help you sell the home! We understand that the primary mission is to sell homes at solid prices above all else. And in doing so, we will help you accomplish that objective and help leave your clients with an extremely positive of you from our deliverables and friendliness.
Our goal is to capture enough photos to portray the home. We do not adhere to set 20, 25, etc., image count packages. You can expect to receive the following number of images per room, though results vary by home:
2-4 front exterior
1-2 entrance
2-4 living room
1-2 dining room
3-6 kitchen
2-4 primary bedroom
2-3 primary bath
1-3 secondary bedroom (each)
1-2 office (each)
1-2 full bath (each)
1 half bath (each)
3-10 backyard and garage exterior (highly variable)
10-15 drone photos (if ordered)
Please note: you are paying us to capture and deliver media — not to clean homes or move furniture. We like to think that we’re very reasonable people and are more than happy to help move an item or two and provide guidance on what looks best. Our schedules and prices, however, are based on the home being photo-ready upon our arrival. If a home is messy or there are frequent interruptions (moving objects back-and-forth, contractors in the way, etc.), we will offer to shoot as-is or to reschedule with a split-trip fee.