A checklist for the day before the photographer arrives
A short checklist of things to confirm with the seller and the photographer before a listing shoot, so the photo set matches the facts on your listing sheet.
A listing shoot goes better when the decisions are made before the photographer is on the doorstep. This checklist is a planning aid. We have not tested it on a set of shoots and do not report results from it.
Agree the shot list first
Send the photographer a short list of the rooms and features you want shown, taken from your confirmed listing sheet. If the sheet says the garden is fenced, ask for a shot that shows the fence. If a feature is not on the sheet, ask yourself whether it should be before it appears in a photo.
Confirm what stays and what goes
Walk through the home with the seller the day before and agree what will be put away. Note anything that will be moved for the shoot, such as cars, bins or personal items, so the seller is not surprised on the day.
Check access and timing
Confirm the arrival time, who is letting the photographer in, and how long the seller expects the visit to take. If a room will be in use, such as a nursery or a home office, agree when it will be free.
Note anything that changes the facts
If something is staged for the shoot, such as borrowed furniture or a temporary fix, write it down. A photo should not suggest that a feature is part of the sale when it is not.
After the shoot
Look through the set against the listing sheet before anything is published. For each photo, confirm that the room or feature shown matches what the sheet says. Ask for a reshoot or drop the photo if it does not.
Keep the checklist with the listing
File the checklist and the final shot list in the listing folder. The next time the photos are refreshed, you start from the same list rather than from memory.
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