Listing Photos That Sell: Hiring a Real-Estate Photographer

To hire a real-estate photographer, first ask your listing agent whether they book the photos or you do. If it's up to you, compare portfolios of homes like yours, agree in writing on what's included and who may use the images, and get the house ready before the shoot: every room clean and clear, the lights on and the blinds open.

Who hires the real-estate photographer?

It depends on how you're selling or renting:

• With a listing agent: ask whether the agent arranges and pays for the photos, or expects you to. Either way, agree on the shoot date together, so the house is ready.
• Selling it yourself: you hire the photographer, and you'll own the questions below.
• Renting it out: a landlord listing a rental, or a host setting up a short-term rental, hires the photographer the same way.

To find photographers who shoot homes, start at real estate and business photography.

What can a real-estate photographer offer?

Not every photographer offers all of these, so ask which are included and which cost extra:

If you're thinking of virtual staging or heavy edits, ask your agent what the listing service allows and whether the photo must be labeled.

What should you ask a real-estate photographer before you book?

• Their portfolio: full sets from homes like yours, in size, style and light, not a highlight reel.
• What's included: how many edited photos, which rooms, the exterior, and any extras from the table above.
• Turnaround: when you'll receive the edited photos, measured against your listing date.
• Files: sized for the listing service and the web, and full-size versions for print.
• Editing: what they correct, such as brightness, straight walls and the view through windows, and what they leave alone. Buyers will walk through the real rooms, so photos that match the house serve you better than photos that flatter it.
• Usage rights: who may use the photos, where and for how long: the listing, the agent's marketing, or a later rental listing. Get it in writing.
• Time in the house: how long they need, so you can plan to be out.
• Weather: what happens to the exterior shots if it rains, and how rescheduling works.
• Deposit and cancellation terms.
• Insurance: whether they carry liability insurance, since they'll be working in your home with equipment, and a drone if you order aerials.

How do you get the house ready for listing photos?

Start well before the shoot, so there's time to book help if you need it.

Every room

• Declutter. Clear most things off counters, tables and shelves. If it leaves a pile, book junk removal before the shoot, not after.
• Clean. Windows, mirrors, floors and light fixtures all show up in photos. A thorough home cleaning shortly before the shoot is worth planning for. If you're hiring a cleaner for the first time, see how to get ready for a house cleaner's first visit.
• Fix the lights. Replace burned-out bulbs, and use the same color of bulb within a room, so one lamp doesn't glow orange next to a cool white one.
• Open blinds and curtains, and turn on the lights, unless the photographer asks otherwise.
• Hide the everyday: cords, remote controls, trash cans, pet bowls, litter boxes and pet beds.
• Switch off ceiling fans and TVs.

Kitchen and bathrooms

• Clear the counters down to one or two items, and empty the sink.
• Take everything off the front of the fridge.
• Put toiletries, soap bottles and dish towels away.
• Hang fresh towels, close toilet lids and straighten the shower curtain.

Bedrooms

• Make the beds neatly, clear the nightstands and close closet doors.

Outside

• Move cars out of the driveway, and off the street in front if you can.
• Put away bins, hoses, toys and tools.
• Tidy the yard: rake up what winter left behind, edge the beds and sweep the walks.
• Clean the hard surfaces. A walkway, patio or siding streaked with winter grime shows up in the front photo. Pressure washing can clean it before the shoot.

For the rest of the outdoor to-dos, see the spring home maintenance checklist for Northern Virginia.

What about privacy, people and pets on photo day?

Listing photos are public, and they stay online. Before the shoot:

• Put away anything personal: family photos, mail, calendars, children's names on artwork, diplomas, and prescription bottles.
• Put away anything that shows your security: spare keys, safes, and alarm keypads with codes written near them.
• Keep people out of the frame. Photographing people needs their consent. If anyone might appear, say a family member in a video tour or a neighbor on the sidewalk, ask them first, or ask the photographer to leave them out.
• Plan for pets. Arrange for them to be out of the house, or in one room the photographer has already finished.

When should you book listing photos in spring?

As soon as your listing date is set. Spring is a busy time for listings, so photographers' calendars can fill up. Book the shoot after the cleaning and any small repairs, and early enough before the listing goes live to leave time for the edited photos to arrive.

Watch the forecast for the exterior shots: a bright, dry day, or dusk for twilight photos. If the trees are still bare or the lawn is still brown, ask whether the photographer can come back to update the outside shots once the yard greens up, in case your home is still on the market.

Book a photographer once your listing date is set

Buyers and renters who find your listing online see the photos before they see the house. Once your date is set, book real estate and business photography with an independent local Pro, and leave yourself time to get every room ready.

Last updated September 2026.