KONAHWhat to expect at a real estate photo shoot.
Most sellers have never been through a listing shoot, and most of the stress comes from not knowing what happens next. Here's how a typical shoot day runs, from the week before to the moment the photos land, so you can plan the house, the pets and your own schedule around it.
The week before: booking and the plan
A shoot starts with a booking, not a knock on the door. The agent picks the package and add-ons (photos only, or photos with drone, video, a 3D tour or a floor plan), the date and an arrival window, and adds access notes: lockbox code, gate code, alarm instructions, which door to use, whether anyone will be home. The more of that is written down, the fewer phone calls on the day.
Two things are worth deciding early. First, the exterior light. A home that faces east looks best in the morning, one that faces west later in the day, and a real twilight means a second visit at dusk. Second, drone. Some addresses near airports, military bases or Washington need authorization before a flight, and inside the DC restricted zone that takes a few business days. KONAH checks every drone address when you book, and our free airspace checker shows the same result ahead of time.
The days before: getting the house ready
Preparation does more for the photos than any camera. The short version: clear every counter, put away personal items and anything with a name or an account number on it, make the beds, open or straighten the blinds, replace dead bulbs so every fixture matches, and move cars, trash cans and hoses out of the front of the house. The longer version, room by room, is in our guide to preparing a home for listing photos, and the listing prep checklist turns it into something you can print or send to the seller.
Plan for the big clear-out an evening or two before, then a quick reset the morning of the shoot. If the home is occupied, agree with the seller on where things go: a car trunk, a closet the photographer won't shoot, or the garage. Ask the photographer which spaces will be skipped so nothing ends up in the one room that matters.
Arrival and the walk-through
Photographers aim to arrive at the start of the window and spend the first few minutes walking the home. That walk decides the order of the day: which rooms need the most light, where the best angles are, what still needs tidying, and whether the exterior should be shot first or last. If you're there, this is the moment to point out features that matter to buyers but are easy to miss, like a new roof, a finished basement bath, built-ins or a view from a particular window.
You don't have to stay. Plenty of agents open up, do the walk-through and leave, and plenty of shoots happen with nobody home at all. What matters is that someone can be reached by phone if a door is locked, a light switch can't be found or the alarm goes off.
Inside: the order and the pace
Most photographers work through a home in a set pattern: main living spaces and kitchen first, while the light is best, then bedrooms and bathrooms, then the details, and finally the lower level, garage and storage. Each room usually gets a few angles, each one shot as a set of exposures that are blended later so the windows and the room both look right. Expect some lights on and some off, doors opened and closed, and small adjustments like straightening a rug or moving a chair a few inches.
Photographers don't usually move heavy furniture, and they shouldn't open private drawers or closets you haven't mentioned. Keep people and pets out of the room being photographed. Not because the camera is slow, but because people in listing photos raise privacy and Fair Housing concerns, and a dog wandering into frame means starting over.
Outside: exteriors, drone and twilight
The front exterior is usually the first photo buyers see, so it gets the most care: the angle, the time of day, a clear driveway and no trash cans or cars. The back of the house, the deck, the yard and any pool or view come next. Our guide on the best time for exterior photos explains how sun direction and season change the plan.
If drone is booked, the pilot runs a final airspace check and a quick look at the weather before take-off. A typical set of aerials takes a short flight from the property itself, framed on the listing rather than the neighbors. Wind and rain decide the day: if the drone can't go up safely, the interior photos still happen on schedule and the flight is rescheduled. A real twilight shoot means the photographer comes back around sunset with every light in the house on, so plan for the home to be ready at dusk too.
Video and 3D tours add time
A photos-only shoot of a typical three-bedroom home takes about an hour to an hour and a half on site. Add-ons change that. A Matterport scan for a 3D tour means placing the camera every few steps through the home, and a typical home takes 45 to 90 minutes on its own; everyone needs to stay out of the rooms while it runs, because people and moving objects show up in the dollhouse view. Video adds slow, steady camera moves through the main spaces, and an agent-on-camera walkthrough adds the agent's own takes. A full luxury day with film, aerials and twilight can run four hours or more.
If you book several services, ask what order they'll happen in. Photos and 3D tours usually come first while the house is at its tidiest, and video follows.
After the shoot: editing and delivery
Once the photographer leaves, the editing starts: blending exposures, correcting color, straightening vertical lines, pulling window views and cleaning up small distractions. With KONAH, photos are delivered within 24 hours of the shoot, in high resolution and MLS sizes, already in the order buyers walk through a home. Videos and 3D tours take 48 to 72 hours. If the listing can't wait, a rush edit ($50) or guaranteed same-day delivery ($100) can be added when you book.
Look through the set before it goes live. Check that every room you care about is there, that nothing personal slipped into frame and that any virtually staged or decluttered photo is labeled for the MLS. If something needs another look, ask for a revision while the shoot is fresh.
If the plan changes
Weather, a delayed closing on the seller's next home or a contractor who isn't finished all happen. Move the shoot rather than photograph a house that isn't ready: photos live on the listing for its whole life. KONAH reschedules free up to 24 hours before the shoot; inside 24 hours a change may carry a fee, shown before you confirm. If only the drone is grounded by wind or rain, the rest of the shoot goes ahead and the flight is moved at no cost.
A quick shoot-day checklist for sellers
- Counters clear, beds made, towels folded, blinds even.
- Every bulb working and matching; lamps and overhead lights ready to switch on.
- Personal photos, mail, medication, keys and anything with an account number put away.
- Cars, trash cans and hoses moved off the front of the house.
- Pets out of the home or crated in a room that won't be photographed.
- Pool cover off and patio furniture set out, if it's in season.
- Access details sent: lockbox, gate, alarm, which door.
- A phone number someone will answer during the window.
Times here are typical for KONAH shoots and vary with the size of the home, the services booked, the weather and access. Your booking confirmation has the exact window.