Preparing a home for its photographs

Buyers meet your home first through its photographs, so the week before the shoot matters.

Start with light: clean every window, replace mismatched bulbs, and open every blind. Then clear surfaces. Keep one or two objects on each table and put the rest away. Fix what a camera will notice: a sticking door, a stained ceiling tile, a tired lawn edge.

Finally, plan the timing. Exteriors are photographed at dusk when the interior lights glow; interiors in soft morning light. I schedule both and walk the house with the photographer on the day.