How to Get Your Las Vegas Home Photo-Ready and Showing-Ready (Photographer's Checklist)

Your listing photos are your first showing. Most buyers decide whether to see a home from their phone, so the hour the photographer spends in your house can matter more than any open house. In NAR's 2025 staging survey, 88% of sellers' agents said photos of a listing were more or much more important to their clients (NAR, 2025 Profile of Home Staging).

This guide builds on the photo-prep checklist from Wild Dog Digital, a Las Vegas real estate photography, video and 3D tour company I've used for listing shoots. I reorganized it room by room and added what I tell my sellers about Las Vegas yards, pools and showings.

Why getting photo-ready matters

• Photos drive the first click. 73% of buyers' agents and 88% of sellers' agents said photos were more or much more important to their clients (NAR, 2025).
• Video matters too. 47% of sellers' agents said videos were more or much more important (same source).
• The basics are what agents ask for. Agents' top recommendations to sellers were decluttering (91%), a whole-home cleaning (88%) and curb appeal (77%) (same source).
• The camera is unforgiving. Wide-angle lenses pick up every cord, sponge and stray shoe that you stopped noticing years ago.

By Andrew Guiant, REALTOR®, Nevada License S.0183462, Simply Vegas · Updated October 27, 2026 · About a 7-minute read

Photo day coming up? Call or text me at 702-496-8216, and I'll walk the house with you the day before.

How Long a Listing Photo Shoot Takes

Wild Dog Digital's guide says a shoot should take no more than about an hour, and longer for homes over 3,000 square feet (Wild Dog Digital checklist). They photograph the inside and outside, including all the major rooms. So the work is in the days before, not during the shoot.

If you're still deciding on repairs, paint or staging, start with How to Prepare Your House to Sell in Las Vegas. This post picks up from there: the house is fixed and clean, and now it needs to look its best on camera and for buyers.

The Week Before Photo Day

• Replace every burned-out bulb, inside and out, including lamps and porch lights. Matching bulb colors look better on camera than a mix of warm and cool.
• Clean the windows, glass doors and mirrors. I used to pay about $250 to have all my windows and screens cleaned before listing (my Short on this).
• Get the yard ready: trim and water the plants, take out dead ones, and rake or top off the gravel. In a desert yard, a few dead shrubs stand out in a wide shot.
• Clean the driveway, sidewalks and patios, including oil and grease stains on the driveway.
• Pack up the clutter you'll otherwise be hiding in a panic on photo morning.

Photo-Day Exterior Checklist

• Move all cars out of the driveway and off the street in front, if you can
• Put the trash and recycling bins out of sight
• Put away hoses, garden tools, bikes, toys and pool floats
• Pick up pet waste in the backyard
• Sweep the porch and set out a clean doormat

If you have a pool

Wild Dog's list says to take the pool sweep, cleaning equipment and toys out of the pool. I'd add: schedule the pool service a day or two before so the water is clear and the tile line is clean, and run the waterfall or spa feature only if it looks good in a still photo.

Photo-Day Interior Checklist (Every Room)

• Turn on every light, including lamps and under-cabinet lights, and leave them on for the whole shoot
• Turn off ceiling fans and TVs. Spinning fan blades blur, and a blank screen looks cleaner than whatever's playing
• Open blinds, shades and curtains where the view is good, and close them where it isn't
• Remove throw rugs and runners from the entry, kitchen and bathrooms
• Hide cords and cables as well as you can
• Put trash cans away in a closet or cabinet
• Dust and vacuum every room, including ceiling fan blades and baseboards
• Depersonalize: put away personal photos, religious items, mail, kids' artwork and anything with your name on it

Room-by-Room Photo Checklist

Living and family room

• Clear coffee tables, side tables and bookshelves down to a few decor pieces
• Put the remotes, game controllers and chargers in a drawer
• Remove stacks of magazines and mail
• Fluff and straighten the couch pillows and fold the throws

Kitchen

• Clear the counters: toaster, coffee maker, knife block, dish rack, sponges and paper towels
• Take every photo, magnet, note and calendar off the fridge
• Wipe down the fridge, oven, range hood and cooktop, and the counters
• Leave no dishes in the sink
• Optional: a bowl of fresh fruit or one plant on the island

Dining room

• Wipe down the table and add one centerpiece, such as flowers or candles
• Setting the table is optional; keep it simple if you do
• Remove booster seats and high chairs
• Push the chairs in evenly

Bedrooms

• Make the beds and smooth out the comforters
• Hang up or fold away the clothes, including what's on the chair
• Clear the nightstands of books, phones, chargers and clocks
• Turn the nightstand lamps on
• Put shoes and laundry baskets in the closet

Bathrooms

• Take shampoo, razors and loofahs out of the shower and tub
• Clear the counters: toothbrushes, soap dishes, tissue boxes, lotion and makeup mirrors
• Put the toilet seat and lid down
• Clean the mirrors and glass shower doors, and hang one set of clean, matching towels
• Remove bath mats

Final touches

• Pets: keep them in the garage, a crate or out of the house for the shoot, and put away food bowls, beds and litter boxes
• Entry: put shoes, jackets, backpacks and keys in a closet
• Garage: close it, or clean it out enough to photograph
• Walk through once with your phone camera. If something catches your eye on the screen, it will catch a buyer's eye too

How to Keep Your Home Showing-Ready

Photos get buyers in the door. After that, every showing has to match the photos. Here's my quick reset for when a showing request comes in:

1. Open the blinds and turn on the lights in every room
2. Set the A/C to a comfortable temperature (buyers notice a hot house fast in a Las Vegas summer)
3. Clear the sinks, wipe the counters and put the toilet lids down
4. Take out the kitchen trash and empty the bathroom wastebaskets
5. Make the beds and put away laundry, shoes and toys
6. Put pets, food bowls and litter boxes out of sight, or take pets with you
7. Put away valuables, prescription medications, mail and personal papers
8. Leave the house so buyers can talk freely with their agent

Tip: keep a "showing basket" in the laundry room. Sweep counter items, mail and chargers into it, and put it in the car on your way out.

Your Printable Photo-Day Checklist

1. All bulbs working and every light on
2. Ceiling fans and TVs off
3. Blinds open where the view is good
4. Windows, mirrors and glass doors clean
5. Counters clear in the kitchen and bathrooms
6. Fridge front empty
7. Beds made, nightstands clear, lamps on
8. Rugs, runners and bath mats picked up
9. Personal photos and papers put away
10. Trash cans, cords and remotes out of sight
11. Cars out of the driveway, bins out of sight
12. Yard trimmed, pet waste cleared, pool clear of equipment and toys
13. Pets and pet items out of sight

Once the photos are done, the price and the plan do the rest. See How to Sell Your House in Las Vegas and How to Get the Most Money When You Sell.

FAQ: Getting a Home Ready for Photos and Showings

How long does a real estate photo shoot take?

Wild Dog Digital says no more than about an hour for most homes, and longer for homes over 3,000 square feet. Video and 3D tours can add time.

Should the lights be on or off for real estate photos?

On. Turn on every light and lamp, including nightstand lamps, and leave them on for the whole shoot. Turn ceiling fans and TVs off.

Do I need to be home during the photo shoot?

No. Many sellers leave so the photographer can work room to room without anyone in the frame. Just have the house ready before the photographer arrives.

What should I hide before listing photos?

Personal photos, religious items, mail, toiletries, small kitchen appliances, cords, remotes, trash cans, pet bowls, rugs and anything on the fridge.

How do I keep my house ready for showings while living in it?

Do a 15-minute reset: lights on, blinds open, counters and sinks clear, beds made, trash out, pets and valuables put away. A "showing basket" makes it faster.

Watch: Homes That Show Well

Click any video to watch it on YouTube.

▶ Las Vegas Dream Home Tour · A home that shows like the photos	▶ The $250 Detail Buyers Notice · Seller prep tip (Short)
▶ Single-Story West Summerlin Remodel · Full home tour	▶ Remodeled Henderson Tri-Level · Full listing-style home tour

More videos: see them all on my YouTube channel.

Let's Get Your Home Camera-Ready

I'll walk through your home with you before photo day, tell you what to put away and what to leave, and book professional photos and video so your listing makes a strong first impression. Want to see how I market a home? Ask me about my listing at 1285 Raritan Pl in Henderson.

Andrew Guiant, REALTOR® | Simply Vegas
📞 702-496-8216
✉️ andrewguiant@gmail.com
🏠 Search homes: www.andrewsellsvegas.com
▶️ Home tours: YouTube @andrewsellsvegas

Book a free pre-listing walk-through

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Photo-prep checklist adapted with credit from Wild Dog Digital (wilddogdigital.com). Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Andrew Guiant, REALTOR®, Simply Vegas, NV license S.0183462.

Sources

• Wild Dog Digital, "Preparing Your Home for a Professional Photo Shoot" (PDF checklist): https://www.wilddogdigital.com
• NAR, 2025 Profile of Home Staging: https://cms.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-06/2025-profile-of-home-staging-report-06-26-2025.pdf
• Andrew Guiant, windows Short (Oct. 26, 2026): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tg1FwZ4Jz7I
• Andrew Guiant, Las Vegas home tours (Aug. 30 and 31, 2026): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfBO4cJxq0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cm6xcPRP68
• All checked October 27, 2026.