MR HOME GUY USA · MASTER TECHS SINCE 2008
How Do I Declutter My House Before Listing Photos?
Start with the rooms your agent plans to photograph first. Take a wide photo from each doorway. Use it to spot what blocks a walkway, crowds a surface, or hides a feature of the room. Give each item you remove a destination: pack it, donate it, arrange pickup, or put it in a bin for daily use.
Keep the furniture that makes each room easy to understand. A dining table shows how the space is used. The extra chairs, boxes, and paperwork around it can go.
What to clear room by room
Entry and living room
Clear shoes, coats, bags, pet supplies, and charging cables. Look at the main path from the door to the seating area. If a spare chair or side table narrows it, try taking that piece out and retake the photo from the same spot.
Kitchen and dining room
Clear mail, dish racks, and countertop appliances you can put away for the shoot. Remove papers and magnets from the refrigerator, then clear the dining table. Leave a useful stretch of counter visible so the photo shows the workspace.
Bedrooms and bathrooms
Put laundry, toiletries, medicines, and personal papers out of view. Clear the tops of dressers, nightstands, and vanities. Pack off-season clothing early if closets will be photographed or shown to buyers.
Garage, basement, and storage
Ask whether these areas will be photographed before using them to hold boxes. Set aside one agreed spot for anything leaving the property and keep the walkways clear. If bulky items need to go, confirm pickup and what the provider accepts before counting on it.
Give everything you remove a destination
- Keep and pack. Box up items you can live without until the move. Label the box by destination so you can find things again.
- Keep for daily use. Put toiletries, chargers, pet supplies, and other essentials in a portable bin you can tuck away before photos and bring back afterward.
- Sell or donate. Set a pickup deadline. Confirm who will take each item and whether they’ll carry it out of the house.
- Recycle or haul away. Make a separate list of bulky items and confirm who can take them. For a mattress or box spring, check the available pickup or drop-off options in your area.
Short on time? Clear what the camera will see first
Say the photographer is coming Friday and your dining room is full of moving boxes. Ask your agent which rooms are on the photo list. If the dining room is one of them, move the boxes to their agreed storage spot and clear the table before you spend an evening sorting drawers. If a bulky piece can’t leave before Friday, ask whether it can be repositioned so it leaves a clear path and the room still reads as a dining room.
Take a second doorway photo after the room is cleared. Check the floor, counters, and edges of the frame. Use that photo to make a short final list for the day before the shoot.
Listing photos are coming up and you’re not sure what should go?
Bring a few doorway photos, your photo date, and a list of any large items you’re deciding about. We’ll help you pick the rooms to clear first and work out what to pack, donate, or arrange to have picked up.
$39 · 20-minute virtual appointment · Book online 24/7 · Available nationwide — Mr. Home Guy USA
ConsultRelated home-sale prep and cleanout guides
- How do I get my house ready to sell in two weeks?
- What can I donate and what needs to be hauled away?
- How do I get rid of a mattress or box spring before moving?
- Should I deep clean before or after painting and repairs?
- Browse city moving and home-sale prep guides
Check out our A Room-by-Room Decluttering Plan for Listing Photos blog