Why Preparing Your Home for Real Estate Media Day Is the Most Important Thing You’ll Do Before Listing
How to Prepare for Real Estate Media Day
First Impressions Happen Online First
You’ve painted, staged, and cleaned, but there’s one moment that carries more weight than most sellers realize.
Media Day.
This is the day your real estate media team captures your home through professional photography and videography. It is also the first time most buyers will experience the space.
Nearly every buyer starts their home search online. That means your visuals are doing the work of making the first impression long before someone walks through the front door.
Media Day Is Not Just Another Task on the List
This is not just a quick appointment or some casual snapshots. Media Day is your listing’s debut. The way your home is presented through photos, videos, and 3D Tour can directly influence how many people schedule a showing, how quickly your home sells, and even how much it sells for.
Your goal is to have buyers scrolling through listings, pausing on yours, and thinking, “This is the one.”
Help Buyers Picture Themselves Living There
Here is a simple truth. Buyers need to imagine themselves in the home. And that is hard to do when they are staring at someone else's family portraits, vacation magnets, or a cluttered kitchen counter.
Effective real estate photography helps highlight your home’s best features without distractions. That means:
Clear kitchen counters help showcase the size and layout
No personal items on bathroom vanities keeps the space clean and open
Removing fridge magnets, personal photos, or mail lets the home feel neutral
Tidy, styled rooms allow buyers to picture their own furniture there
In short, your home becomes a blank canvas for the next owner's imagination.
Little Details Create a Big Impact
You don’t need a luxury renovation or designer furniture to impress buyers. What you do need is attention to detail.
For example:
A freshly made bed with neutral bedding makes a bedroom feel calm and inviting
A clean, clutter-free living area helps the room feel larger
Turned-off electronics and hidden cords remove modern distractions
Clean windows, dusted surfaces, and smudge-free mirrors show pride of ownership
These touches often go unnoticed when done right, but they can be glaring if left out.
Quiet Distractions That Can Cost You
What seems like a small oversight in person becomes highly noticeable on camera. These are a few common issues that hurt real estate photos and videos:
Motion blur from ceiling fans left running
Fingerprints on appliances or mirrors
Trash cans left in frame
Pets walking into shots
A TV left on in the background
Toys, cords, or laundry that creates visual clutter
These are some of the silent deal-breakers. Buyers may not be able to pinpoint why they moved on, but the clutter speaks louder than you think.
Treat It Like an Open House, But Even More Important
An open house might draw a handful of buyers. Your real estate photos and video, on the other hand, will be seen by hundreds if not thousands of people online.
This is your one chance to show the home in the best light, literally and figuratively. There are no retakes. Once the shoot is complete, those images become your listing’s public face.
Want to Make Sure You’re Ready?
If you're unsure how to prepare each room, we have made it simple. Download our free room-by-room Media Day Prep Guide here:
Download the Media Day Prep Guide
This checklist has been used by many homeowners and agents to help listings look their best from day one.
Final Takeaway
Media Day is not just another appointment. It is your home's moment to stand out, connect with buyers, and sell quickly.
The better you prepare, the more powerful your listing becomes. Clean, styled, distraction-free spaces help buyers see the home’s full potential.
Whether you Google “ Find real estate photographer near me” or already have a media team in place, remember this. Preparation is not optional. It is essential.
