How to Prepare Your Katy Home for a Professional Photo Shoot

In Katy's competitive real estate market — where Cinco Ranch, Bridgeland, and Cross Creek Ranch listings are constantly competing for buyer attention — the difference between a home that gets 30 showings and one that gets 3 often comes down to how it was prepared for photography. Here's the exact checklist Jon walks every Katy seller through before a shoot.

Exterior: First Impressions Are Everything

• Mow and edge the lawn within 24 hours of the shoot — Katy's humidity means grass grows fast
• Move all vehicles off the driveway and street in front of the home
• Remove trash cans, garden hoses, toys, and any equipment from view
• Clean the front door and make sure house numbers are visible
• Add fresh mulch to flower beds if possible — it takes 20 minutes and photographs beautifully
• Power wash the driveway if there are any stains or discoloration
• If your Katy home backs to a lake or green space (common in Cinco Ranch), clear the back fence line for drone shots

Interior: The Declutter Sprint

Katy homes — especially the newer builds in Bridgeland and Cane Island — have open floor plans where clutter in one corner is visible from three rooms. The goal is not staging from scratch; it's removing anything that screams "someone lives here." Buyers want to imagine themselves in the space.

• Kitchen counters: remove everything except one or two decorative items. The toaster, coffee maker, dish rack — all off
• Bathrooms: remove all personal care products, replace with one hand soap and a fresh towel
• Living areas: remove remote controls, throw blankets, pet items, kids' toys, and anything on the floor
• Bedrooms: make every bed with hotel-tight corners, remove all personal photos from nightstands
• Replace burned-out bulbs in every single fixture — one dark lamp ruins the whole room
• Open all blinds and curtains fully — natural light is the photographer's best friend

Day-Of Checklist (Morning of the Shoot)

• Turn on every interior light in the house — ceiling fans OFF (spinning blades blur in photos)
• Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature so the home doesn't look hazy through windows
• Remove pets and pet items (beds, bowls, toys) completely — even to the garage
• Flush all toilets and close toilet lids
• Empty all visible trash cans
• Do one final walk-through with your phone camera — if something looks cluttered on your phone, it'll be worse in professional photos

“I tell every Katy seller the same thing: the two hours you spend on prep will come back to you tenfold in buyer interest. A clean, decluttered home photographs like a model home — and buyers in Katy know model homes.”

— Jon Everette, Houston Real Estate Photographer

Special Considerations for Katy Homes

Katy's master-planned communities often feature community amenities — lakes, splash pads, parks — that add real value to a listing. If your home has a view of one of these features, make sure the relevant windows are clean and unobstructed. Jon will capture drone aerials of Katy's community amenities as part of the shoot to reinforce the lifestyle value in your listing.