1. Grant of License. This license grants the Client (“Licensee”) an individual, non-transferable and non-exclusive right to use the images described on the invoice for SHORT TERM RENTAL/VACATION RENTAL use only during the duration of the property listing by the invoiced owner. You may not sell, rent, lease, or sublicense the photos to any other companies or entities not mentioned in this license agreement.

2. Permitted/Prohibited Uses. The images may be used for any press articles, marketing, on-line use, as well as any form of reproduction, printed or digital, needed to market the property that has been photographed. The photos may also be used by the clients management company for the sole purpose of marketing the specific property photographed for the duration of the listing, and must NOT be distributed to a third party without permission. The images are not to be changed, edited or enhanced in any way unless done by KDI REAL ESTATE MEDIA. The images may be backed up or archived as necessary to complete the above stated uses only. You may not resell, sub-license, give, lend, sub-let, distribute the whole or part of an image, whatever its size and resolution. You may not reproduce, resell or redistribute those images for commercial purposes or for marketing use with another selling agent, management company or marketing company.

3. Copyright. All rights pertaining to the photographs are owned by  KDI REAL ESTATE MEDIA and protected by United States Copyright Laws, international treaty provisions, and other applicable laws. No title, copyright, or intellectual property rights in the photos are transferred with this license. Full rights and copyright, including but not limited to self-promotion usage, remain with KDI REAL ESTATE MEDIA, without exception.

Terms of service FOR MLS LISTINGS.

1. Grant of License. This license grants the Client (“Licensee”) an individual, non-transferable and non-exclusive right to use the images and videos described on the invoice for KDI REAL ESTATE use only during the duration of the property listing. You may not sell, rent, lease, or sublicense the photos to any other companies or entities not mentioned in this license agreement.

2. Permitted/Prohibited Uses. The images/videos may be used for any press articles, marketing, on-line use, as well as any form of reproduction, printed or digital, needed to market the property that has been photographed. The photos may also be used by the agent’s/clients  parent company for the sole purpose of marketing the specific property photographed for the duration of the listing, and must NOT be distributed to a third party without permission. The images may be backed up or archived as necessary to complete the above stated uses only. You may not resell, sub-license, give, lend, sub-let, distribute the whole or part of an image, whatever its size and resolution. You may not reproduce, resell or redistribute those images for commercial purposes or for marketing use with another selling agent, management company or marketing company.

3. Copyright. All rights pertaining to the photographs are owned by  KDI REAL ESTATE MEDIA and protected by United States Copyright Laws, international treaty provisions, and other applicable laws. No title, copyright, or intellectual property rights in the photos are transferred with this license. Full rights and copyright, including but not limited to self-promotion usage, remain with KDI REAL ESTATE MEDAI, without exception.

REALTOR AND HOME OWNER PRE-SHOOT CHECKLIST

Property Preparation 

Everyone wants the property to look its best. I want it to look good to have an easy and quick photo-shoot, and the Realtor® and seller should want it to look good to sell fast. And buyers want to walk into a home that’s ready to be theirs. 

So here are some general and specific suggestions for getting the property ready for photography. Some of these points relate to getting ready for showings, too. 

General Tips 

Places to Hide Things 

• KDI Real Estate Media

We generally don’t photograph the insides of closets, so that’s a great place to hide clutter, dog beds, etc. Consider coat closet, bedroom closets, utility closets, pantries. I also generally don’t photograph the garage or the laundry room, but check with your Realtor® whether or not they’ll be wanting me to photograph those because they’re also a great place to hide things like pets. Deep sinks and bathtubs are also a great place to hide things from the camera. The oven and microwave are also a good place to hide things so long as you remember to take them out before turning it on. Don’t ask me how I know this. 

Temperature Controls 

You want buyers to be comfortable. For showings, turn on the air conditioning or the heat, whichever is needed to make the house a comfortable temperature. You don’t want potential buyers to come in and want to run back to the car because it’s too hot or cold. Photographers like it to be comfortable, too. (hint hint) I don’t want ceiling fans on for photography, but on at low or medium is great for showings – but not so fast that they wobble or make noise. 

Big Things vs. Little Things 

Remember: these pictures are for the Internet and brochures. As such, a window smudge or some dog hair on the carpet or some dust on the fans are going to be mere pixels in size — if that — while the pile of paperwork on the kitchen counter is going to be fairly large. Spend your time working on the big things to get ready for photography and showings. 

Showings 

Does the house have to look for showings like it did in the photographs? Exactly? No. You can probably leave the paper towels on the counter, for example. But another huge pile of paperwork should be stashed in the microwave. Note: Get into the habit of checking the oven before turning it on. How I know this is not important. 

Indoors 

Declutter, Declutter, Declutter 

This one can’t be emphasized too much. Remove clutter. Magazines, mail, paperwork, kids’ homework, the kids’ artwork on the walls, refrigerator magnets — everything. Hide the remote controls. If there’s a bottle of water on your nightstand, hide it. A few books on nightstands and end- tables are okay, but not like my stack that’s ten high. 

Lights 

Check all lights. If there are bulbs burned out, replace them. It may not seem like much, but non- working lights tell potential buyers that even the simplest maintenance hasn’t been done and may make them wonder about bigger maintenance items. Under-cabinet lighting looks great but not if only half of them work. Lights you may not consider: range hood lights, bathroom vanity lights, ceiling fan lights you seldom use, that single light over the bathtub — pretty much if there can be a bulb in it there should be and it should be working. 

Remove Anything Seasonal 

We all want the property to sell fast. Just in case it doesn’t, let’s not advertise it and fix the photoshoot date in concrete. Having pumpkins in the pictures kinda advertises that we took them in October or November. Stockings hanging by the fireplace…well…you can figure it out. 

Remove Anything “Polarizing” 

This may offend some but, sorry. I don’t think you care who buys your house. That being said, it may put off some buyers if they see a gigantic cross on the wall and they practice  a different faith. For some they may have a negative emotional response to a huge Dallas Cowboys banner in the bonus room. Same with political signs outside or in the window. “Neutral” is what you’re going for here. 

Huge Family Pictures 

Small family pictures aren’t usually a big deal; however, huge ones are. Do you really want that huge close-up of your daughter on the Internet? Stand back at the corner of the room and look: if you can identify people in the pictures, so can everyone else. Some agents will have the seller remove all personal pictures, and that’s fine, too. 

“Questionable” Art 

We shot an open house once and there was a series of huge nude portraits on the master bedroom’s walls. Tasteful and artistic, mostly, but still obviously nude women. When we were about to leave I saw a woman with two young children arriving. We stayed to watch her reaction. Let’s  say it wasn’t pleasant what she said to the showing agent after walking into the master bedroom with her kids. 

Pets 

If you’ve got pets, remove toys, beds, scratching posts, food and water bowls, litter boxes, etc. Also, please put the pets in an area where they won’t be wandering around and getting into the pictures. If we had a dollar for every time some dog photo-bombed our shots, we would be rich. Additionally, we don’t want them to escape as I’m opening doors. 

Bathrooms 

Remove as much as you can from countertops – things like toothbrushes, soap dispensers, and tissue boxes. At the very least move them to the very end of the counter by the door. If the bathroom has a separate water closet, put things where they can’t be seen from the main door such as atop the toilet tank or in the bathtub. Check with your Realtor® on whether or not they want your throw rugs in the pictures. Or maybe it’s time to buy new ones. Remove shower items that can be seen, too, or at least put them where they can’t be seen in the bathtub. 

If you’ve got a lot of shampoo and soap bottles in your shower, you may want to consider an easy-to- carry shower-caddy to remove shampoo and soaps and things from the shower quickly and easily for showings. 

Kitchen 

Kitchens help sell homes. Remove anything from the counter that distracts such as rolls of paper towels, the dish drainer, dirty dishes, or a bottle of dish soap. Some color such as cookbooks and small decorations are okay. We can move things around to hide them as needed, but you can’t do that during a showing. Remove any dish towels, dirty dishes, or other clutter. Make sure the hood lights all work. Your blender and mixer and toaster probably aren’t part of the home’s price, so those should be removed, too. 

Some agents will ask that everything be removed from the counter, and that’s their choice. I think that looks too clean – sterile almost – rather than warm and welcoming. 

Dining Areas 

Some people like place settings out, some don’t. We don’t particularly care so long as it’s simple and not distracting from the room or the house. A giant centerpiece doesn’t help. Placemats can hide glare from an open window, but a giant wine or water glass can create even more. Check the lights in the china cabinet, too. 

Offices 

You may be tempted to just close the door. However, if that’s not an option, get a box and put all paperwork and desk items in it to move out of sight. Try to cluster cables together neatly. 

Bedrooms 

Make the beds. Fluff the pillows. Check the dust ruffle. If you stash things under the bed, push them back so they can’t be seen. Close all closet doors. 

Kids’ rooms are probably the toughest with toys and things but do the best you can. 

Outdoors 

Vehicles 

Remove all vehicles from the outside of the property. This doesn’t just mean move them to the curb, but put them in such a place where they can’t be seen from inside either; don’t want to see your car outside the dining room window. (You’ll notice we park far away, too.) If you’ve got neighbors parked where their cars can be seen from inside, perhaps ask them if they can move them for 20 minutes. 

 Landscaping 

Does the grass need watering? Mowing? Raking? Then water, mow, or rake. If you’ve got a pet, clean up after them in the yard. Probably won’t show up in the picture, but we have to traipse around out there, too. If your hedges look really uneven, consider hiring a landscaper or trimming them yourself. If you’ve got a security sign outside, move it and replace it. 

Hoses and Equipment 

Hoses should be coiled/rolled up or, better yet, put away and out of sight. Yard equipment should be stored out of sight. This includes garbage cans – in the garage or out of sight on the side of the house or behind a gate. We often won’t photograph a narrow side yard, so that’s a good option for hiding things. 

Swimming Pools 

Remove and put away any pool toys, floats, and cleaning equipment. You can leave the sweep and chlorinator unless you really want to remove those and stash them away, but please do so at least an hour before we arrive so that the area around the pool can dry off. If you have umbrellas around the pool, put them up with any chairs or chaises underneath them. If there are a lot of leaves in the pool, skim it. I can Photoshop-out a dozen leaves; a thousand, not so much. 

Furniture 

If you have patio furniture, remove the covers and stash the covers out of sight. If you’ve got an outdoor dining area, wipe the table off and consider simple yet colorful placemats and dishes. Be sure to get stuff that’s not breakable. 

Barbecues 

Barbecues are great, but they should be clean; if it’s stainless, give it a good wipe down. Tools should be out of sight — throw them into the barbecue if you can’t come up with anyplace else. Bags of charcoal and bottles of lighter fluid should be removed, too. If the grill isn’t very attractive, consider a cover. 

Seasonal Items 

Remove anything seasonal such as holiday lights, a blow-up Santa, pumpkins, 4th Of July decorations, a big banner welcoming spring, or that posable life-size skeleton with the cigar and Martini glass. 

Lights 

If we’re doing a twilight/evening shots, make sure all outside lights are working. This includes any landscape lights, walkway lights, and pool lights. 

Windows 

Stand outside and look at the house. Are all the blinds open? In the same position? If you have plantation shutters position them “flat” with all the slats horizontal to the ground. If you have some plantation and some blinds, make them all flat for consistency. Cleaning the windows may help, but a small smudge isn’t really going to be seen. 

 Outdoors 

Hoses wrapped up
Cars not in driveway
Lawn raked
Lawn watered
Window treatments consistent Windows clean 

Lights all working
Lawn equipment put away 

Indoors 

Bedrooms 

Beds made with pillows Clothes put away
Toys put away 

Bathrooms 

Counters cleared
Nothing visible in showers Mirrors cleaned 

Dining Room 

Place-settings out, simple Glassware out
Centerpiece but not too huge Chairs all match and placed 

Living and Family Room 

Televisions off Magazines neat or gone Remotes put away
Pet beds put away/hidden 

Kitchen 

Counters reasonably cleared Sponges and soap put away
All food put away
Eat-in table/counter set for eating 

Pool toys put away
Dog toys put away Towels put away
Dog messes cleaned up Barbecue cleaned/covered Barbecue tools put away Hedges trimmed 

Garbage cans away 

Lights on and bulbs all working Fans off
An item or two on a nightstand 

Carpets/mats straight or hidden Lights on and all bulbs working 

Lights on and bulbs all working Fans off
Lights in China cabinet working 

Lights on and all bulbs working Fans off
Large pictures removed 

Lights on and all bulbs working Lights in range hood working Lights in oven working
Pet bowls put away/hidden