Real Estate Camera
For an empty property, photograph every room during a single midday visit with all the lights on. Then use Virtual staging in the three to five rooms that are hardest to show when empty, label each staged photo, and upload the original photo of the empty room alongside it. With an AI staging app, you can complete the whole job in one visit and publish the listing that evening. This checklist follows the order in which I would work through the property.
External figures link to their sources, as of September 2026. Real Estate Camera is our app, and I have indicated where I describe it.
Before you arrive
- Choose the time. Zillow's photography tips recommend photographing interiors at their brightest, at midday, and exteriors when the sun is behind the camera. If the property faces west, you may need to return later to photograph the front. Exterior photos explains the timing.
- Ask for the utilities to be switched on. An empty home with the power off looks like a cave in photos.
- Bring spare bulbs. Empty homes often have dead bulbs, and an unlit light fitting looks broken in a photo.
- Check your MLS rules for staged photos and the main photo. Realcomp, for example, requires a photo of the front of the property within 48 hours of the property being listed.
At the property: prepare in ten minutes
- Switch on every light, including the lights in any cupboards you will photograph, the extractor hood and the under-cupboard lights.
- Raise every blind and open every curtain. Zillow also suggests removing insect screens, as they reduce the light.
- Put the toilet seats down and open the doors between rooms so the layout is clear.
- Sweep every floor you will photograph. Empty rooms show every speck on the floor.
- Keep the key safe, cleaning supplies and bin bags out of every frame.
The shot list for an empty house
Zillow suggests 22 to 27 photos for a listing. For a vacant three-bedroom, that usually breaks down like this:
| Area | Shots | Stage it? |
|---|---|---|
| Front of the house | 2 to 3 (straight on and angled from each side) | No |
| Living room | 2 to 3 | Yes, the main angle |
| Kitchen | 2 to 3 | No, the units and worktops are the selling point |
| Dining area | 1 to 2 | Yes, if it is not obviously a dining space |
| Main bedroom | 2 | Yes |
| Other bedrooms | 1 each | Perhaps one, to show the size |
| Bathrooms | 1 each | No |
| Extra room, office, loft | 1 to 2 | Yes, show its purpose |
| Garden, patio | 2 to 3 | Only removable patio furniture |
For each room you plan to stage, take one clean, wide-angle shot from the corner that shows the most floor space. Staging works best when there is nothing in the foreground and the whole floor is visible. Hold the phone horizontally at chest height. The full room-by-room list is in the shot list, and small bedrooms have their own guide.
Stage the rooms before you leave
- Fix the lighting and vertical lines first. Staging cannot correct any lean or darkness in the photo. See our guides to dark photos and leaning walls.
- Choose one style for the whole house. Mixing mid-century style in the living room with farmhouse style in the bedroom looks fake. The Virtual staging styles guide helps you choose.
- Stage three to five rooms. The Which rooms to stage guide explains the choices in the table above.
- Check each render while you are still in the room. Compare the windows, doors, floor and any fireplace with what is in front of you. That is the advantage of staging on site: you can see the real room.
- Do not stage the exterior, apart from movable furniture. Stellar MLS prohibits exterior staging, except for freestanding furniture or décor.
Labels and uploading
- Put "virtually staged" where your board requires it: in the caption, on the image or at the start of the remarks. Stellar requires the remarks to start with "One or more photo(s) was virtually staged."
- Upload the unedited original alongside each staged photo. CRMLS requires it immediately before or after. In California, AB 723 also requires a link to it.
- Arrange the gallery: front exterior, living room, kitchen, then a walkthrough of the house.
The guides on MLS rules and disclosure wording cover the label requirements for each board.
What this costs in Real Estate Camera
A 25-photo vacant listing with Enhance on every photo (1 credit each) and four staged rooms (2 credits each) uses 33 credits. The 60-credit pack costs $24.99, so that listing uses less than $14 of it, leaving credits for the next one. Credits do not expire. Staged results are returned in 20 to 60 seconds and tagged "virtually staged." See pricing, or same-day virtual staging to compare turnaround times with human services.
For more on staging in our app, see AI virtual staging and virtual staging for estate agents.
Photograph and stage your next vacant listing in a single visit. Start free: 1 credit.
Questions
How do you photograph an empty property for a listing?
Shoot at midday with all the lights on and the blinds open, using the corners of the rooms and keeping the phone level at chest height. Take exterior shots with the sun behind you. Zillow suggests 22 to 27 photos for a listing. Then use Virtual staging in the three to five rooms that are hardest to show when empty, and label them.
Which rooms should I add Virtual staging to in an empty property?
The living room, the main bedroom and any room whose use isn't obvious, such as an extra room or a small office space. Leave the bathrooms, hallways and kitchen as photographed; the empty versions look fine.
Can I photograph and add Virtual staging to an empty property in one day?
Yes, with an AI staging app. Photographing an empty home takes an hour or so, and an AI app can add Virtual staging to each room in seconds or about a minute. In-person staging services quote 4 to 48 hours as of September 2026.
Do I need to upload the photo of the empty property too?
On many portals, yes. CRMLS wants the original photo immediately before or after the staged one, and California's AB 723 requires a link to the unaltered image. Where it is optional, uploading it anyway avoids surprises at the viewing.
