What to photograph on a flip walkthrough, before you make an offer

Shoot for the decisions you make later

On a walkthrough you have maybe twenty minutes in the house, often with the seller's agent waiting. The photos you take are your only record once you leave. Shoot so you can test ideas from them later: a new kitchen layout, paint, flooring, or how the main floor looks with a wall gone. Listing photos come after the work. These are working photos.

Phone settings before you walk in

• Turn on the grid and keep the phone level. Tilted verticals make every concept look wrong.
• Use the main lens (1x), not ultra-wide. Ultra-wide stretches corners and makes rooms look larger than they are.
• Turn every light on and open the blinds in each room before you shoot it.
• Shoot landscape for rooms, portrait only for details.

The shot list, room by room

• Kitchen. One shot from the entry at chest height showing the full run of cabinets. One straight-on shot of each cabinet wall. One of the ceiling over the island or sink, so you can see where lighting could go.
• Bathrooms. From the door, then straight at the vanity wall, then the tub or shower. Include the floor.
• Living and dining. From two opposite corners, with the floor visible to the baseboard on both walls.
• Walls you might remove. Shoot from both sides, framed the same way. Note it in your phone so you remember which photos pair up.
• Bedrooms. One corner shot each. Bedrooms rarely drive the decision, so don't spend time there.

What not to change in a concept

A renovation concept shows a design idea. Your contractor sets the scope. Use it to compare directions: painted cabinets or new ones, light floors or dark. Keep the windows, doors and room size as they are in the photo. Moving a window or growing a room in an image tells you nothing about what it costs to build. Take the concept you like to your contractor and price it there.

Testing an idea from the photo

Pick the one room that drives the decision. For most flips that's the kitchen. Upload the straight-on cabinet shot and describe one change at a time: "Paint the cabinets white, keep the layout, counters, windows and floor." Then try a second direction on the same photo. Compare the two images side by side. The flipper renovation guide shows real examples, including where a result fell short. The prompt guide covers how to name what to keep.

What it costs

Promo for accounts created through Dec 31, 2026, 11:59 PM MT: your one free credit makes one image, and you download it watermark-free at full resolution. After that, buy a credit pack or subscribe to keep creating.

Credit packs are one-time purchases and pack credits do not expire, which suits flippers who test ideas a few properties at a time. The Listing pack is $19 USD for 30 credits. If you test ideas every week, Agent is $19 USD/month for 40 credits; Studio monthly is $49 USD/month for 120 credits. Monthly plans renew until canceled and unused monthly credits expire at the end of the period. Cancel anytime. A standard single image costs one credit, and each request shows its credit charge before it runs. Failed generations return their credits. See RenderVibe pricing and the staging cost guide.

Can I use walkthrough photos in the listing later?

Usually not. Walkthrough photos show the house before the work. Shoot the listing after the renovation is done.

Does a concept image tell me what the renovation will cost?

No. It shows a design direction. Cost comes from your contractor's quote for the actual scope.

Do I need the seller's permission to take photos?

Ask the listing agent before you shoot, especially in an occupied home. Avoid photographing personal items, documents or people.