A holiday-season checklist for staging a vacant listing

Before the shoot: book the light

In late fall you get a short window of usable daylight, and an empty room shows the shadows. Book the photographer for the middle of the day. Check the sunset time for your city on the shoot date and leave an hour before it.

The day before, replace dead bulbs and match colour temperature in each room. One warm bulb next to a cool one turns a white wall two colours in the same photo. Clean the windows inside and out. Low winter sun shows streaks on the glass.

Outside: snow, walks and the front photo

Clear the driveway, the front walk and the steps before the photographer arrives. Brush snow off the house number and the front light. Pull bins, hoses and shovels out of the frame.

If you took the front photo in summer, you can keep it in the gallery. Label it with the season you took it so a buyer driving by in January is not surprised. Buyers notice when a listing shows a summer lawn in winter.

Inside: room by room

Living room first. It explains the floor plan. Then the primary bedroom, then the kitchen. Skip rooms that explain themselves.

• Living room. Open every blind. Turn on every light, including lamps if any are left. Shoot from a corner at chest height with two walls and the main window in frame.
• Primary bedroom. Same corner rule. Keep the closet door visible so a buyer can judge the wall for a bed.
• Kitchen. Clear every counter. No holiday decor on the cabinets. Shoot the run of counter, not the fridge door.
• Entry. Put away boots and mats. A bare entry reads as clean.

More on framing and lenses is in the photo guide.

Holiday decor in staged photos

Leave seasonal decor out of listing photos, physical or virtual. A tree or a wreath dates the gallery, and the listing may still be live in February. If you stage virtually, ask for furniture only and name it: "Add a grey sofa, a round wood coffee table and a rug. Keep the windows, the flooring and the fireplace." The prompt guide has more examples that keep the room intact.

Virtual staging for the empty rooms

Virtual staging adds furniture to a photograph. The furniture is not in the house at the showing. Use it for the two or three rooms a buyer uses to judge the home, and keep the empty original of each one. Compare the staged file with the original before you publish: windows, doors, flooring and ceiling height should match. If anything moved, regenerate with fewer pieces.

Disclosure rules depend on your board and province or state. The virtual staging FAQ covers Alberta boards and others. Follow your brokerage's rule if it is stricter. This is not legal advice.

What it costs

Agent is $19 USD/month for 40 credits. Cancel anytime. Unused credits expire at the end of the billing period. Studio monthly is $49 USD/month for 120 credits on the same terms. Checkout shows tax.

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. One-time packs start at US$4. A standard single image costs one credit. Failed generations return their credits. The staging cost guide explains how credits are spent, and RenderVibe pricing has the current plans.

Should I wait until spring to list a vacant home?

This page does not give a market forecast. Ask your local agent or board for listing data in your area. If you list now, the checklist above covers the winter-specific photo problems.

Can I virtually remove snow from an exterior photo?

Changing the weather or the yard in an exterior photo shows a property a buyer will not see. We don't recommend it. Use a dated summer photo with a label, or shoot the house as it is.

How many rooms should I stage virtually?

Stage the rooms a buyer uses to judge the home: usually the living room and the primary bedroom, plus one flex room if it needs a defined use. Leave kitchens and bathrooms as plain photos unless the shot is too bare to read.