How to Prepare a Property for a 360° Virtual Tour Shoot
A 360° camera is unforgiving in one specific way regular photography isn't: it sees the entire room in one shot, so there's no angle to hide clutter behind. A few minutes of prep per room makes a bigger difference to the finished tour than almost anything else.
Do this everywhere
Clear the floors. Shoes by the door, charging cables, a laundry basket mid-hallway — all of it reads clearly in a 360° frame in a way it wouldn't in a cropped photo.
Turn on every light. Even in daylight. Mixed light sources are exactly what a good rig is built to handle, but empty, unlit corners still read as flat and lifeless next to a lit room next door.
Open the curtains, close the toilet lids, put the seat down. Small, but every one of these shows up in a wide shot the way it never would in a tightly framed listing photo.
Mind the mirrors. A 360° camera captures the whole room, which means it can capture itself and the operator in any mirror or reflective surface in frame. Worth flagging which rooms have large mirrors so the crew can plan the shot order around them.
Room by room
Kitchen — clear the counters down to a couple of deliberate items (a bowl of fruit, a coffee machine), not every appliance you own. Close cabinet doors.
Bedrooms — make the bed properly, not "pull the duvet up." Clear nightstands to one or two items. Put closet doors and drawers fully shut.
Bathrooms — clear the counter of toiletries into a drawer, hang towels evenly, close the shower curtain or door.
Living areas — square up the cushions, clear coffee tables of stray mail and remotes, and if there's a TV, either turn it off or leave it on a neutral screen — a paused video call or a reflection of the room mid-Netflix-menu is the kind of detail buyers remember for the wrong reasons.
What you can skip
You don't need to stage the property like a magazine shoot. Personal photos on a shelf, a bit of everyday texture — that's normal and often reassures a buyer the space is lived-in and real, not a showroom. The goal is tidy, not sterile.
Pets are the one exception worth planning around explicitly — not because they photograph badly, but because a 360° capture takes a few minutes per room with the camera stationary, and an excited dog investigating the tripod adds real time to the shoot. Worth crating or walking them during the visit if that's an option.
On the day
Access is the thing that actually delays shoots, not prep quality. Have keys, gate codes, or a doorman briefed in advance, and let the studio know if parking near the property is difficult — that's a five-minute email that saves a wasted trip.
Have a look at what's included in each service tier if you're not sure how long to block out, or book a shoot directly once the property's ready.