The AVS Journal
How to Prepare Your Home for a Zillow 3D Home Tour
Prepare for a Zillow 3D Home tour by making the included rooms ready in every direction, keeping connecting routes clear and removing private information before capture. A panoramic tour can reveal areas that a carefully framed still photograph leaves outside the image.
Prepare complete rooms, not individual camera angles
Walk through each included room and turn all the way around. Check behind doors, beside beds, under desks and in reflective surfaces. Put away laundry, packaging, paperwork and portable clutter. A chair that hides a storage pile in one photograph may not conceal it from a panoramic viewpoint. Choose a storage space outside the agreed tour scope.
Plan the route and access
Tell AVS which rooms, levels and separate spaces are included. Clear doorways and circulation paths, and provide keys or gate instructions before the appointment. Discuss any inaccessible area in advance. The viewer should be able to understand the intended tour without encountering unexplained omissions or assuming that a locked room was captured.
Check privacy and coordinate occupants
Remove visible documents, access codes, calendars and identifying details you do not want online. Arrange for occupants and pets to stay outside the active capture area. Mirrors, windows and reflective appliances can reveal people elsewhere in the room. Review the finished tour before sharing it, while recognizing that review is a backup to preparation rather than a substitute.
Example: a living area connected to a screened lanai
For an illustrative Tampa Bay home, prepare the living room and the view through its glass doors together. Ask whether the lanai is included and how that connection will be shown. Clean glass and organized seating help explain the relationship even when not every outdoor space is part of the tour.
Tour-day readiness
- Confirm the included rooms and any exclusions.
- Clear the full room and connecting paths.
- Remove private information and check reflections.
- Provide access and coordinate occupants and pets.
Frequently asked questions
Is preparing for photos enough for a Zillow tour?
It is a useful start, but a tour needs a more complete room-by-room check. Panoramic viewpoints can reveal clutter and private information outside a still photograph's chosen composition.
Does booking a tour automatically include every extra feature?
Confirm the current AVS deliverables, supported property scope and any associated floor-plan or hosting details before booking. Do not assume that every platform feature is included in every service.
Platform reference: Zillow’s official 3D Home overview.
