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How to take killer rental photos
How to take killer rental photos
Why do photos matter? Higher rent, better tenants.
Great photographs are more than just aesthetically pleasing—they increase online clicks, bringing you more potential tenants.
In some cases, excellent photos even let you demand a higher rent. This is two-fold:
- You can list the property with 2-5% higher rent than comparibles. This is especially true at the low-end of the market ($1,500-$3,000) where few listings have good photos. Tenants in this range are dying to find something nice, and often willing to tour a slightly more expensive place based on the photographs
- Better photos → more clicks → more applicants → more offers which creates a real bidding war
There is another, more subtle benefit to quality photographs. You will attract better tenants. The best tenants are looking for a deal and they can demand one (high income, high credit). So all things equal they flock to the good-looking property, which they typically find online by themselves.
Sales brokers know all this. That's why For Sale listings above $500k have beautiful photographs. A small investment that can earn thousands in owner profits and commissions.
We'll discuss...- Why you can get higher rents and attract better tenants
- How to take excellent photos with just your iPhone
- Tips for getting the best results
This guide to taking excellent rental photos
We'll show you how to get gorgeous rental photos with your smartphone. It takes less than 15 minutes!
How?Just because you're using a phone doesn't mean you can't use the same techniques as the professionals.
- Clean your lens with a soft cloth or shirt
- Hold your phone horizontally - it makes the space look bigger and shows better on screens
- Get crisp photos by stabilizing your phone. We recommend shooting from lower chest height, holding the phone with both hands and rest your elbows onto your lower ribs
- To keep it stable, use the volume button to snap the photo instead of the shutter button on the screen
- Never use digital zoom. It's not really zoom, it just crops the picture and magnifies it - leading to blurry photos. Just get closer to the subject
- Get to the corners! For spacious room shots, position yourself in corners or doorways, backing up until the door edges are visible in the lens, then scoot forward slightly to remove them. You'll capture the widest view of the room and create "depth" as the walls guide the prospect's eye to the opposite corner
- Floor is better than ceiling. You want to show as much living space as possible - that's what they're paying for! While holding the phone stable at your chest, tilt it down just a little to capture more floor than ceiling.
Artists know that their work looks best at "Golden Hour".
It's the 60 minutes after sunrise and the 60 minutes before sunset. At these times the natural light is warm and gives off a golden hue. Your property will look so cozy!
Otherwise, aim for overcast days with lots of cloud cover. You'll avoid ugly shadows and harsh reflections.
What?What's the property's key selling feature? It could be a lush backyard, a massive living room or a stunning kitchen. Build your photography around that.
We like to take enough photos to capture the vibe of the property. That usually means at least 8-12 images.
We recommend:
- Two photos of the key selling feature from different angles. These will be first photos of your listings
- One photo each of the kitchen and living room
- One photo of each bedroom and bathroom
- One photo of the outside (if it's a house). You want the prospect to immediately recognize it when they come to tour
- One photo of the balcony view (if it's an apartment). Give the prospect a feel for what they'll be looking over
- Include photos of the washer/dryer and garage. Prospects skim the listing descriptions but you'll be sure they see the photos
We don't recommend:
- Don't lead with building amenities. It's immediately suspicious to advertise the common areas before the actual apartment. If you want to include them, just put 2-3 of them at the end
- Don't use more photographs to make up for bad photographs. If you can't get good photographs, just show the best ones you have.
- Don't use old MLS-watermarked photos. It's unprofessional and unethical.
A little goes a long way
Good editing can turn your photos from good to great. Apps like PicsArt make it easy right from your phone.
You can improve the lighting, contrast and warmth to get it just right. Or just use the Magic Effect feature to edit with one-click.
But be careful not to overdo it. Too much editing or use of wide-angle shots can lead to disappointment when tenants see the actual property, resulting in wasted showings and a damaged reputation.
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