As a landlord or property professional, it is important to maximise the potential of the property you are letting. As such, treating your portfolio like any other business is essential, from figuring out your profit margins to expanding your property empire.
You must consider how the rental property is marketed as first impressions count for a lot. For example, you might be struggling to drum up interest or your current tenant is coming to the end of their agreement and you don’t want to be left with an empty rental home.
Let’s look at how you can minimise void periods and improve your property’s appeal through quality photographs.
What makes a professional property photograph?
In today’s world, we carry around with us some of the most advanced camera technology on the market, thanks to our smartphones. And, while you can certainly take a decent image on a phone, there is no substitute for the impact that a professional image creates using a camera.
This can be anything from the way the pictures are framed or how well the property is staged and presented, to using lighting equipment and a tripod. Furthermore, higher-resolution pictures allow for more clarity and provide a better detailed view of a property than one taken by an amateur.
Creating a lasting first impression
They say you only get one chance to make a good first impression and in today’s property market that boils down to showcasing a home in all its glory. From maximising floor space to flooding rooms with light, people want to envision the life they could be having while living in the property.
Online property portals allow for images and videos to be shared with potential viewers, therefore creating the best version possible of these is essential for spiking initial interest. With a great impression imprinted through your initial marketing efforts, potential tenants will visualise the property in a better light prior to stepping through the door for a viewing.
Increasing bookings and conversions
Great property photography can make a huge difference to the success of your bookings and conversions, particularly for short-term rentals. According to one research, those who choose to use professional photos get up to 24% more bookings than those who take the DIY photo route. Furthermore, this can yield a 26% higher rental charge, helping you to truly maximise the potential of your rental property.
The importance of honesty
Your property photos must tell an honest story of the home you are looking to let out, and you can use professional-quality photos and video to do just that. A rental listing with ample photographs of the interior, such as multiple angles of each room, will immediately garner more interest than those with fewer images to look at.
If there are only a handful of images then building trust in your property is hard. It may well be a property that looks better in person but if you can’t build enough trust for potential tenants to come and visit, they will never know and your rental home may be left vacant.
Similarly, making the property look for better than it is can instantly put people off when they arrive. No one likes to feel like they are being conned, and dishonest property photos, whether intentional or not, can quickly lead to a potential new tenant cooling their interest.
How to take rental property photographs
Naturally, if you are looking for professional quality results, then the best approach is to hire a professional photographer. However, you can achieve professional standard images yourself by following these tips.
Furnished and unfurnished homes
Furnished or unfurnished homes need to project different visual feelings. A furnished home should accurately represent the decor and ambience of the property through its photographs, while unfurnished homes are all about potential and showcasing how much space there is, so they need to be bright and clean.
Natural light
Natural light makes a world of difference to your property photographs. Therefore, it’s important to take your photos at the sunniest time of the day and know the basic principles to avoid over exposing photos to bright sunlight. Check in the morning to see if the light floods through the home or much later in the day when the sun is on the other side of the property.
If there isn’t enough natural light, you can bring additional light sources to your shoot to boost the brightness. This might be bouncing a flash off a wall, using a halogen light or adjusting the settings on your camera to increase its sensitivity to light.
Shoot in high resolution
Shooting your property photos in high resolution is essential for the creation of enticing images. You can always reduce the resolution later but you can’t go back and add more pixels and detail to your images after they had been taken.
Essential equipment for the job
Of course, you will need a camera but here are a few other useful photography equipment items that can transform your DIY property photos:
- tripod – great for consistent shots, from height to camera angle
- additional flash
- wide-angle lens – to capture more in one shot
With just a few select items you can create high-quality images that show off every room in your home as you wish it to be seen.
Prepare your property and take lots of photos
As we have touched on, it is important to show your rental property in its best light. For example, you may wish to complete an end-of-tenancy clean before you market your property again.
Similarly, a coat of paint and freshening up the furniture, fittings and outside are great at breathing new life into a property.
Every opportunity counts
No matter whether you are marketing your rental property on a dedicated portal or through a letting agent, it’s important to include high-quality property photographs. Every marketing avenue is a potential new tenant so ensure that you show the best of your rental property with supporting images at every opportunity you get.
