Taking pictures of your rental properties seems like a simple concept. However, property owners need to put in time and effort to get high-quality photos. In addition, if you want to get your rental listings noticed, it’s crucial to give tenants a realistic idea of your property and showcase your best amenities. So, if you want to learn how to take real estate photos, read along as we go over the most critical steps for landlords to take.
Contents of This Article:
- Why Is Photography Important in Real Estate?
- How to Take Real Estate Photos for Your Listings
- How to Get Your Rental Listings Noticed
- Property Management Can Help Market Your Rentals
Why Is Photography Important in Real Estate?
Photography is important in real estate because most people look online to find their next homes. According to Zillow, seventy-nine percent of recent homebuyers said they shopped online to find their home. Furthermore, of buyers who purchased homes in the last 12 months, nearly half said that viewing photos of the property was essential in their home-buying process.
That said, not only homebuyers benefit from professional property photos. If you’re renting, you’re also looking through dozens of images to find the best property for your needs. Chances are, you are looking for properties with plenty of realistic photos.
If you don’t know how to take real estate photos, now’s the time to learn. Read along as we go over the steps.
How to Take Real Estate Photos for Your Listings
Taking photos of your rental property seems like a simple concept. However, there’s a lot to consider. If you’re wondering how to take real estate photos for your rental listings, here’s a list of the most crucial steps.
- Hire a Professional Photographer
- Take Plenty of Photos
- Use High-Quality Photography Equipment
- Prepare the Home for Photography
- Consider Staging the Home
- Take Advantage of Natural Light
- Don’t Forget About the Exterior
Hire a Professional Photographer
Although there’s nothing wrong with taking your own property photos, some busy landlords hire a professional photographer. Ultimately, you want to ensure you get the best images of your property to show to prospective tenants.
Hiring a professional photographer is the best way to showcase your home’s best qualities and ensure the best lighting in every room. While looking for a photographer, ensure they have a strong resume, the proper equipment, and a good reputation.
Take Plenty of Photos
An excellent rental property listing has 10 to 15 high-quality digital photos that showcase the home. However, while taking pictures of the property, take more than you need so you can choose the best ones later.
Additionally, you may consider using a wide-angle lens to take some of the photos. Wide-angle lenses show more room than standard lenses. So, you can see the whole bedroom in one photo instead of seeing half a bedroom.
Use High-Quality Photography Equipment
Whether you hire a professional or decide to take photos of the property yourself, it’s crucial to have the proper equipment. While taking pictures of the property with your smartphone may be convenient, it’s best to use a high-quality DSLR camera. After all, you want to give prospective tenants a realistic idea of the property without seeing it in person.
Once you get your DSLR camera, a tripod is another essential. Unfortunately, holding the camera can cause photos to come out blurry. However, if you have a tripod to hold the camera, you don’t have to worry about keeping your hands still while taking photos.
Prepare the Home for Photography
Before taking any pictures of your rental properties, you must prepare them for photography. Therefore, it’s crucial to clean up each property and ensure they are “picture-perfect.” After all, you want prospective tenants to see the best of your rentals.
That said, some essential tasks to prepare your rentals may include:
- Thoroughly clean each room, whether you hire professional cleaning services or do it yourself.
- Clear clutter from each room and put away small personal items like toothbrushes, combs, TV remotes, etc.
- Depersonalize the home as much as possible to appeal to all tenants.
- Don’t forget to clean up the exterior of the rental and any outdoor amenities.
Consider Staging the Home
While preparing a rental for photography, you may consider staging the property. Staging your rental home can make the property look more inviting and may lower vacancy time. That said, if you’re staging a rental to prepare for photography, you’ll want to keep decor colors neutral.
Additionally, it’s essential to avoid over-personalizing the property. After all, you’re not trying to cater to your taste–you’re trying to appeal to prospective renters.
Take Advantage of Natural Light
Natural light is a massive seller for rental properties, so it’s important to showcase it in your listing photos. Conversely, dark images of your property can make it look gloomy and make it harder for prospective tenants to picture themselves living there.
If you want to photograph the best light throughout your rental, open all the blinds and curtains and let in natural light. Ultimately, you want your photos to appear bright and inviting, so taking pictures during the day is best.
Don’t Forget About the Exterior
Although interior photos may be the most important, you can’t forget about the property’s exterior. Whether you’re listing an apartment or a single-family home, you’ll want to include photos of the rental’s exterior.
To prepare for these photos, you’ll want to put some effort into your property’s curb appeal. For example, if you’re photographing a single-family home, ensure the grass is cut, there’s no clutter outside the home, and the sun isn’t casting shadows on the house.
How to Get Your Rental Listings Noticed
Taking photos is the first step in listing your rental properties. However, there’s more you need to do to get your listings noticed. Here are some essential steps.
- Write a Captivating Description and Title- A prospective tenant will first see the listing’s title, so it’s important to make it eye-catching. Additionally, a good description needs to captivate the reader immediately. So, you’ll want to highlight desirable amenities, upgrades, features, and proximity to local attractions.
- Include Accurate Photos of the Property- When choosing photos for your listing, ensure they portray your property accurately. Also, add the images in the order that someone would walk through the home.
- Consider Including a 3D Tour- Modern technology allows us to tour properties without being there in person. If you have the right technology, consider creating a 3D or virtual property tour for prospective tenants.
- Highlight Desirable Amenities- Anyone considering your rental property wants to know your amenities. As such, in your rental listing, it’s crucial to highlight any desirable amenities and conveniences of your property.
- List the Rental Rate and Any Fees- Cut to the chase–what’s your property’s rental rate and application fee? Prospective tenants want to know immediately whether your property is within their budget.
If you need help marketing your rental properties, consider contacting local property management in Washington, DC.
Property Management Can Help Market Your Rentals
A comprehensive rental management team can help you with all aspects of your rental business, including marketing your properties. For instance, they can teach you how to take real estate photos and help you create captivating property listings. So, if you need help marketing and managing your rental properties, contact Bay Property Management Group.
contact Bay Property Management Group today!
We offer full-service rental management in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. Whether you own one property or 100, we can help with all the day-to-day tasks of running a rental business.
If you want to feel at ease knowing your properties are well taken care of, contact Bay Property Management Group today.
