Professional Photos Will Improve Your Visibility
The photos of your property are crucial for success - they can make potential guests click on your listing or turn them away.
The photos you use of your property are going to be one of the most important elements to being a successful host. Photos can evoke a general sense of adventure, relaxation, family time, fun, and excitement. It can make potential guests click on your property or turn them away.
For this reason, I always recommend that you take this step very seriously, and not see it as just something that can be done with your phone camera. It's so vital to the success of a property, that I offer professional photography as part of my management package for my clients at no extra cost.
Professional Photographer: It's worth spending the money to hire a professional photographer
This may seem like a lot of extra expense, but it isn't, and it will be made up when your property is booked. Remember, this is the photographer's only job. They will not just take photos from the right angle, have the right lighting, capture your property's details, but they'll also send them to you edited. When hiring a professional, make sure they have taken photos for short-term rentals before, not just a real estate photographer. There can be a difference in the style of photos they take. Like anyone else providing a service, ask to see example of their work and go through how you want your place to look before you take the photos.
• If you can't afford a photographer yet and you need your listing to go up, try using a real camera, not a phone camera. Unless you're an expert in photography, your photos won't look as good.
• Drone footage of your property and surrounding area are also useful and appreciated for guests. They can see where they are going to be and really show off your property, especially if you have a popular destination, like in the mountains or the beach.
What to Take Photos Of:
Take many photos of your property to show the complete picture of where guests will be staying. This includes every room in the house that is open to guests, including bathrooms. Make sure that photos of the interior are taken during the day when there is a lot of bright sun, and if you have an outdoor space, also take photos at sunset when the outdoor areas look more inviting. For example, if you have a fire pit, turn it on, and take photos at night or sunset.
Change photos during the seasons:
If your property changes a lot during the seasons—say you're renting your mountain home, change the photos out to match the seasons too. For example, include photos of the beautiful foliage or snow in the fall and winter. If it's spring or summer, make sure you include the lovely greenery.
• If you change the décor or buy new furniture, change photos of this too so the place is up to date.