A few bad photos could cost you thousands of dollars!
Take professional shots
I've tested this over and over, professional photos are the key to generating more traffic (visits) to the property which ultimately results in getting the property leased faster and because great photos generate more competition, the price also goes up! It never ceases to amaze me how many properties are advertised on the internet using photos taken by someone's phone! The angles are all wrong, the colours are out and the places just don't look great at all. If your property doesn't stand out from the rest it will just get lost in the crowd and will take forever to lease out. When this happens most agents inevitably ask you to drop the price so that the property can be leased out, however, there would be no reason to do this if the photos were good in the first place. Look at it this way, a professional photographer would charge around $150 to take great photos, on an average rental of $450 per week, if the property stays vacant just 1 week longer than it needs to be due to bad photography, you are already at a loss!
Furnished or not Furnished?
Another one of my pet hates is seeing poorly taken photos of even worse presented properties! I always prefer to take photos with the property vacant as it gives a better understanding to a prospective tenant of how big the property is. Sometimes however if the property is of a high end or perhaps currently tenanted but very messy, I'll have the photos "digitally styled" with appropriate furniture. You can see some examples below. I rarely stage the [property with real furniture as this is way too expensive.
DIY Photography
It is possible to take some pretty good photos yourself if you know how. Sure, if you have a DSLR (Digital SLR) camera like a Canon or Nikon you can buy some pretty good lenses for only a few hundred dollars, a worth while expense if you have a few properties that you own or manage but maybe a little pricey if you don't. You can take some acceptable photos with an iPhone or smartphone with just a few little tips. If you want to become a master at iPhone photography there are some great courses available online that will teach you all the tips and tricks. If you are going to use your phone for photos, the most important aspects to consider are as follows:
Use a tripod
Set the camera to landscape mode
Set the camera at about shoulder height
Set the exposure so that the interior is clearly visible
You may also consider purchasing a "clip on" wide angle lens which can generate some great results. One other trick is to take multiple exposures i.e take a photo with the exposure set optimally for the exterior and then one for the interior. There are many services on the internet that can then combine the photos to create the best overall shot, this is sometimes referred to as HDR
Max Pisano is the Principal of MP Estate Agents and the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Leasing Your Property Fast” get your free copy emailed to you by entering your details below.