Have you ever perused real estate listings and came across one with blurry photos? Maybe there is a cluttered desk or worse, clothes laying on the bed and scrunched up towels in the bathroom? If you have, and even if you haven’t, you know that this is a bad look for those searching for their perfect home.
- Bad Real Estate Photos Can Make or Break Your Listing
- Why Professional Photography Matters
- Make a Stunning First Impression with Great Real Estate Photos
- Earn More From Your Home
- Find the Perfect Tenant Quickly
- Professional Real Estate Photos Make You Look...Professional
- Obtain Social Media & Additional Marketing Content
Bad Real Estate Photos Can Make or Break Your Listing
Poorly composed and out of focus images can turn potential tenants away quickly, even though the property might have been perfect for them!
The wrath of poor photos:
- It makes the lessor/seller look unprofessional
- It devalues your home
- You are unable to showcase its true attractiveness and potential
- You attract the wrong tenants
- You miss out on great leasing opportunities
At the end of the day, a picture is worth a thousand words, and you want your images to present that feeling of "welcome home" not "welcome to the danger zone". And, if that wasn’t cliché enough for you, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
Example of "Welcome to the danger zone". Poor lighting, composition gives no spatial context.
Another terrible photo. Weird angle, out of focus.
Why Professional Photography Matters
People looking for real estate spend 60% of their time looking at photos and 20% reading the listing descriptions [1]. Professional photography matters.
Make a Stunning First Impression with Great Real Estate Photos
Potential tenants have access to so much information and there are so many resources to help them find their perfect home. If your property does not compete on the same level as other similar properties with professional images, quality listing descriptions and proactive property managers, your home will be passed up time and time again. Even worse, you may not be attracting the right tenants for your home, which can turn into a long-term issue.
If the first photos in your listing are low quality mobile phone pictures, you run the risk of losing the attention of quality renters. Start strong with some gorgeous photos of your home. Take them on a virtual tour of the property from the time they see the home from the curb all the way to the backyard and whatever other features you want to highlight. Remember, details matter. The more quality photos you have showcasing the ins and outs of the home, the more likely you are to get an inquiry and even better, a quality long-term tenant.
Capture your home in proper lighting conditions. Give the future tenant something to lust over.
This room is lit with tons of natural light and provides appropriate spatial context.
Earn More From Your Home
When it comes to listing your home, 83% of buyers[1] say pictures are one of the most important factors. Similar trends appear for rental properties. Quality photos increase the value, and specifically, the perceived value of your home.
Find the Perfect Tenant Quickly
Homes with great photos tend to rent quicker and at a better rates than those without professional photos. According to Market Leader [2] you have two seconds to capture your audience without a photo and twenty seconds with a photo! Not to mention, homes with with pictures receive 118% more views than homes without [1]. These numbers show the importance in connecting and engaging with potential tenants with photos.
Professional Real Estate Photos Make You Look...Professional
Tenants want to know that they are not only finding the perfect home, but also entering into a professional business relationship with the lessor. Professional photos show a commitment to quality and details. If you are actively looking for a long-term tenant, as a landlord, you are looking for someone responsible, respectful and professional. A good tenant is looking for the same in a landlord and/or property management company. While this may not seem important, the quality of the listing gives a good impression of the quality of the company and/or person leasing the home.
A well lit picture is able to provide warmth and a sense of invitation.
Obtain Social Media & Additional Marketing Content
Having professional photos gives you tons of great collateral for marketing your home in other ways such as social media, postcards, flyers and more. The more photos you have, the more content you have to utilize throughout the leasing process and well into the future.
The Last Word
While it may seem easier to throw up a few pictures and get the process moving, it can be detrimental in your efforts to get your property rented. That is why at Ziprent Property Management, we recognize the value of professional photos and include the service in both our [property management](https://www.ziprent.com) and [tenant placement ](https://www.ziprent.com/tenant-placement)products. We believe this contributes to bringing high quality potential tenants to all of our customers!
References
- http://www.imotophoto.com/images/miscimages/ShouldYouUseProfessionalRealEstatePhotography-IMOTOBranded.pdf
- https://www.redfin.com/blog/2013/12/professional-photos-2013.html