Tips for Creating High-Quality Rental Listing Photos

Photos are the first thing a renter sees, and often the reason they click, or scroll past. A few simple habits make the difference between a listing that gets inquiries and one that gets ignored.

What makes a listing photo look poor

• Blurry or low-resolution images. Renters can’t tell what the place is really like.
• Dark rooms. Poor lighting hides detail and feels uninviting.
• Clutter. A messy room looks smaller and less appealing.
• Distractions. People, pets and personal items pull attention away from the property.

How to take better photos

Clean and declutter first

Tidy every room before you shoot. Clear counters, put away personal items and make the beds. A clean space looks larger, and it shows renters how they could live there.

Use natural light

Shoot during the day with the blinds open. In rooms with little daylight, turn on the lights, or add a lamp, so the space isn’t dim.

Go wide, but not too wide

A wide-angle lens (or your phone’s wide setting) fits more of the room in the frame. Don’t overdo it: an extreme wide angle distorts the space and can look misleading.

Shoot every room from more than one angle

Take a few shots of each room, including the corners, so renters can picture the layout. Hold the camera level, at about chest height.

Show what makes it special

A fireplace, a view, a big kitchen or a nearby park can be the deciding factor. Give those features their own photo.

Edit lightly

Adjust brightness and contrast, straighten the horizon and crop out anything distracting. Keep the result honest: the photos should look like the place a renter will actually walk into.

Remember

Your photos are the first impression of your property. Taking an extra half hour to get them right is one of the most effective things you can do to rent faster.