Who doesn’t love the art of photography? Don’t let that little three-letter word scare you: the selfie generation certainly seems to have mastered it! If you’ve ever had to agonize over finding the perfect angle to highlight your features with a rear-facing camera, you will find that your rental can be much more forgiving!
There’s no need to go overboard with photo editing when trying to capture your rental property! Attention to some of the more basic techniques will help your photography stand out from the competition on the market—even when you lack a professional photographer.
With the drastic increase in quality across smartphone cameras, your equipment matters far less than your technique. Here are some top tips from NOVA property management when it comes to capturing the best glamor shots of your NOVA rental home!
To Stage or Not to Stage?
Whenever possible, we recommend staging—especially if you have a higher-end listing. Staging can also be a useful tool in listings that have the biggest need for visual assistance: properties that may have a non-traditional layout are more difficult for your prospective tenants to visualize their future in. In this sense, classy staging choices can be a benefit for your photos—but it’s also possible to overdo staging to the point where it just becomes clutter!
Clutter is anything in the photograph that takes your attention away from your primary subject, AKA, your NOVA rental property! Clutter is not only distracting but it also makes one wonder why there is so much stuff sitting around: don’t let your potential renters assume the worst!
- Ultimately, the decision regarding staging is usually a budgetary one.
- If you are unable to stage—and are working with an existing tenant’s belongings—the key is to de-personalize with neutral accents.
- Whenever possible, replace wedding photos and family moments on the mantle with a classic photo of a building or flowers. Your potential renter needs to see themselves in your property—not your current residents!
Lighting Is Your Friend
Lighting is crucial for all types of photography. It’s a benefit for landlords to map out how you’re going to maximize your property in advance of the date of the shoot. However, here are some techniques that the experts in NOVA property management use in instances where that’s not feasible.
- For east-facing properties, morning is the best time to shoot.
- If your property faces north, any time between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm is ideal.
- For rentals facing south, you’ll want your photos taken just after sunrise—or right before sunset.
- If the weather is inclement, reschedule! Take all photos (indoor and outdoor) on a sunny or partly-cloudy day.
Favor Quality Images
Anyone with a camera is capable of taking high-quality images! Like we said before, it’s less about the type of camera you have and more about how you use it! That said, everything in high definition demands high resolution: investing in a tripod to keep your camera steady and level will ultimately help you produce better photos.
Aside from equipment, there are some other photography elements worth considering to help you maximize your shots—and your property listings.
Awesome Composition
The “Rule of Thirds” is a photography staple that even an amateur photographer can use to amplify their shots! In photography, this is a type of composition in which an image is divided evenly into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and the subject of the image is placed at the intersection of those dividing lines, or along one of the lines itself.
If you’re shooting your listing photos with a smartphone, you can even download apps that help you apply this rule to your photography while you’re shooting. However, the Rule of Thirds is not the only one you can take advantage of in your shots!
- The “Rule of Odds” states that people are more attracted to uneven numbers in a composition.
- People are naturally drawn to unusual or uneven composition.
- If you are assembling decorative items on a ledge, it is best to do so in odd numbers and varying heights (to fill the frame)
Lights, Camera—Photos!
Now that you have your camera setup planned, optimum lighting conditions, and photographic composition ready to go, you are ready for action!
- The beauty of digital photography is that you can take as many tries as you want.
- Be sure to include photos of the basics of your property, as well as any special features or selling points that help it stand out from the NOVA rental crowd!
- Once you’ve got your photos, pick as many as you need to help your property listing tell the story of your rental.
- Your photos should be able to stand on their own without too much editing beyond small lighting tweaks to represent color accurately.
Investing in the time to learn and take advantage of these tips will ultimately help you tell the story of what living in your property could be like! With most property searches beginning online, photos have become invaluable during the listing process. While there’s an art element to photography, anyone can build better listing photos by following a few basics.
So You’ve Got the Photos Down—What About the Writing?
Now that you’re a semi-pro in the art of real estate photography, you may be wondering: “What do I write?” Thankfully, NOVA property management has you covered! Once you’ve captured the beauty of your NOVA rental through the right photos, you’re ready to write the perfect listing using our FREE Property Listing Checklist!
At Renters Warehouse DC/NOVA, we know that the landlords we serve wear many hats. However, when you have access to expert resources, you turn those hats into a crown! Landlords shouldn’t have to worry about the listing process: when you use our FREE checklist, we help walk you through what every listing needs to succeed.