There is no doubt that the short-term rental business has suffered as much as any other over the past year.
On the plus side, however, it is also true is that now foreign travel has been restricted, there are many more people who are looking to take ‘Staycations’ this year and next, rather than risk holidays being cancelled and/or quarantine measures being put in place – even while they are away!
There is a predicted surge for short-term property rentals, but even so, it remains important (more so now than ever) not to take any bookings for granted – in other words, you really need to be doing everything you can to maximise your booking potential.
However, don’t take our word for it – rather, take a look at the numbers below:
How does professional property photography make a difference?
High-quality photography is one of the main factors in the success and even the pricing of short-term rentals.
Your listing photos are the main reason that customers decide to rent your property or another one.
Airbnb has researched this subject with their properties and found that landlords can earn up to 40% more if they use professional photographs to advertise their properties.
Not only that but those who choose to use professionals get up to 24% more bookings than those who take the DIY photo route.
Finally, they also found that most property owners can charge more per night – as Airbnb state, many hosts can raise their nightly rates after going pro with their photographs; they quote 26% more.
How to ensure the best outcome using a professional photographer
Before counting your extra cash, however, there are a couple of things that need to be done.
First – prepare your property for photography. Second – get lots of photos.
Preparing your property
This may sound obvious, but if you want great images then you need your property looking its best. In many ways, it is the same as if you were selling your own home and had prospective buyers coming to view.
- Clean the property from top to bottom – the camera picks up everything.
- Add a vase of fresh flowers to the main room, a full fruit bowl in the kitchen.
- Make sure the soft furnishings look comfortable, clean and uncrowded.
- Hang some wide-appeal artwork to a wall or two.
- Have the curtains open to let in as much natural light as possible.
Doing these few simple things will make a real difference to how appealing your property looks in the photographs.
Have a lot of photographs taken
You will want as many photographs as possible to show off your property, whether you let out only one room or the whole home.
You’ll need pictures of the outside of the property as well as the interior spaces. This is especially true if you have a garden, patio area or even a balcony – as these areas can often swing a booking decision in your favour.
Inside, you need at least one photo of each room, preferably more, with multiple angles.
Lighting is vitally important for these shots – daylight always gives a far better result (except in bathrooms) and so photoshoots should take place during the day, with open curtains and as much natural light as possible.
Don’t forget photos of key features as well; the coffee machine, main TV (if it’s a highlight) and any other special amenities.
Why you need a professional photographer for your short-term rental photos
On this point – everyone agrees. Aside from Airbnb giving you multiple reasons for using a professional photographer (above), many other businesses involved in short-term property rentals say the same thing, including Keycafe and Classic Cottages.
How professional property photography can help you is by ensuring that your rentals look their absolute best! A great photo can make a property look welcoming, warm, friendly, comfortable or anything else needed. A poor one can easily make it look cluttered, undesirable, and unclean.
A professional property photographer knows exactly how to stage a room, compose the image and take the best shot, for example, often adjusting for lighting and windows by taking several shots and combining them when editing.
A regular photo from a ‘point-and-shoot’ camera or even a mobile phone simply cannot compete.
And that is before you consider the experience and ‘professional eye’ that a pro photographer has. They simply know what works and what doesn’t in a photo.
The professional also can look at the property with a detached view; as it is yours, you naturally have certain aspects of it that you prefer and would highlight in a photo – but that’s not always what you want. An experienced outsider will better photograph what will sell the booking.
Finally, post-processing. The art of retouching, or editing, a photograph after it is taken is a skill all its own. Often time-consuming, this is where a professional photograph is made perfect. Retouching is a necessary step in allowing the property photos to do their job and sell your short-term rental to prospective customers.
All in all, a professional property photograph looks… professional.
In the past, there may have been an argument against hiring a professional, based on cost, but since prices from the right source have become affordable, and within the range of managing any property rental business (even the smallest) then there is now no excuse for not following this route to success.
It is the photographs that attract the customers to your property in the first place – so make yours stand out from everyone else’s. With professional images, your property will shine compared to the similar ones with a few quick snaps taken on a mobile.
Splento has professional property photographers. To discover for yourself how easy and low-cost a professional photoshoot can be, take a look at their property portfolio and then give them a call or contact them for more information.
If you ever need amazing visual content fast, Splento property photographers are always available worldwide for a fixed hourly rate – just £99 ($149) which also includes all retouching and photo editing. And we always deliver the final images within a guaranteed 24 hours.
Even if you just have some questions, or need advice on property visual media, then you are most welcome to get in touch with us anytime.
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