The Power of Professional Rental Property Photography
Has your agent recommended professional photography to showcase and market your rental property in the best way?
With interest rates high, and many other overheads, perhaps you’re wondering if the expense is warranted. Perth vacancies are below 1%, so you may (understandably) feel your property will lease regardless!
You could be right, yet we believe rental property photography adds value far beyond its cost.
Is Professional Photography Worth It in a ‘Hot’ Market?
There are a few key issues to consider when deciding a marketing strategy for rental property.
Those could include:
- who your ‘target market’ will be
- what rent to ask
- which websites to use
- how to present the property.
All these questions can have more than one answer, but most experts agree that using professional photography is a no-brainer!
So why does photography matter when so many applicants are desperately searching for properties, and will probably view your online listing anyway?
In a digital marketplace, where an image will almost always be an applicant’s first impression of a property, photos create an emotional connection. Just like a photo on a dating site, your property’s lead photo should make people want to ‘swipe right’.
The rest of the images should then complete the story, making viewers want to see the property, and ultimately envision living there.
Various industry studies, and our own experience over many years, have shown that high-quality photos attract more enquiries. They make a property look more up-market and attract more applications from people able to pay premium rents.
More applications mean more choice of tenants for you and fewer vacant days when the property is earning nothing.
With basic packages under $200, professional photography is good value for money.
How Exactly Do Professional Photographers Add Value?
Professional photographers know how to make a property look its best, by:
- using lighting to create a bright, cheerful ambience
- using wide, low angles to show off the space
- composing shots that guide the eye to the property’s best features
- enhancing photos before publication to crop, sharpen, improve contrast, correct colour etc.
Are There Other Benefits?
Professional photography is usually tax deductible.
Although photos generally remain the photographer’s property, they can usually be relicensed for later use for less than another shoot would cost. This then saves time and money when the property is re-let or sold.
How Can I Get Better Value From Photography?
Select a specialist real estate photographer – they know how to create property photos with real impact. Our team at We Love Rentals are happy to put you in touch with a highly skilled photographer.
When the photographer arrives, have everything ready so their time can be spent taking the best photos possible.
For example:
- have interiors spotlessly clean
- wash windows
- clear kitchen and bathroom counters
- remove personal items, ‘clutter’, and visual distractions for example:
- photos/trophies
- fridge magnets/calendars
- dirty dishes
- shoes/clothing
- used towels/toiletries
- pet bowls/litter trays
- toys/pool and garden implements / bins
- tidy and weed gardens
- clean driveways/paths
For some types of properties, (e.g., upmarket properties likely to appeal to executives relocating to Perth), it may be worth considering extras, like a video walkthrough, floorplan, 3D imaging, or virtual staging. These can help bring an empty property to life.
Location shots of parks and cafes nearby can also showcase the location’s most desirable lifestyle features.
What Should I Do Next?
In Perth’s busy competitive rental market, professional photography can be a powerful tool to help your home’s marketing stand out from the crowd. It is well worth paying for a professional to make your property look as appealing to renters as possible.
The good news is, that some agencies offer rental management packages inclusive of professional photography. If you choose the right agency, it’s all part of the service.
Our experienced property managers at We Love Rentals are happy to help explain the great value package we offer, so why not give us a call?
You can email us or call (08) 6254 6300 for friendly, professional advice.
Brendan Leahy
I am the licensee of We Love Rentals and provide support to the team whenever needed. I began my real estate career over two decades years ago. While I loved seeing people achieve their dream of a new home for their family, I kept thinking that there had to be a better way of doing real estate – one with respect for the long term benefit of the client and one that focuses on customer satisfaction.
