Here’s why perfect photos are so important
Apartment photos play a key role in the first impression tenants get of your apartment – and this first impression is often crucial. Perfect photos are vital for successfully renting out an apartment.
We know from experience: Listings with a large selection of high-quality photos generate up to 25% higher demand. Therefore, provide as many photos of each room as possible and pay attention to the quality of the shots. Listings with 15-25 photos are especially successful on our website.
The more varied the images, the more potential tenants will enjoy browsing through your photo gallery and the longer they will stay on your listing. Therefore, show your apartment from as many different angles as possible and also add detailed photos of special features. This will give prospective tenants a good idea of what your apartment actually looks like.
We recommend using professional photos if possible. They significantly increase the attractiveness of the listing. But you can also take good photos of the apartment with your own smartphone if you follow a few tips. If necessary, you can replace them with professional photos at a later date.
5 Do’s & Don’ts for your apartment photos
We have compiled the five most important Do’s & Don’ts for your apartment photos:
Do’s
- It is best to take photos in landscape format and from a corner of the room so that as much of the room as possible can be seen. Make sure not to tilt the camera or smartphone, but to hold it horizontally in a straight line.
- Take photos during the day when natural light enters the apartment – this makes it look more inviting and friendly. The best natural light conditions are usually in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is not shining directly into the apartment at full strength.
- Highlight unique features. Photograph the washing machine, the balcony or any details that make your apartment special.
- Make sure your apartment is clean and tidy. Tidiness adds a sense of tranquillity to your photos and makes smaller rooms look a little more spacious.
- Photograph the building from the street to give an impression of the neighborhood.
Don’ts
- Do not use a wide-angle lens which can create a distorted perspective and make the room appear significantly larger than it actually is.
- If possible, do not photograph at an angle from above or below, but hold the camera straight to recreate a natural point of view.
- Do not publish photos for which you do not own the rights to the image. Also, ensure that no person/s or photos of person/s are included so as not to violate personal rights. If there are works of art in your home that are subject to copyright, these should also not appear in your photos.
- Make sure that no personal objects are visible in the photos. Some objects, such as a jacket on the coat rack, can look decorative and homely. However, too many personal objects, such as a clothes horse in the background, a backpack in the corner or shampoo bottles in the bathroom, look rather unprofessional.
- Don’t be in a hurry when taking photos, but take your time. Quick snapshots often lead to blurred photos or unflattering images – mistakes that can easily be avoided by taking a little more time.
4 additional tips for taking photos with your smartphone
- Switch on the grid function: In the camera settings of most smartphones, you will find the option of placing a virtual grid over the photo. This makes it easy to align a subject horizontally and vertically and prevents crooked photos.
- Switch off the flash: The flash creates very harsh lighting and often also unsightly shadows. Therefore, always take your photos without flash in natural daylight. In dark corners, you can switch on a lamp if necessary.
- Use a tripod: This will ensure that your photos don’t end up blurred and out of focus. If you don’t have a smartphone tripod, you can place your phone on a stable surface, such as a shelf or table. Always make sure that the image and angle of your photo are still correct.
- Regulate the lighting conditions via touchscreen: Especially if you take photos against the light, for example, because there is a window in the background, the photos can end up overexposed or underexposed. It can help to tap on different places on your touchscreen while the camera is open. This way, the smartphone can try to adjust the lighting conditions. It’s best to experiment a bit until you find a good setting.
Take advantage of our professional photo service
Would you prefer to leave the photographing of your home in expert hands? At Wunderflats, landlords/-ladys have under certain conditions the opportunity to have their apartment photographed by a professional real estate photographer. As soon as you have created a listing on Wunderflats, you can contact us to arrange a professional photo session. Simply send us an e-mail at photo.manager@wunderflats.com so that we can arrange an appointment for you.
