Why Are Photos so Important?
Pictures are worth 1,000 words, as are your short-term rental listing photographs. People have thousands of listings to choose from when picking their vacation home base. But even more importantly, people have limited attention spans.
You can spend your time writing a catchy title, persuasive summary, and descriptive information about what makes your listing the best, and you should. The truth of the matter is that the majority of people won't spend the time to read each cleverly crafted word. The best case is they will quickly scan the information, but only after you have caught their attention with that amazing cover photo. You might be skimming what I'm writing here, hoping to see the quick bits of important information hidden in my rambling blog posts. The average user spends just over 11 minutes searching for a vacation home on a booking website.
Spend the money and hire a professional; it will be worth every penny. I know all our fancy iPhones have the next best camera technology, but they don't do justice to a trained professional real estate photographer. I'm not a professional photographer, so I won't try to go over all the details of why their photographs look 100 dollars more a night better than an iPhone. Still, it involves wide-angle lenses, aperture and shutter rates, proper lighting, and staging. When hiring a real estate photographer, it's best to feel comfortable asking them a few questions before they arrive. Have they shot Short Term Rental before? How should the window blinds be set before arrival? What time of day is the best to take the photos? I've worked with a couple of photographers, and they all have unique tricks and strategies, but they always look fantastic.
Depending on the size of your home, make sure to have the proper number of photos. You don't want too many that lose their impact on your potential guest, but don't post so few that it leaves the prospect with questions. I like to lay out my photos as if the guest was virtually walking through the space. Starting at the front door, walking into the home, and seeing the living room and kitchen. Making their way up to the first bedroom with one suite master bath, then down the hallway to the next. Make sure to sprinkle in a few candidate shots, especially of some of your clever designs or unique amenities. Always start with the money maker. Find that one photo that really WOWs you and makes your guest want to know more. Generally speaking, you want anywhere from 20 to 40 professional photos.
Ultimately, you have already invested considerable money and time into starting a short-term rental. Don’t skimp out at the finish line, and try to save 125-250 dollars here. It could jeopardize all the hard work you have already put into this moment. Finish strong!