Let Your Pictures Do the Talking: 3 Tips for Taking Better Listing Photos

Real estate has long been the realm of the visual: any real estate agent worth their salt knows that, in many cases, the pictures you do—or do not—include for your property listing often have more power than the text within that listing. People process visual information more readily than just about any other form of data.

For some reason, the understanding of the power of visual media seems to jump ship when it comes to property management. As a property manager in Frisco, we cannot overstate the importance of high-quality listing photos for your Frisco rental properties!

As an investor, how can you incorporate the power of excellent photography into your listings? RentHub is happy to guide you through some of the basic principles of compelling rental property photography to cut vacancy and find tenants in Frisco fast!

1. Lighting Is King

Sure, there's plenty to be said about the importance of your camera when it comes to taking pictures of your Frisco rental properties. However, the inexorable march of technology has yielded some incredibly powerful cellphone cameras. Once you pair that with versatile editing software (the industry standard is Adobe Lightroom), DIY rental photography has never been more accessible.

However, before you get snap-happy with that 4K-capable computer in your pocket, you need to understand that one of the major pitfalls of any camera setup is lighting.

Photography experts know that lighting can make or break your image—so you either need to consider investing in some additional lighting support or work cleverly with what you've got to avoid breaking the bank on your listing shots.

• Take pictures near "the golden hour," when your Frisco rental properties are at their most stunning.
• Utilize specific props to brighten up your property—but not enough to overwhelm potential tenants.
• Create a well-lit, inviting space on a budget by opening every blind and shutter. You can rev up the light power even more by turning on interior and exterior lighting—even during the day.
• Maximize the angles you use for your shots! This doesn't have to be deceptive—but as any expert knows, the right angle is always more flattering when it's paired with the perfect lighting.

You can make this process even easier on yourself by snapping pics between tenants: downtime doesn't have to be a loss! 

While you're laden with a vacancy, use it as an opportunity to snag some serious glamour shots of your Frisco rental properties. You'll save yourself hassle down the road and attract more tenants if signs of someone else's life aren't littering your shots.

2. There Is Such a Thing as Sharing Too Much

The shared human concept of "TMI" can definitely apply to your listing photos. This is one of the killer advantages of not having any tenants currently occupying one of your Frisco rental properties while trying to capture what makes your properties unique.

Think of your property listing as a well-written dating profile: no matter how eloquent it comes across, without pictures, you're not likely to get any bites. Sadly, the same could be said for profiles with pictures that don't capture your most appealing qualities.

This also holds true for your Frisco rental properties: much like a dating profile, you're not trying to lie to your potential tenants with the images you choose—but there are some pictures that you'd be better off without. Remember, the goal is to help your potential tenants see themselves in your investment properties! Let it be love at first sight—rather than the laughingstock of the internet. Here are some key things to avoid:

• Potential tenants shouldn't be able to see you in your pictures. Avoid this rookie mistake by being careful about reflective surfaces during a shoot or use some of that editing software magic! Just don't go overboard.
• Millennial renters may love pets, but if you're gathering photos while your Frisco rental properties are occupied, ask your tenants to keep Fido out of the shot. Not only does it hamper the ability of your tenants to see themselves in your property, but you might scare off renters with an allergy.
• While photographs are a great way to capture the allure of your rentals, too many in your listing are still a problem! Include only the cream of the crop when it comes to your listing photos, and you're more likely to have a prospect show up in person.

3. Call in the Big Guns

We know that investors have to wear a lot of hats when growing their wealth through real estate—but we also know that the most successful investors know when to allocate a task to another professional.

Being an expert at curating your Frisco rental properties doesn't mean you also have to be a professional photographer to take compelling listing photos! However, when you bring in a professional real estate photographer, not only will your listing photos be the best they can be—they often end up costing you less overall than your time and equipment.

You may even want to consider working with a property manager in Frisco: when you choose an expert property manager, you gain access to all the tools of the trade. You not only get a professional photographer—you gain a listing expert, marketing guru, tenant screening pro, and lease defender—all in one. That doesn't even begin to cover everything else a property management partner can bring to the table for your Frisco rental properties.

When you have more than one property in your portfolio, the value of a property manager becomes clear; you might even consider a property manager as your next best investment!

Pictures Say a Thousand Words—but the Words You Choose Matter!

Regardless of if you've worked with a property manager in Frisco to gather your shots or are simply a DIY master, once you have your perfect pictures, the listing process doesn't end there.

While the pictures you take are often the driving force behind future tenants deciding to view your property, your listing still contains crucial information. Prospective tenants use what you write to make an informed decision about whether your properties are worth the drive. Tenants who expect the convenience of a self-showing don't want to have to infer how many beds and baths you have from your listing photos! Give them what they want with your listing and take your property to the next level.

Again, your time is valuable—don't waste it trying to guess what should go on your listing! RentHub has you covered: we put together a free Property Listing Checklist to take the guesswork—and the grunt work—out of the listings for your Frisco rental properties. Download your free copy today!

Download The Checklist