Once you have your vacant rental property staged, you need to capture great photos to help bring in prospective renters. This photography is your rental property’s first impression when people look at your advertisements so it is important to set the stage properly. If you are working with a model or a furnished apartment, here are 10 easy ways to improve your property photos that will help you rent your vacant apartment faster.
1. De-clutter
Pick up any clutter, dust off surfaces, smooth out bedspreads, and straighten curtains or blinds. Don’t give your renters a chance to look at anything but a great looking room.
Photo by: UrbaneApts
2. Think Outside the Box
When we set up furniture in our own homes we often set the furniture against the walls. While this might give us the most floor space, it’s not very visually interesting. Instead, in a model apartment, try arranging furniture in small groups or on an angle. If that’s too much, start with a floor rug on an angle to anchor the space. You might be surprised how one piece can change up the visual presentation.
3. Ditch the Tube
Television sets never photograph well, especially when left on. Have you noticed how many interior design photo shoots have TVs in them? Yep, almost zero. Turn it off or better yet, remove it all together when photographing apartments.
Photo by: Eric Hausman
4. Draw Eyes with Pops of Color
Bright colors are an easy way to draw a renter’s eye into the your property’s photographs. In order to create a cohesive look, choose one color that compliments the room’s design and liven up the space with simple accents. Inexpensive accessories include decorative pillows, throws, fabric and books.
5. Set the Table
Dining tables are much more inviting when set with lovely place settings. Use a couple different dishes, shiny silverware, cloth napkins and glass cups. A good trick is to add sand to bowls or glasses so that they do not feel empty. Your goal is to have people envision themselves getting an invitation to a dinner party at your property.
Photo by: RoseNYC
6. Fill the Frame
Photographs capture spaces in 2 dimensions, but your rental apartments are 3 dimensional. This difference can cause some apartment features or furniture to look distorted. To fix it, look through the camera lens or take a practice photo. Then see if you can arrange furniture or adjust accessories to fill the frame better.
7. Tie up Loose Ends
Take a practice photo and use it to examine the details. Straighten any wall hangings, tie up loose cords, and turn lampshades around so the seams are hidden. Another tip is to remove the plastic rod attached to mini-blinds and neatly tie up the cords.
8. Bring the Outdoors in
Use fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit to add life to your apartment. This can also help with your pop of color; just make sure it coordinates.
9. Check the Lights
Lighting is a great trick to brighten your space. Replace the current light bulbs with a higher wattage bulb to increase the light and make your rental property feel bigger and brighter. Another idea is to purchase daylight light bulbs. These give off a blue-tinted light and look more like natural sunlight in photographs.
10. Keep it Steady
One of the best ways to improve your apartment photos is to use a tripod. The tripod can be squeezed in a corner where a person cannot fit and adjustments can be made to the room without jeopardizing the photo angle. Also, once the camera is steady, you can open the aperture on your camera to let in more light if necessary.
