The quality of photos used to list a property online has a huge impact on how many bookings a property will generate and will help ensure each booking is for top dollar. Taking the time to prepare and stage your home for a photo shoot will pay dividends!
First off, it’s well worth the investment to hire a professional photographer in order to get take high resolution images, perfect the lighting, and have edited photos to optimize every feature.
There’s a ton of different things that can make a home look more appealing, but here’s a short list of some basic things to consider:
- De-clutter: move unnecessary trinkets out of site (kitchen magnets, cords, pens, or any other unnecessary items)
- Bedding: Everyone wants to have a beautiful bed to sleep in, decorative bedding that matches the bedroom gives a great impression
- Bathrooms: Make sure it's spotlessly clean. Then clear out plungers, soaps, or any other items.
- Kitchens: Make sure all stainless steel is sparkling, there’s no tea towels that are not perfectly placed and that the counters aren’t too cluttered (if necessary tuck away certain appliances)
- Fire place: if you have a fireplace make sure it’s lit for photos!
- Additional items: Flowers (fake ones are fine), fresh colourful fruit, and a breakfast tray on the beds in bedrooms with complimentary napkins are fantastic additions to photos.
Do not misrepresent your home if you do extensive staging. The photos should be an accurate representation of what the place will be like when guests arrive. That said, making it look tidy and adding some fresh fruit or other little touches will improve the appeal of your property.
The last and final tip, which is hugely important, is to make sure to use a captivating and spectacular thumbnail photo. When properties are listed on many home sharing sites, the thumbnail or cover photo is what should captivate the viewer. If your home has a beautiful kitchen, a fancy new hot tub, or a spectacular view looking out, whatever feature or photo is best, be sure to use this photo as a primary thumbnail.
At Whistler Vacation Homes, we spend considerable time staging homes and perfecting all our listings online in order to help maximize income for our clients. It’s well worth the investment, it creates more inquires from guests and ultimately leads to more reservations!