Hey Spokane property managers and investors! Here's a question we get fairly often: Does it make sense to get professional photos for a rental? Our answer is, almost always YES. If it's an Airbnb/short-term/furnished rental, then absolutely, professional photos are a must so your listing will stand out and attract the most bookings. If it's a traditional long-term rental and the unit is currently vacant, now is the perfect time to capture great photos. Even if it's a pretty basic unit, this will pay off. And for sure, if you've put money and effort into remodeling, it will be worth it to get professional photos of your improvements. Not only will quality photos help you to attract a quality tenant this time around, but you can save the photos and use them again (and again), whenever you have a vacancy. Really, the only time we might not recommend getting professional photos is if you have a current tenant who is messy. In that case, we'd wait and get photos when the unit is vacant.
What if the house is being sold? In that case, we'd recommend professional photos no matter what - even if there are tenants occupying the home. We always shoot real estate photos with the goal of capturing the house accurately, in a flattering light. We don't use an overly wide angle lens because we don't anyone to feel disappointed when they show up. But we will take photos from flattering angles, that do the house justice and showcase its best features.
Regardless of whether you're looking to attract renters or buyers, good photos can make the difference between the ideal person getting excited about seeing your place, or scrolling right past your dark, blurry photos. ;)
While we're on the topic of rentals, the other service we'd recommend is a floor plan. Like photos, these can be saved and used again and again to show potential renters how the unit is laid out. This can help reduce the number of showings to people who are truly interested.
And one last idea: if you really want to go above & beyond, you could even consider staging your rental to show the potential and give renters a sense of home. Here is a photo of a staged rental that we photographed. Although the initial investment may be higher than taking cell phone photos of a vacant unit, there's a good chance the property owners will be able to attract better tenants and get higher rent, plus they can keep these photos and use them anytime they have a vacancy in the future.
We also offer virtual staging which is a great, cost effective way to add interest to a vacant rental.
Let me know what you think! Have you considered getting professional photos of a rental?