Sunday, January 28, 2018

7 Tips to Taking Better Rental Property Photographs


You never get a second chance at a first impression. As technology grows, potential tenants are checking out your property online before considering even stepping foot onto your property. By amping up your rental property photographs, you can powerfully increase the chances of potential tenants visiting your property. Stand out from thousands of others Boston rentals by incorporating professional photography and staging into your real estate marketing approach. Before hiring a professional photographer, consider adopting these 7 photography practices.

1. Upgrade Your Camera

It is vital to take the best quality property photographs possible, in order to attract serious and high quality tenants. Consider purchasing a DSLR camera to capture professional, crisp images. The Nikon D800 and D7000 are excellent for full-frame real estate photographs, and are affordable options for property managers on a budget. These models are easy to use, and do not require any professional photography training to successfully operate. Also consider purchasing a tripod to capture level and full-frame photographs. 

2. Staging is Key

Assemble furniture and props to provide tenants with a realistic view of how their rental property could look. Clear clutter and unattractive furnishings to provide a clean and clear view of your property. Only include the basic furniture essentials, and keep decorations minimal and timeless.

3. Create Good Lighting 

Before taking photographs, ensure the space is properly lit. When shooting interior photographs, open nearby blinds and windows to take advantage of natural light. Even if it is an extremely bright and sunny day outside, the sun can create harsh shadows on your furniture. Switch on the flash even during the day, the extra lighting will fill in unsightly shadows and create a more balanced exposure. 


4.  Properly Adjust ISO Settings

Properly measuring ISO is essential when taking professional photographs. ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the ISO number is, the more sensitive your camera will be to light and the photographs produced will possess more grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to attain fast shutter speeds. If you are taking your exterior real estate photographs outdoors during the day, you will need to utilize a lower ISO such as 100 or 200. If you are shooting indoors in the afternoon or evening, you will have to increase the ISO to a higher number to record the light on the camera's sensor. If the natural lighting is very dark indoors, you will need to use much higher ISO such as 800 or 1600. Keep in mind, increasing your ISO also increases the grain or pixel size of your photographs, so try to incorporate natural lighting as much as possible in order to keep your ISO balanced.

5. Use Landscape Orientation for Optimal Viewing

Always shoot your real estate photographs in the horizontal or landscape orientation whenever possible. Humans find the horizontal and landscape viewing more aesthetically pleasing, and horizontal images capture the full essence of a space. This allows a wider shot which produces a true sense of depth and detail.

6. Utilize a Wide Angle Camera Lens

Avoid using poor quality fisheye lenses, and instead invest in a wide angle camera lens. The trend in real estate of using a fisheye lens dramatically distorts property images and is deceiving to the potential property tenant. Making a space look larger than it is by distorting the area is not going to increase a renter's interest. Invest in a wide angle camera lens to realistically advertise your property and capture the whole space.

7. Edit Photographs Carefully

Ensure when editing your property photographs to not seriously distort the true image. Keep editing very minimal and avoid unnatural filters. If the lighting needs to be adjusted in the editing stages, slightly adjust the brightness balance until the image looks crisp, clear, and realistic. 




Wednesday, January 17, 2018

5 Tips To Improve Your Rental Property


As 2018 commences, rental property owners should assess their rental portfolio to attract a steady stream of quality and serious rental tenants. Potential tenants will be checking out your website and property photographs before ever even stepping foot on your property. These relatively inexpensive tips will drastically improve your rental property, while maximizing its income potential.

1. Amp Up Your Rental Property Photos

One way to improve your rental property marketing approach is through high quality photographs, which highlight the spectacular features of your property. Many potential property renters will quickly skim through online rental portfolios, and immediatly reject any properties with low resolution and poor quality photographs. 

Consider purchasing a professional DSLR camera to capture high quality, crisp images. If your photography skills are lacking, look into hiring a professional photographer to capture your rental properties in a positive and professional manner. Posting professional photographs of your rental properties online shows potential tentants a clear impression of your property. Furthermore, taking the time and effort to post professional photographs shows potential tenants that the property managers are diligent, professional, and organized. 

If you plan on taking professional images yourself, ensure that the lighting is adequate and not too dark. For interior shots, open nearby blinds and windows to capture natural light. Furthermore, staging is key when taking professional property photographs. Clear rooms of all clutter, and incorporate furniture and props to provide potential tenants with a realistic idea of how their new rental property could look.

2. Modernize Kitchens and Bathrooms

Providing tenants with modern and squeaky clean kitchen and bathrooms will powerfully improve your rental properties. Before upgrading any room, focus on the kitchen and bathrooms first. Beautiful and modern kitchen and bathrooms will attract high quality tenants. Replace outdated kitchen appliances with modern, stainless steel alternatives. Upgrade dated bathroom tiles, toilets, and showers with sleek and modern options. By upgrading the bathrooms and kitchen, the monthly rent of your rental property will highly increase. Furthermore,  undergoing a kitchen renovation can also solve many mechanical issues and lower maintenance requests, as many old appliances tend to falter and fail. 

3. Replace Dated Light Fixtures

Replace outdated light fixtures with modern, elegant alternatives that will appeal to potential rental tenants. This inexpensive fix can immediately improve the ambiance of any room, and impress potential tenants. Modern chandeliers will give small apartments a boost in appeal and style. Other examples of fixtures that need replacing are:
  • Door handles that stick
  • Mini-binds with missing slats
  • Faucets or tubs that drip 
  • Cabinet hardware that has lost it's finish

4. Maintain Landscaping 

The exterior of your rental property provides potential tenants with their first impression of your property. Ensure the exterior of your property is always properly maintained and cared for.

Always mow the grass before potential showings. If you have flowerbeds and bushes, spread fresh mulch down to give the exterior a healthy glow. Finally, ensure your property is safe and secured by checking all gate hinges, removing any broken concrete from sidewalks, and confirm the pathways are sturdy.

5. Increase Storage Room

Storage is an overlooked yet highly important priority for renters. Property managers can boost the value of their property by increasing storage options. Some simple ways to increase storage include adding hooks to main areas like entryways and bathrooms, installing closet organizing systems, and adding additional shelving in pantries. More elaborate storage upgrades include installing permanent shelving in the garage, creating built-in shelves, framing in a new closet, and adding a shed on the property.