Very often, while looking at photographs of homes for rent, we feel the spontaneous urge to turn the pages as quickly as possible and move on to the next listing. It is not always the space itself that is at fault. Quite often, it is the way the space is presented.
Before the photography takes place, the owner first needs to understand whom the property is addressed to. Tenants can, schematically, be divided into three categories.
There are those looking for a home for a long-term lease, with a two- or three-year contract, intending to move in with their own furniture and household items. In this case, they usually prefer a space that is empty, clean and as neutral as possible.
There are also those looking for a home for a mid-term or short-term stay. They mainly want to bring their suitcases and find a space already organised, with the necessary furniture, appliances and everyday objects.
Between these two cases, there are also intermediate solutions: an apartment equipped only with electrical appliances, or a space with a few basic pieces of furniture, without being fully furnished.
What the owner needs to decide
The owner needs to first explore the possibilities of the space itself, and then the goals they wish to pursue. These two parameters will lead to the “filling” or the “emptying” of the property, in a way that corresponds to the most likely tenant.
A small, bright and clean space may gain more when it remains simple. On the other hand, a fully equipped space needs to show that it can indeed be inhabited immediately, without becoming overloaded or overly staged.
The moment of photography
The photography should take place after the space has been thoroughly cleaned, made bright and freed from visible imperfections or poor workmanship. It is preferable to photograph during the day, with natural light, rather than at night, under artificial lighting that often alters the feeling of the space.
Do not omit photographing the WC or bathroom. This is where cleanliness, freshness and, why not, functionality are proven. A clean bathroom can be far more convincing than an excessively staged corner of the living room.
In the remaining rooms, I would suggest avoiding clichéd photographs with sugar and coffee placed in front of a colourful coffee machine, or two or three towels rolled up, one “looking” at the other, as a supposed sign of careful and welcoming hospitality.
There is also the overused practice of many owners bringing out furniture from another era, from other generations, whether well preserved or not, with the intention of creating for the visitor the feeling of a “different experience”.
Yet experience is not always created through objects. Very often, it is written more clearly upon a quieter space, upon a white canvas, without a predetermined message. A simple and abstract space allows the future tenant to imagine their own way of inhabiting it.
If you are thinking of preparing an apartment for renting or photography, you may send photographs or a floor plan for an initial architectural assessment.