Rental Advice - Spanish Homeowners

Getting the Right Photos

Adding photos to your online holiday rental advert is probably the single most important element within your listing. The old adage of a picture painting a thousand words cannot be more true that when advertising holiday rentals on the internet. Holidaymakers will often enquire/book on the strength of the photos alone so it imperative that you upload your best shots as good, clear photos can make or lose a booking.

Using a digital camera to take your photographs is generally the best option as the photos you take can be easily resized or edited and even attached to emails if necessary. Take a wide variety of photos from different angles and in different seasons (if possible) and choose the BEST ones to upload - the ones which show off your holiday home to its best advantage - and remember that bad, blurred or dark pictures will turn holidaymakers away. We provide space for up to 7 images, so use them all for the best effect and to give holidaymakers the detail they need.

What pictures should I take?

We recommend that you should include at least one of the front of your holiday home, two of the interior and one of the garden (if you have one) for uploading to your gallery. Any special features which have a good 'wow' factor, such as a swimming pool, should also be included as your advert will only benefit.

A few of our tips for taking photos to add to your advert are listed below:

• Take more pictures than you need as some holidaymakers sometimes ask to see them before deciding to book with you.

• Try to keep your photos in landscape (more wide than tall) format as these give more detail across the image.

• Use light well. Sunlight is much better when taking pictures indoors than any artificial light so as you take your living room shots for example, open all the doors, pull back any curtains or blinds and generally allow as much natural light as possible to flood the room. Taking photos outside is slightly different as too much bright sunlight can make the finished picture over bright and look washed out.

• Take your shots in late afternoon (around 5pm) for a more even, natural light and make sure the skies are blue - not grey and overcast or with big fluffy clouds.

• If you can't let more natural light in, then using a tripod or resting the camera on something solid is the best way to make sure the photo is sharp. Also consider using the flash to fill in the shadows.

• Keep your photos focused as blurred pictures are a big no-no.

• You can improve your photos by using even the most basic photo editing software to crop out any unnecessary background or expanses of ceiling.

• The picture of the front of the house is the most important so remove anything, such as parked cars and bins, which will detract from the overall look. Brighten up the scene with plants or hanging baskets and try to give your home 'kerb appeal'.

• Prepare for the photograph as if you had a potential buyer coming to look around. Tidy up, remove dirty washing and clear kitchen surfaces and take all the personal clutter out of view of the camera. The best rooms to include in your photo selection are the lounge and the kitchen.

• If your holiday home is an apartment with no garden, make sure you include photos of the amenities it has such as a pool or tennis court, etc.

• If you have spectacular views from your home, such as mountains, beaches or golf courses - include the best ones. Change the scene in your advert depending upon the season.

• Don't include people in your photos, however good a photo it is - holidaymakers want to imagine themselves in your holiday home, not someone else.

Remember less is more. Don’t include a bad picture in your details. It's better to include less than the number of pictures allowed than put in a bad shot which could put buyers off.