Community : Article List - Photos

Maximize the Impact of your Photo Captions

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:50:45 GMT

Many vacation rental portal websites allow you to write captions underneath the photos of your home. This is a great place to further sell prospective renters on your home, as well as help travelers find your listing through search engines.

Here are a few tips for writing great photo captions for your rental listings:

Be as specific as possible. Instead of obvious captions like "bedroom" or "kitchen," pack your photo captions with tantalizing details and search-friendly keywords to entice more travelers. Each caption should describe the contents of the photo in detail. Let renters know the size of the bed, the number of guests your dining room table seats, or which mountain range your balcony overlooks.

Example: King bed with reading lamps. Adjoining bathroom, Jacuzzi tub. Balcony with mountain views.

Use area-specific keywords. Search engines like Google have a special search function just for images. If you include specific area keywords (like your city name, nearby beaches, property type, condo complex) in addition to information about your home's rooms and amenities, your property listing is more likely to show up in searches.

Example: Crystal Beach near Destin water park, mini golf, shopping, night life, cinema, great seafood

Use all of the space provided. The photo captions are another bit of real estate in your ad where you can potentially sell a prospective renter on your home. You're paying for the space, so why not use it?

Proofread. You can detract from the legitimacy of your listing when your photo captions contain spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. If you know grammar isn’t your strong point, it may be worthwhile typing your captions first in a Word document (or any program that has a spell check function) and then copy and paste them into your listing.

Don’t miss an opportunity to communicate extra detail to travelers about the amenities your home has to offer. Photo captions are a great way to enhance and drive traffic to your listing. Being descriptive and creative with your captions can really increase interest in your vacation rental.

© Copyright HomeAway, Inc. 2011

The 7 Photos to Include in Every Listing

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:45:33 GMT

Put yourself in the shoes of a traveler searching for a vacation rental. What photos would you want to see before booking a home? Would you feel comfortable booking without seeing a shot of the home’s exterior? Or the kitchen? Or what about one of the bedrooms?

When selecting the photos to display on your listings, you want to capture the attention of your potential guests with top-notch shots, but you also need to make sure that the photos you feature are the ones travelers really want to see. It’s important to feature as much of your home as possible to earn your guests’ trust, thereby making them feel more comfortable in reserving your property. By excluding some of the must-have photos, a traveler could think you have something to hide.

Although the number of photos you can display on your listing varies across the different vacation rental websites, the must-have photos remain the same.

1. View If your home or condo has a view, why sell yourself short by not including a photo of it? Properties with views tend to rent for more than those without, so if a traveler is going to spend more money, he/she will likely want proof of this coveted amenity. When selecting a photo of the view, try to use one that also includes part of your property in the frame of the shot (like the balcony, window frame or roof overhang) so that your guests know this was actually taken from your home.

2. Exterior Photos of the exterior of a vacation home tend to provide some insight on the overall condition of your property. Whether you own a single family home or a condo in a resort complex, try to choose a photo of the exterior that is free of clutter, people, and cars to assure guests that your vacation rental is well-maintained. If you are uncomfortable featuring a photo of the front of your home due to safety concerns, try using one of the back of your house instead.

3. Living Room The living area is another important feature of your vacation rental because this is where your guests will likely congregate during their vacation. They want to make sure there is enough seating for their entire group and that the furniture appears comfortable for relaxing.

4. Kitchen Likewise, the kitchen is another main reason travelers will choose vacation rentals instead of hotels. Make sure to clear off the countertops and only feature your most important appliances. You can also stage the scene with wine or baskets of fruit for added color and appeal.

5. Master Bedroom Guests will want to see that the master suite has a queen or king-sized bed, in addition to extra amenities. Because this should be the best-equipped bedroom in your home, try to feature any amenities in the room like a view, flat screen television or comfy reading area. Even if you can’t fit everything in the shot, use your photo captions where possible to highlight all the features. Hint: if you have more than one bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, you can advertise your property as having two master suites.

6. Each Additional Bedroom Travelers will typically want to see the sleeping arrangements for their entire group. If you only show photos of two out of the three bedrooms in your home, a potential renter might think that they’ll get stuck with a futon or some other uncomfortable option in the third bedroom. Including a photo of all your bedrooms shows travelers exactly what they can expect so you won’t have disappointed guests upon arrival.

7. Outdoor Amenities Vacationers tend to spend more time outdoors, so it’s important to feature all of the options for outdoor activities, be it a barbecue grill, swimming pool, hot tub, eating area or lounge area. Even if you own a condo, include photos of some of the shared amenities so potential guests see all that your complex has to offer.

Before you start snapping and uploading, there are some photos that are better left out of your listing. Don’t commit the following photo faux pas:

Bathroom Shots Notice that bathroom photos are not among the must-haves for your listing. Unless you have a truly spectacular bathroom with unique features like a marble shower or large Jacuzzi tub, you can probably opt for something else for your listing. However, you should have some of these photos on hand just in case a traveler asks to see them.

View Overkill While you may have an amazing view at your vacation home, one or two photos will usually do the trick. After all, your potential guests are looking for a place to stay in a destination that they’ve most likely already chosen, so it’s up to you to sell them on your property now. Be sure you’re not overselling one area of your home to the detriment of another. In this case, photos of your home’s accommodations will be more desirable to renters than several different pictures of the same view.

If you are having trouble making the booking, take a look at your current photos— it may be time for an update. While you may have a top-notch property description already written, a great photo can be worth a thousand bookings.

Note: Photos have copyrights. If you're using a photo that you did not take yourself, be sure to get proper permission from the photographer and/or publication where you found the photo.

Copyright HomeAway 2006

Should You Hire Models to Pose for Property Photos?

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:53:56 GMT

Note: This is an edited transcript of Christine Karpinski's How To Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Not authorized to view the specified article 1694

Christine Karpinski: Today's question comes from Steve. He asks,

Q: "I'm getting ready to take new pictures of my vacation home. I'm wondering whether or not I should hire models to pose for the photographs."

A: Steve, this is a common question that we get. The answer to this question is absolutely not! You should not hire models to be in the photographs for your vacation rental, and let me explain why.

Your travelers want to imagine themselves in your photo. So, if you have a person in your photograph, it is not going to clearly show to them that they can be there in their minds, especially in private areas.

I would never, ever, ever put people in photographs in bedrooms, bathrooms, Jacuzzi tubs, or saunas. Those are private areas. People don't want to see someone else in there. They feel like they want it to be theirs, when they're there. Like I say, it's a common question that people ask, "Should you hire models?" and the answer is "No."

Don't forget to enjoy your vacation home yourself. Happy renting by owner!

Listen to the original audio version of this podcast.

© Copyright HomeAway, Inc. 2007

Improve Your Vacation Home's Curb Appeal

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:28:09 GMT

Curb appeal is a top priority when selling a home — and equally important to vacation rental owners who “sell” their second home daily on the Internet to browsing vacationers. Because the exterior photo of a vacation rental property is often used for the thumbnail or first photo, it's vital that the exterior photo of your home shows what it has to offer.

Here are 10 ways to increase your property's online "curb appeal."

1. Remove unnecessary objects from the yard, driveway, and patio area (vehicles, garbage cans, water hoses, beach toys, etc.)

2. Rethink your landscaping. A few strategically planted shrubs can really shape up a yard. If nothing else, be sure to water your grass before taking an exterior photo.

3. Work with your surrounding terrain. Most travelers are going on vacation to leave behind their suburban subdivisions with perfectly manicured lawns. Embrace your rustic, beach, rocky, desert, snowy, or urban setting.

4. Take the photo on a brightly lit day. A cloudy sky can put a dreary damper on your property's appearance.

5. Watch for shadows. Determine what time of day a photo needs be taken to avoid a dark shadow obscuring the front of your home.

6. Reflect the character of the area. Vacationers are often looking for the “feeling” of an area when browsing through listings. Make your beach condo appear “beachy,” your mountain chalet “rustic,” your desert pueblo “southwestern”, and so on.

7. Use a digital camera to take the photo so that you can crop, edit brightness, and increase color later.

8. Add little touches like potted plants or a thematic mailbox to make your property feel more “home-y.”

9. Consider taking a photo of the rear view of your home, including your pool, patio furniture, etc., if the front of your house is obscured by tall trees or bushes.

10. Change your photos with the seasons if your home is in an area where the seasons change noticeably. A photo with beautiful fall-colored leaves could attract leaf peepers to your home, and a shot with a dusting of snow might land you a booking from skiers.

© Copyright HomeAway 2008

How to Select Maximum Number of Photos for Your Vacation Rental Listing

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:32:04 GMT

You've heard it time and time again: travelers are more likely to inquire on a property with lots of great photos. We all like to know exactly what we are getting before we pay for it and your guests do not want any surprises.

However, you may find it difficult to find enough photos to display, especially if you have a small property.

To help you make the most of your listings, we have put together some suggestions for adding additional photos.

Start with the MUST- HAVE photos that travelers are looking for:

The view
The living area
The exterior of your home or building
The kitchen
The master bedroom
Each guest bedroom
Outdoor amenities, like a pool or hot tub

Also consider including photos of:

The same rooms as above, but taken from different angles
Any other distinctive view shots from your home (front, rear, balcony, bedroom window, etc.)
The exterior of both the front and rear of your home or building
Unusual or unexpected amenities like HDTV, pool table, or beach chairs
Unique aspects of your home - a fancy espresso machine, architectural details, special artwork or plush towels
The amenities in your building or complex (fitness centers, restaurants, etc.)
Seasonal or day AND evening photos of the same shots
Tourist attractions

Example Photos:

Photos of rooms from different angles:

Photos of distinctive views:

Photos of each bedroom:

Photos of the exterior & outdoor amenities:

Photos of nearby attractions:

Remember: even if you're struggling to come up with enough photos, it doesn't mean that you should include a photo of every aspect of your home. For example, you DON'T need to include a photo of only the toilet. (You'd be surprised how many homeowners do!)

Focus on aspects of your home and area that would be of interest to guests, and you should be able to find inspiration for additional photo-ops.

© Copyright HomeAway, Inc. 2011

Ethics of Using Photo-Editing Software on Photos of Your Vacation Rental

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:15:23 GMT

As a vacation rental owner or manager, you know how crucial good photos are to your listing page. You may turn to a photo editor (such as Adobe Photoshop) to enhance your shots at some point. This is usually acceptable, and even recommended, but what are the ethics to using a photo editor? For those of you who have previously worried about using Photoshop, you are not alone.

Some of the questions the Community has received include:

“By making my photos more colorful, am I misleading potential renters?”

“If I crop out a staircase or unsightly wall, aren't I essentially lying?”

Photos are vital to your listing for many reasons:

To show your property's features and amenities,
To give prospective renters all of the information they need to decide if your property is for them,
To highlight why renters should choose your property over the others in your area, and
To make your listing more eye-catching.

It's perfectly okay to edit photos to make them a better representation of what your property actually looks like.

It's Time to Use a Photo Editor if Your Pictures are…

Dark and shadowy

If you're an amateur photographer (and most of us are), you will undoubtedly end up with some photos that aren’t exactly flattering. By turning up the brightness on this photo, it’s instantly a more accurate portrayal of the home.

Highly tinted one color (green, blue, yellow, etc.)

The green or blue-ish tint you can sometimes get from a digital camera gives off a cold and uninviting feeling. A slight tweak to the color balance field can help you restore your home’s warmth (and natural paint job!).

Much less colorful than the real life objects

The bright sun in this photo is washing out all of the color from the foliage and cabin. A brightness and contrast adjustment will have this home looking brand new once again.

Poorly framed

Be sure to pay special attention to cropping and framing. This photo may seem fine at first glance, but a closer look reveals that it's off center, there's an unnecessary piece of furniture coming into the frame on the left side, and a ceiling fan was left on. A simple crop fixes all of these problems at once.

However, it's not okay to edit photos to make your property appear better (cleaner, nicer, better located) than it actually is. As a rule, it's fine to improve the lighting and color, but not to change any aspect of the property itself.

Six Signs You've Gone Overboard with Photoshop

1. The color of the sky does not appear in nature.

2. A past renter would not be able to recognize your property from the photos.

3. Your photos show your mountain property's “beach view.”

4. You've removed major objects from the frame that will be there when renters arrive (a prominent staircase, large shrubs in front of the house, unsightly furniture, etc.)

5. You've added objects to the picture that will not be there when renters arrive (a
flat-screen TV, pool table, scenic view, etc.)

6. You have a feeling in your gut that you're misrepresenting your property.

You shouldn't edit a photo with the intention of misleading renters. You want to showcase your property's best side but you don't want renters to be unhappy when they arrive and your property is not what they expected.

© Copyright HomeAway, Inc. 2011

4 Essential Photo Recommendations

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:05:46 GMT

The best way to dazzle potential guests is with professional and eye-catching photos, but how can you ensure your photos reflect the beauty of your property? We know that travelers browsing vacation rental listings are first attracted to crisp, clear, well-staged and well-lit photos. Perfecting your photos will not only improve the quality of your, listing but also the number of inquiries you receive. Spending a little bit of extra time on marketing by taking top-notch photos is an investment in your vacation rental business. Here are our favorite tips on a picture perfect process:

Get photos of each room, the exterior, and the view

The more areas of your house you can feature, the more confidence a potential guest will have when booking. Not surprisingly, a great view is always a major draw. Guests will pay more for a fabulous view, and you should showcase this must-have amenity in your listing. Also make sure to include an exterior shot. Display your unique architecture and/or your gorgeous garden. Photos of the living room and kitchen are essential as this is the bonus space guests are getting by choosing a vacation rental over a hotel. Let your guests see where they will be cooking and where they will be relaxing. Include a picture of the master and every additional bedroom as well – this encourages renters to envision themselves, and each member of their party, in their respective sleeping quarters.

Remove clutter and ensure there are no people or pets

It’s important to stage your photos to show your home in the best possible light. Some easy tricks to making a magazine spread style photo shoot are to set your dining room table as if for a dinner party, and make good use of colorful pillows and throws on your living room furniture. It may sound obvious, but make sure all of your surfaces are clutter free. Also ensure the televisions are turned off and all your wall hangings are perfectly straight. A great photographer’s trick is to arrange the furniture so that it all fits in the shot. And finally, it’s best to allow the renter to imagine herself in the property, so omit any photos of people and pets.

Brighten your room

Natural light creates the most appealing photos so it’s important to consider where the sun is in the sky when you shoot, especially for the outdoor shots. You will want the sun behind you for your exterior shots. Midday is a good time for interior photos. A clear cloudless sky will create the best effect. If you do not have great natural illumination indoors, just be sure to turn on all the lamps and overhead lights, as well as light any fireplaces.

Use high-quality photos

If you’ve taken your photos with a decent digital camera, they should be good quality snaps. However many people have questions about how to change their photos to the appropriate size for vacation rental listing sites. We recommend photos be 400x300 pixels and 2MB or less. Here is a good resource for learning how to resize your photos once you have uploaded them to your computer. (http://m.wikihow.com/Resize-Digital-Photos) When editing your photos, do not add any borders, watermarks, arrows, or text.

Whether you choose to invest in a professional photographer or engage your artistic side and take your own shots, it is essential to recognize that photos are what will sell your property to potential guests.

Top 10 Tips for Staging the Perfect Photo

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:46:45 GMT

Taking great photos of your vacation rental property can be difficult to say the least. Here are a few easy ways to turn ordinary photos into inviting, appealing representations of what your second home has to offer your guests

1. Smooth out comforters and bedspreads. Don’t let your renters think that Goldilocks tests out all the beds before they arrive. A pull here and a tug there will easily straighten out your bedspreads and prevent your renters form having a three-bears reaction.

2. Set your dining room table. Pretend you are about to throw a dinner party - you wouldn’t greet your nearest and dearest with a blank dusty table adorned only with a stack of junk mail and a misplaced toy. Use colorful settings and a centerpiece or create a scene with a bottle of wine, or a tray of cocktails. You could even place a wooden checkerboard on the coffee table; not only are you adding color and dimension to the photo, but you're giving renters some insight into everything they can do while staying at your home.

3. Angle an area rug on the floor. Everything in your house doesn’t have to line up on a grid – those rigid right angles don’t show any panache! Give your area rugs a jaunty angle to lend a cozy and eclectic feel to your home and your photos.

4. Toss coordinating pillows on the easy chair or sofa, or drape a throw over the side. Your guests want to imagine themselves relaxing, not sitting with perfect posture in a straight-backed chair. In addition to adding color, it helps the furniture look more comfortable. If you want your property to look inviting and homey, then layer on soft textures with throws and pillows in different sizes and coordinating colors.

5. Turn the TV off, as it rarely photographs well. Nothing ruins a photo of your serene living room like a WWF smackdown frozen in a blur on your TV screen in the background. Especially if your TV is old or relatively ordinary, you probably don't want to make it the focal point of your photo.

6. Pay attention to lighting. What lurks there in the shadows? If it’s your vacation rental, you may be in trouble. Turn on the lamps, open your shades, and if you have a fireplace, light a fire.

7. Arrange furniture so that it fits the picture, not the room. It’s not cheating; it’s an industry trick used by photographers who shoot editorial layouts for magazines.

8. Tame unruly cords hanging from electronics, lamps, or window shades. No one likes that tangle of unappetizing black spaghetti! You can buy cord and cable organizers to make sense of the jumble.

9. Straighten wall hangings. A guest may see a crooked wall hanging as a sign of a haphazard attitude to maintenance and presentation. Assure your guests that you’re master of the obvious by making sure your décor is perfectly perpendicular.

10. Clutter. Remove any unnecessary items on the counters and bookshelves. Just because you have a beachfront property doesn’t mean every surface has to be covered in shells and rubber squeaky crabs. Clean lines and surfaces are what appeal to most people.

How to Turn a Good Photo of Your Vacation Rental into a Great One

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:49:26 GMT

Photos are arguably the single most important part of your vacation rental listings. Many renters scan over the photos before they stop to read any of the information you’ve worked so hard to put together. If your photos are just okay, they might move on to the next listing.

So what makes a photograph great? A great photo should:

Have clarity, high resolution, and brilliant hues

Feature something of interest in at least 3 quadrants of the shot

Appear recent and up-to-date (no time stamps from 1997)

Stage an inviting scene that feels "alive"

Use available light to brighten the room without washing it out

Keep the eye engaged with purposeful framing

Be clutter-free

Showcase the feel of the home and clearly depict the size of the space

Example #1

Here are two photos of the same room. The first is a perfectly acceptable photo. It shows the size and quality of the room well enough, but it lacks any real pizzazz that might draw in a traveler. The second photo is the exact same room after an hour's worth of "staging" efforts...and look at the difference!

What Changed?

Lit a fire in the fireplace to make the room feel cozy and "alive."
Opened all of the blinds in the room and on the door to let in natural light.
Angled the rug near the door to add depth.
Moved the furniture slightly so that the entire pool table was in the frame. The table brings in some much needed color.
Used a better angle. The second photo was taken from a chair, so that the shot was looking down at the room, instead of straight at it. (Be sure to angle just below your ceiling fan, if you have one — they have a way of sneaking into the frame!)
Removed the knickknacks from around the fireplace. (The bear next to the hearth looked like a mouse hole!)
Fanned out magazines on the coffee table. Pay special attention to the items on the surfaces of tables and countertops. These tend to make a room look messy or cluttered.

Example #2

Next, examine these two photos of the exact same bedroom. The first photo is what the owner used for her listing. The second photo is how her master bedroom could appear with a few minor tweaks.

What Changed?

Changed the orientation to horizontal rather than vertical. Horizontal shots tend to better showcase the size and contents of a room. Plus, most vacation rental websites are geared to horizontal photos, so your pictures will display the best on these sites if you follow this format.
Used natural light . The sunlight streaming through the window gives the room a warm glow and allows the bright colors to shine.
Captured the entire bed in the frame. Bedroom photos often do not clearly convey the size of the bed or beds in the room. (For example, in the first photo, can you tell this is a king-sized bed?) Don't undersell your home by making your beds look smaller than they are.
Altered the angle to show more of the space. In the first photo, you could not see the convenient desk in the bedroom or the large windows flanked by colorful curtains. Plus, this angle prevents the reflection of the camera’s flash from showing in the artwork above the bed.
Used all four quadrants of the frame and featured something of visual interest.

Example #3

Next up: the living room. Once again, this first photo is fine but may not jump out at a renter who is combing through listing after listing. The colors and lighting seem a bit drab. Check out what a new coat of paint can do to make your photos stand out.

What Changed?

Added wall color. Consider painting the walls of your vacation home a bright color to make the room "pop" in photographs.
Shot during a different time of day. The time of day that you take a photo will directly affect the hues of the colors in your room. The first photo was taken at night with a flash, and as a result, it has cooler colors than the second photo that was taken early in the morning.
Taken from a step back, to get more in the frame. Sometimes all you need to do is take a single step back to better capture the size of the room and its relation to the other rooms in your home.

If you’re planning a trip to your vacation home soon, be sure to review the photos you currently have on your listing. You may be satisfied with them, but consider all the ways they might be improved with some minor tweaks to lighting, staging, or angle.

The 7 Photos to Include in Every Vacation Rental Listing

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:48:32 GMT

Put yourself in the shoes of a traveler searching for a vacation rental. What photos would you want to see before booking a home? Would you feel comfortable booking without seeing a shot of the home’s exterior? Or the kitchen? Or what about one of the bedrooms?

It’s important to feature as much of your home as possible to earn your guests’ trust, thereby making them feel comfortable in reserving your property. Excluding some of the must-have photos could make a traveler think you have something to hide.

Although the number of photos you can display on your listing varies across the different vacation rental websites, the must-have photos remain the same.

1. View Properties with views tend to rent for more than those without, so if a traveler is going to spend more money, he/she will likely want proof of this coveted amenity. When selecting a photo of the view, try to use one that also includes part of your property in the frame of the shot (like the balcony, window frame or roof overhang) so that your guests know this was actually taken from your home.

2. Exterior Photos of the exterior of a vacation home tend to provide some insight on the overall condition of your property. Whether you own a single family home or a condo in a resort complex, try to choose a photo of the exterior that is free of clutter, people, and cars to assure guests that your vacation rental is well-maintained. If you are uncomfortable featuring a photo of the front of your home due to safety concerns, try using one of the back of your house instead.

3. Living Room The living area is another important feature of your vacation rental because this is where your guests will likely congregate during their vacation. They want to make sure there is enough seating for their entire group and that the furniture appears comfortable for relaxing.

4. Kitchen The kitchen is a primary reason travelers will choose vacation rentals instead of hotels. Make sure to clear off the countertops and only feature your most important appliances. You can also stage the scene with wine or baskets of fruit for added color and appeal.

5. Master Bedroom Guests will want to see that the master suite has a queen or king-sized bed, in addition to extra amenities. Because this should be the best-equipped bedroom in your home, try to feature any amenities in the room like a view, flat screen television or comfy reading area. Even if you can’t fit everything in the shot, use your photo captions where possible to highlight all the features. Hint: if you have more than one bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, you can advertise your property as having two master suites.

6. Each Additional Bedroom Travelers typically want to see the sleeping arrangements for their entire group. If you only show photos of two out of the three bedrooms in your home, a potential renter might think that they’ll get stuck with a futon or some other uncomfortable option in the third bedroom. Including a photo of all your bedrooms shows travelers exactly what they can expect so you won’t have disappointed guests upon arrival.

7. Outdoor Amenities Feature all of the options for outdoor activities, be it a barbecue grill, swimming pool, hot tub, eating area or lounge area. Even if you own a condo, include photos of some of the shared amenities so potential guests see all that your complex has to offer.

Before you start snapping and uploading, there are some photos that are better left out of your listing. Don’t commit the following photo faux pas:

Bathroom Shots Notice that bathroom photos are not among the must-haves for your listing. Unless you have a truly spectacular bathroom with unique features like a marble shower or large Jacuzzi tub, you can probably opt for something else for your listing. However, you should have some of these photos on hand just in case a traveler asks to see them.

View Overkill While you may have an amazing view at your vacation home, one or two photos will usually do the trick. After all, your potential guests are looking for a place to stay in a destination that they’ve most likely already chosen. Be sure you’re not overselling one area of your home to the detriment of another. In this case, photos of your home’s accommodations will be more desirable to renters than several different pictures of the same view.

If you are having trouble making the booking, take a look at your current photos— it may be time for an update. While you may have a top-notch property description already written, a great photo can be worth a thousand bookings.

Note: Photos have copyrights. If you're using a photo that you did not take yourself, be sure to get proper permission from the photographer and/or publication where you found the photo.