Professional photography highlights your property’s best features – from bright, open living areas to inviting outdoor spaces – so it looks its absolute best online, where almost all renters now start their search.
#1. Today’s renters are highly visual
Prospective tenants spend hours scrolling through hundreds of listings on multiple websites. In just a few seconds, they decide whether to click into your ad or keep scrolling.
They’re looking for:
- A home that looks clean, bright, and inviting
- Spaces where they can picture their own furniture and lifestyle
- Proximity to schools, shops, public transport, parks, and other amenities
Poor-quality images or dark, cluttered photos send a clear message: “Don’t bother.” Good tenants simply move on.
Great photos, on the other hand:
- Catch attention instantly
- Encourage more clicks and enquiries
- Set expectations of a well-cared-for property
#2. Better visuals = faster leasing
Around 97% of renters now look for their next home exclusively online. When they see something they like, they act quickly.
Listings with professional photos typically:
- Generate more enquiry
- Have a higher inspection turnout
- Lease significantly faster—often in the first week, and on average up to 70% faster
The more information a tenant can get upfront—quality photos, clear floor plans, aerial views, and online application forms—the more confident they feel applying without delay.
Why floor plans matter
A floor plan helps tenants understand how the property will work for their life before they even visit. A good floor plan shows:
- The overall layout of the property
- Position of walls, doors and windows
- Room dimensions
- Built‑in features (kitchen benches, bathrooms, wardrobes, garage, decks, patios, etc.)
To be effective, a floor plan should:
- Clearly label each room and zone
- Present accurate measurements
- Use simple colour or shading to make it easy to read and visually appealing
This clarity saves time, filters out mismatched tenants, and encourages serious applicants.
Aerial photography
Aerial shots are a powerful addition to your rental marketing toolkit. They allow tenants to:
- See the property and yard from above
- Understand how close you are to parks, schools, shops, and transport
- Get a clear “lay of the land” in a single image
With modern drone technology, high-quality aerial photography is more accessible than ever and can really help your listing stand out.
#3. Why professional photographers make such a difference
Reusing old phone photos might feel economical, but it usually costs you in vacancy time and tenant quality. Smartphone snapshots often:
- Make rooms look smaller and darker
- Emphasise clutter or awkward angles
- Fail to capture the best features of the property
Professional real estate photographers know how to:
- Choose angles that make spaces feel open and generous
- Use natural and artificial light to brighten interiors
- Highlight styling, finishes and key features (like outdoor areas or views)
- Avoid unflattering shots that create the wrong impression
- Produce crisp, high-resolution images that look sharp on all devices
They also use proper equipment—wide-angle lenses, tripods, editing software—to present your property at its best.
#4. Stronger photos attract stronger tenants
High-quality photography doesn’t just get you more enquiries; it usually gets you better ones.
Clear, professional images tend to:
- Appeal to tenants who value well-maintained homes
- Reduce the number of unsuitable or time-wasting enquiries
- Support smoother, lower-drama tenancies
The cost of professional photography is typically modest (often under $200) compared to:
- Weeks of lost rent due to low enquiry
- The stress of sitting vacant in a competitive market
At Affinity Property, we work closely with trusted professional photographers and can organise the following as part of preparing your listing:
- Interior and exterior photography
- Floor plans
- Aerial drone imagery
If you’d like help making your rental property stand out online – and leased faster – talk to our team about professional photography and marketing today.