The cover photo wins or loses the listing
In a property portal's results list, your listing sits next to dozens of others — and the only thing that sets it apart is the first photo. It has to win the click. Use the most attractive, brightest, tidiest shot for it: the spacious living area or an appealing exterior view. Never the bathroom, the hallway, or a detail as the cover — that costs inquiries. The first image carries the whole weight, the same as with any sales listing.
Showing rooms bright and spacious
Three techniques turn ordinary rooms into inviting photos:
- Shoot from the corner: more of the room fits in the frame and it looks larger. Hold it straight so the walls don't tilt.
- Combine light: daylight (curtains open) plus lamps switched on create a warm, homey mood. Shoot when the room gets the most daylight.
- At chest height, straight: not looking down or up. Tilting lines give away the amateur and look restless.
A word on wide angle: a moderate wide angle helps, but extreme distortion fakes a spaciousness that disappoints at the viewing — and that costs trust. Honestly spacious beats trickery.
The strongest lever: tidy up
No gear works as strongly as an empty surface. Tidy, depersonalized rooms look larger and let the viewer picture themselves in them. Before shooting:
- Clear surfaces (kitchen counter, nightstands, sink).
- Personal items away — family photos, laundry, toiletries, kids' toys.
- Trash, cables, chargers, and the drying rack out of frame.
- Close the toilet lid, hang towels straight.
The right order: a walkthrough
The images should guide the viewer like a viewing:
- Exterior / entrance (orientation)
- Living room (the centerpiece, often the cover already)
- Kitchen
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- Balcony / garden / view
- Floor plan and location at the end
The floor plan absolutely belongs in — it answers the most common follow-up question ("How is it laid out?") in advance and filters out unsuitable inquiries.
Technique at the end: shrink and privacy
- Shrink for the portal: portals compress anyway, but an image brought to ~2048 px and cleanly compressed beforehand survives it better. Use the resize and compression tool (browser-local).
- Mind the metadata: property photos carry GPS coordinates. On open portals the address is known anyway; when sharing individual photos with an interested party, it's worth a look in the metadata tool.
- Personal items out: no photo should show readable name tags, mail with an address, or recognizable family photos.
In short
- The cover photo wins the click — make it the best room.
- Corner angle, combined light, straight = bright and spacious.
- Tidy up — the strongest lever of all.
- Include the floor plan; mind GPS metadata when sharing.