When a guest stumbles upon your vacation rental property page, you have 30 seconds or less to grab their attention. Will they rent your vacation home or move onto the next listing?  It's a simple principle. The more photos you have, the more interested a renter becomes, and the more likely they will inquire about your second home.  Every single condo rental, cabin rental, cottage rental, and teepee rental should feature the photos that travelers specifically seek out. Did you know that vacation rental properties with more than 4 photos get twice as many inquiries as listings with 4 photos or less?
Make sure your listing includes these photos:  View  Living Room  Exterior  Kitchen  Master Bedroom  Guest / 2nd Bedroom  Pool / Hot Tub
Note: Remember, 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.

Which vacation rental photos do you consider to be must-haves? "A photo of the bed and the bedroom area seems to be one of the most important to our guests, they also love the photos of our whirlpool tubs. I think it helps them to know their sleep will be in a cozy room with nice decor. Some of the first compliments we hear from our guests, is about how well they slept, how much they enjoyed relaxing in the spacious whirlpool tub and the quiet surroundings." -Rhonda, Nashville, TN (HomeAway #117039, VRBO #121971, VacationRentals.com #4523)  "My comment is not a "must have" but a must not have! I don't think owners should EVER show a picture of the toilet specifically or even a toilet in the picture at all. I think the only bathroom pics shown at all should be something really exceptional like a pretty jacuzzi tub. I saw a picture on vrbo once that showed the toilet lid actually up. Awful!" -Sandy, Bryson City, NC (HomeAway #133735, VRBO #3362) “The main photo that we use shows the amazing view from the house. This really seems to peak people's interest and we've had 2,000 hits since we listed three months ago! We've been almost fully booked since then, and I think the photo is one of the main reasons.” -Becky, Barnegat Light, NJ (HomeAway #240833)

4 Quick Steps to Improve Any Photo Using Photoshop Elements Tips to quickly and easily improve the quality of your property photos using Photoshop Elements.   Decorating Your Beach Vacation Rental Home Classic and understated beach-inspired decorating ideas for your holiday rental home.   How to Use Flickr to Market Your Vacation Home  Tips for using photo-sharing sites to further market your vacation rental home on the web.   Decorating Your Vacation Home for The Holidays Easy ways to spread holiday cheer from afar.

© Copyright, Christine Karpinski 2006, U.081203.KD