Of Furnished Apartment Photos, Hosts and Guests

Furnished apartment photos are a treasure every host or agent should have on their phones. They define the comfort amenities a guest needs to make a booking decision. But they can also spell disaster. And that’s where this rant of a story begins.

So here we go!

Dear furnished apartment hosts and agents,

Picture this for a moment. A would-be guest contacts you seeking your hosting services. You take the opportunity to describe the location of your apartment, available amenities and the price per night. Your pitch baits them hook, line and sinker. The deal is about closed all until the word ‘photos’ come to play. Do you opt for ‘easy does it’ or, the more the merrier?

This is the bone of contention for many hosts and agents. I speak from the guest’s perspective. The one with the cash and about to make a booking. So what do you do when a probable client asks for your furnished apartment’s photos?

You Keep it Short, Strict and Sweet

That’s the answer. But unfortunately, it isn’t the one most guest get. I included.

70% of the time I request a host to send their furnished apartment photos leads to a flood in my WhatsApp! I’m talking of over 25 images of a 1 bedroom apartment and its surrounding. The kitchenette shot from 5 angles, the bathroom from 7 angles and the bedroom from 10 unnecessary angles. What on earth for!?

Here is the naked bitter truth,

I neither download nor go through any of them.

And here is why.

I, like many other interested parties, neither have the time to inspect each one, nor the space to store them despite having over 70GB of space at my disposal. Yes, I love the space. Not so I can waste it, but so I can store my audiobooks and the few beautiful furnished apartment photos I fall in love with.

Anyone pouring even 20 images into my WhatsApp is undoubtedly not confident enough to host me or my guest for that matter. Sorry, but no sorry.

If you must capture the attention of a would-be guest, think of sweet furnished apartment photos that strictly define the space. Such keep the conversation short and precise. No time wasted! Share on X

Because I don’t believe flooding my WhatsApp with the twenty-something images makes it a glowing Yes! Such a message instead smells like a mix of fear and guesswork, and it generates a disturbing No! from deep within. It is in every way in the history of overwhelming, OVERWHELMING!

Do This Before Sending Any More Furnished Apartment Photos

You may need to hire a photographer or your teenage niece who loves taking selfies. Such a person understands photo angles better than you can imagine. This is also a good time to invest in a good phone.

Let the work begin!

Study your apartment and identify the most peculiar amenities that communicate comfort to your guest. The kind that makes it stand out. Room arrangement plays a big role here. Your photographer, or the selfie-loving niece, may point out a thing or two the photo should include. Then find the most appropriate angle to spell the comfort out in bold. Take up to 10 shots of each room from various angles making each shot clear, lit and simple to scan.

The next step is sorting. Dump all those photos into a folder on your computer and study each one of them for details. Look for photos that speak volumes about your furnished apartment. The direction of lighting, air conditioning, bed size, wardrobe and mirrors in the bedroom. Photos defining your oven, dish dryer, cutlery, microwave and fridge in the kitchenette. Your sitting room should feature windows, doors, couches, coffee table, Television, Wi-Fi router, carpet, air conditioning, and a balcony if any. Your bathroom photos should show the shower, toilet seat and hand sink.

Create your go-to folder on your phone and label it in a way that you will remember. The name of the apartment is a good place to start. Pick the most suitable photos from the computer and deposit them in the phone. This makes your quick-set of your furnished apartment photos to send to your guest.

Store only one photo per room in your phone's go-to folder. Arm yourself with a maximum of 7 speech-worthy images to close the deal. These are the foot soldiers that make your guest say 'I do'. Share on X

Then you won’t ever fall into the temptation of overwhelming your guest.

So, where should all the other photos go?

Turn to your Google Drive.
Create a folder for the apartment in the drive,
Use the same name as in your phone making it easy to recall.
Deposit up to 3 photos per room showing various angles.
Share the link with your guest when they ask for more.
Replace the photos with fresh ones after 4 months!

And Finally, The Rude Awakening

Every guest contacts more than one host or agent and asks for photos. Price may be a determinant, yes, but their time plays the biggest role, at least for serious guests. No guest has the time or space for getting overwhelmed with your furnished apartment photos. That leaves only one competitor on the table. And it’s not your fellow host or agent. It is your guest’s time. So keep the photos detailed, their number precise and the conversation sweet. Then you are assured of a booking.

Mic drop!