Shona LepisShe's Got Assets · REI Coach, She's Got Assets Founder, Cedar & Porch Properties, Shona Buys Houses

Stop DIY Photos: Hire a Photographer and Stage

Name: Stop DIY Photos: Hire a Photographer and Stage
Uploaded: 2026-04-14T23:52:23+00:00
Duration: 1 min 28 s
Channel: Shona Lepis
Description: In this instructional video, the speaker warns against using DIY photos for short‑term or real‑estate rental listings, highlighting common visual…

14 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:28

In this instructional video, the speaker warns against using DIY photos for short‑term or real‑estate rental listings, highlighting common visual mistakes such as poor lighting, cluttered bathrooms, and unappealing kitchen setups. They argue that hiring a professional real‑estate photographer dramatically improves a listing’s visual impact. The speaker also outlines practical staging steps: declutter countertops, showcase a tidy, welcoming space, use selective accessories like blankets or throws, and avoid displaying every appliance. They describe a co‑hosting process where they help clients clean and stage the property before the photographer arrives, emphasizing that a well‑staged, professionally shot image makes the property appear cozy and inviting, ultimately increasing booking potential.

Chapters

Mistake number 2 is bad DIY listings, right? Like you can see in these examples, the lighting is really bad. They obviously have a nice bathroom, but the toilet seat is upright. The shower curtain's all janky, right? I mean, there's just so many things like, please, please, please, even though I know we have smartphones in our pockets, you cannot, you really need to hire a photographer. It makes such a difference in how you position your listing and make sure that they capture all the right things. So Don't take your own photos. I just can't stress that enough. And I really think it's important to have a real estate photographer. And also when you have them come, make sure to stage your property, make sure everything's tidy, right? I do like stuff on the counter, but like make it look like welcoming, like there's the amenities of a fully stocked kitchen without showing every single appliance, right? Like just make sure to kind of pare it down. Like when I'm working with a client, I do some co-hosting. We kind of go through and we clean up the kitchen and we stage things just so, so it looks really inviting. It looks like it's furnished, but it's not really cluttered. Like when you look at your kitchen, you probably have every single appliance out. That's great that you have those. You don't need all the fancy things, by the way, for midterms, but just make sure to clean it up and stage it for the photo shoot. Remove all the clutter. This is an example of a professional photo, right? It looks cozy. A lot of times I see photos of living rooms and there's no like blankets or throws. That's a really kind of reasonable thing to add. So just make sure you're doing that when you're prepping for your listing.