How Many Listing Photos Should You Upload
I looked at a listing last week that had 47 photos. Forty-seven. By photo 20 I was scrolling so fast I could not tell one bathroom from another. The listing sat on the market for three weeks. That is not a coincidence.
The sweet spot for listing photos
The right number is somewhere between 20 and 30 photos. Less than 20 and buyers feel like they cannot get a full picture of the house. More than 30 and you lose people. They get tired, they scroll past the good stuff, and they move on. The MLS thumbnail carousel only shows the first few anyway.
- Twenty to 30 photos covers every room plus exterior angles
- Anything past 30 starts to hurt more than it helps
- Buyers make decisions in the first ten seconds
Which photo goes first matters more than you think
The first listing photo is the only one that matters before someone clicks. It decides whether they even open the gallery. Do not lead with a wide shot of the street or a empty hallway. Lead with the single best room in the house, shot from the best angle. That is usually the kitchen, the primary bath, or a dramatic living area with good light.
Think of that first photo as the hook. If it does not make someone want to see more, nothing else matters.
What belongs in the gallery
You want to tell the story of the house in order. Start with that hero shot, then move through the main living areas, the kitchen, the primary suite, the other bedrooms, the other bathrooms, and the exterior. Each photo should show something new. If two photos look almost the same, delete one.
- Kitchen and primary bathroom pull the most interest
- Include all bedrooms and bathrooms at least once
- Exterior front, back, and garage shots
- Any special features like a pool, fireplace, or built-ins
What to leave out
Skip the redundant angles. If you have three photos of the same corner of the living room from slightly different spots, that is two too many. Skip the messy closets and the bare utility rooms. Skip anything that required a wide angle lens to make the room look bigger than it is because that is not what buyers see when they walk in.
Also skip anything that makes the house look smaller than it is. A dark, poorly lit photo of a room does not add information. It adds doubt.
One thing to do this week
Go to your current listings. Open the photo gallery as a buyer would. Start at photo one and count how long it takes before you stop caring. If you are bored by photo 15, your buyers will be too. Trim the fat and move your best photos forward.
If you need a photographer who delivers gallery edits in about 24 hours on average, charges one flat price, and guarantees you only pay if you love the results, I can help with that. But the photo count advice works with whoever you use.