---
title: Differentiate Your Vacant Rentals With One Easy Step
description: "According to a study, only 30% of single-family rental homes available online utilize photography that is rated as \"OK\" or \"Excellent.\""
---

[PlanOmatic Blog | Insights on Property Marketing and Management ](https://www.planomatic.com/blog)

# [Differentiate Your Vacant Rentals With One Easy Step](https://www.planomatic.com/blog/differentiate-your-vacant-rentals-with-one-easy-step)

 Written by [PlanOmatic](https://www.planomatic.com/blog/author/planomatic) | Jun 26, 2023 9:31:18 PM

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Are your vacant rentals getting lost in the crowded single-family rental market? As [this post](https://www.planomatic.com/why-are-my-rental-homes-sitting-vacant/) suggests, we are seeing more and more rental properties listed online. With this increased competition, many property managers are having a hard time attracting leads and leasing up their vacant homes. What to do?

## Consider the Customer’s Behavior

The rental search has become very digital, as outlined in [Zillow Rentals’ 2022 Consumer Housing Trends Report](https://www.zillow.com/multifamily-knowledge-center/renter-insights/2022-consumer-housing-trends-report/). Renters are using mobile sites more often to conduct their search, they are submitting applications and leases electronically, and interestingly the number of renters that conducted **zero in-person tours **has steadily increased to 23% over the last four years.

What does this mean? When you publish your vacant rental home online, it needs to stand out. How? That’s where the good news comes in: It’s simple!

## Photography Quality for Vacant Rentals is Surprisingly Bad

We did a deep dive into the Indianapolis market, which is consistently ranked around #10 by the number of SFR properties available. We looked at a sample of 500 properties and graded the photography quality. Here is what we found:

- **70% of rental homes** managed by Mid-Market Property Management companies** used “Poor” photography**
- Compare this to homes managed by Institutional SFR companies – **only 20% used “Poor” quality photography**

If you are a property management company marketing rental homes for retail landlords or mid-size investors, you can get an **immediate leg up on 70% of your competition** by simply **adding professional photography** to your standard marketing and leasing process. 

## A Summary For Your Investor

So if your investor is hesitant to embrace professional photography, here is a quick summary:

- More renters are conducting their search online, **they are going on fewer in-person tours**, and they rely on whatever visual content is available online to make their leasing decision.

Most Mid-Market Property Management companies **are not using professional photography** on their vacant rental homes, while most Institutional SFR companies are using professional photography.

[View full post](https://www.planomatic.com/blog/differentiate-your-vacant-rentals-with-one-easy-step)

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