Photographing and listing your home

The listing is the first stay a guest has in your home. In India it also has to answer practical worries before they are asked: power, water, parking and whether the society lets visitors in easily.

Once the home is ready, the listing turns it into bookings. Good photographs get the click; an honest, specific description earns the booking and avoids disappointed guests. Here is how we approach both.

Preparing for the shoot

• Deep clean first, including fans and window grilles, which show dust clearly in daylight shots.
• Remove personal items: family photos, documents, valuables and clutter on counters.
• Make beds with the guest linen, open curtains and switch on every light, including the geyser indicator you want visible.
• Shoot on a clear morning; in the monsoon, plan for a break in the rain and wipe balconies dry.

The shot list

Aim for a sequence that walks the guest through the home in order of importance:

• The best single image first: usually the living room with daylight or the view.
• Each bedroom from the doorway, then a detail of the bed and the AC unit.
• Each bathroom, showing the shower, geyser and cleanliness of fittings.
• The kitchen with the purifier, hob and fridge visible.
• The workspace and a screenshot-free note of the internet speed in the caption.
• Balcony, terrace or garden, pool if any, and the building entrance or gate.
• Parking space, since many domestic guests arrive by car.

Use a wide lens carefully. Distorted rooms that look twice their size lead to complaints at check-in. Hire a professional if you can; the difference is most visible in dark rooms and at night.

Writing the description

Lead with what makes the stay easy, then with what makes it pleasant. Indian guests and international visitors search for different reassurances, and a good description answers both.

• Power: state what the inverter or generator covers. "Lights, fans and Wi-Fi on backup; ACs not on backup" is better than a vague "power backup".
• Water: mention the purifier, hot water in each bathroom, and any water timings if the society rations supply.
• Internet: give the connection type and a measured speed.
• Location honestly described: distance to the nearest main road, market and station, and road conditions if relevant.
• House rules: guest count, quiet hours, smoking, pets, events, and ID requirements.

Pricing is a separate exercise

This page does not set a nightly rate. Pricing depends on season, events and competing listings in your area, and it needs its own method. What the listing can do is justify the price: clear evidence of reliable infrastructure lets you stand apart from homes that stay silent on backup and water.

After the first reviews

Read the first reviews with a pencil. If three guests mention the same thing, whether weak Wi-Fi in the second bedroom or a hard-to-find entrance, fix it and update both the photos and the text. A listing is never finished; it improves with each stay.