It's one of the questions I get most often from real estate agents on the Costa del Sol: how many listing photos do I actually need? The answer depends on the property type, but there are clear benchmarks that separate listings that generate enquiries from those that quietly disappear.
Minimum photo count by property type
Portals like Rightmove, Idealista and Kyero allow up to 50 images per listing. But more isn't always better — what matters is quality and selection.
Apartment or flat (up to 120m²)
Between 12 and 18 photos. Enough to cover every relevant space without repeating angles or including detail shots that add no value. A buyer needs to see: building exterior, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and terrace if there is one. Missing spaces trigger suspicion.
Townhouse or semi-detached (120–250m²)
Between 20 and 28 photos. The larger the property, the more spaces that deserve individual coverage. A staircase, home office, garden or garage — details that don't matter in a small flat matter here, because buyers are paying for them.
Detached villa or luxury property (over 250m²)
Between 30 and 50 photos. A luxury villa in Marbella competes on an international stage. The buyer — often in another country — makes viewing decisions based solely on images. There's no reasonable upper limit if every photo adds information.
Hotel or holiday accommodation
A minimum of 25 photos, ideally more. Booking.com and Airbnb rank properties with more images higher. Every room type, communal area, restaurant, terrace and exterior deserves separate coverage.
What happens when there are too few photos
Property portal research is consistent: listings with fewer than 10 photos receive between 40% and 60% fewer clicks than those with 20 or more. In Marbella, where the average buyer is comparing dozens of properties simultaneously from their screen in Amsterdam or London, a short gallery simply means they move on to the next listing.
Worse still, few photos generate distrust. Buyers assume something is being hidden — damp, a run-down bathroom, a view of the car park. The absence of an image is a negative image.
What happens when there are too many bad photos
Equally damaging. A gallery of 40 images with poor lighting, crooked angles and cluttered rooms communicates carelessness. The practical rule: 15 excellent photos will always outperform 40 mediocre ones.
Photos that must appear in every listing
- Exterior or facade — the first image a buyer sees
- Main living room — the heart of the property
- Kitchen — a decisive factor in purchase decisions
- Master bedroom — always
- Master bathroom — always
- Terrace, garden or pool if they exist — they multiply perceived value
- Views if they're a selling point — they justify the price
The floor plan: the image most agents forget
A well-produced 2D floor plan doesn't replace photos, but it complements them in a crucial way. A buyer who is already interested after viewing the photos needs to understand the layout before deciding to visit. Without a floor plan, many simply don't call. I include the CubiCasa floor plan in every package I offer precisely because it increases the conversion from listing views to actual viewings.
The bottom line
For properties in Marbella and the Costa del Sol — where the market is competitive and international — the difference is always in the right combination: enough photos, all of them high quality, with a floor plan included.
Need professional photography for your property on the Costa del Sol?
Book a session → →