Why You Need To Invest In Real Estate Photography

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Prospective buyers need to see themselves in your home and living in the area.  

Real estate photography should be the first thing on your mind if your goal is to sell a house or lot quickly and at a top-dollar. An image may be worth 1,000 words, but in the world of real estate, it’s also worth a thousand dollars.  

What will set your listings apart and pique the interest of prospective buyers? High quality images from a professional real estate photographer will set your listing apart. 

Top Reasons You Need Professional Real Estate Photography

Stand Out Online 

Look at your favorite online retail store. The first thing you’ll notice is that they’re using professional photography for every product. From a $5 pair of socks to a $300 pair of designer boots, the product photos they are using are high-quality and consistent. This is by design. 

Homebuyers are looking at dozens of real estate listings online. If your thumbnail photo doesn’t draw them in, you could be missing out on clicks, showings, and a fast close.

Get More Money for your Listing 

Photography for real estate also helps you get higher offers from the people who are submitting. A high-quality picture communicates a sense of quality in how the house is built, what its standing is to the surrounding area, and whether the home will appreciate quickly. 

Sell Faster 

A   Redfin study noted listings with professional photography sold 21 days faster than those without.  

Generate More Leads 

Properties with professional photography images typically get 61% more views than those taken with cheaper point-and-shoot smartphone   cameras. Prospect sellers also review your online marketing, including your listings photos, to see who uses professional photographer 

Home listing sites like Zillow & Trulia highlight homes for sale that have a 3D Tour 

Take a look at ‘the Zillow map’ of homes for sale and you will quickly see how they are highlighting homes with 3D tours. This is due to buyers expressing that they want to see these tours in addition to photos to make better purchasing decisions. You can easily include tyhis tour in your package relatively inexpensively. 

Because of Homebuyers Judging Books by Their Covers 

A great real estate image causes excitement. A poor one is forgotten in less than a second. With each glance, your target audience is making a snap judgment about the entire property. 

That may not seem fair but it’s a reality and we all do it. We do it every time we pick up a book in a bookstore, examine the cover, glance at the jacket copy, and put it back on the shelf. 

We haven’t given that book nearly the time it deserves for us to make an informative decision. But we’ve developed a shorthand we can trust to guide our tastes to the proper picks. That’s what a real estate image does as well. 

Remember the ROI Will Likely Pay for Itself 

How much does a professional real estate photographer cost? The going rate can vary. Some charge by the hour, some by the number of photos. 

But let's say you pay an average of $300 for photographs that help your home sell 5% higher. Assuming your home sells at $262,000 instead of $250,000 (following this scenario), you paid $300 to get a $12,500 increase in sale price. Not bad, huh? 

Compete with the Pros! 

Your property will compete with similar professional real estate listing photographs and 3D tours in your neighborhood. 

So What Makes a Photo Professional? 

To put it simply, the person behind the camera. Here are some elements your real estate photographer should have in place. 

1. Camera Equipment 

The top camera equipment picks vary each year. At the bare minimum, you'll need a DSLR camera, with a lens minimum anywhere from 16-24 mm. Other useful equipment includes a tripod for balance and various lenses to snap indoor and outdoor photos at varying lengths without losing resolution.  

2. Taking Multiple Photos 

Snap from more than one angle and take multiple pics from each angle. This can help you extract a usable photo even if one element is off a time or two between frames. 

3. Reviewing the Materials with Your Input 

Great real estate photographers bring you into the process. They explain what they're doing. And they make sure that their pictures align with your goals and objectives. 

4. Attention to Background Detail 

You'll want a photographer who pays as much attention to background images as he does the primary subject. Make sure nothing is embarrassing or out-of-place in the photograph and that colors and light are as flattering on each room as possible. 

5. Literacy in the Technical Specifications 

You'll want a photographer who understands image sizes and takes pics with both the online listing and a magazine advertisement in mind. That requires different resolutions, so get someone well-versed enough to understand that.  

Real Estate Photography Gets Results 

Treat real estate photography like it's more than just an afterthought. Invest in getting up the very best pictures you can. You'll likely see a huge difference in turnaround time and sales price. 

We'd be willing to bet business picks up the minute you trust a professional for the job. And for more in-depth design help, feel free to contact us.