Would you hire a professional photographer?

[mynt2007]

Hi, I'd like to get some feedback on what realtors think about professional photography.

I've been a hobbyist photographer for several years and have decided to test the waters and market my photography services to realtors.

So the question:
Would you pay for professional photography?

Between driving to and from the home, shooting, uploading all images, resizing, and emailing them to my clients --I'm setting my price at around $80 per home.

So given the price, would that be too much? Or something reasonable?
The quality of the photos would be clearly better than digital point-n-shooters. And of course, you'll be saving time by not having to take them yourself.


Any advise greatly appreciated!

[jenniferi]

I think that it's a very marketable service, and $80 a home may actually be a little too low if you asked me. Initially though, it may help you get a few Realtor clients under your belt. Good luck!

[Mike Taylor]

I would use a professional photographer, but probably only for the higher end homes. I don't think $80 is too much at all.

[Orlando MLS]

I have and do use a professional photographer for high end homes.

9 times out of 10 the photos are better than mine. However, I will say on days when it is overcast the exterior photo's always look bad. Nothing beats a bright and sunny day when the grass is green and the sky is a clear blue.

Overcast days are the only days I regret paying for professional services.

I think your prices are reasonable. Try putting together a few different packages. I like to get 20 or more photo's. Some cheaper packages will include 5 photo's - you may want to keep those in your back pocket for the cheapskates. :)

Best of luck with your new market.

[jessiesc]

I use a professional for any service I am not comfortable with.

Photography ranks right up there as a service I can provide for low to mid range priced real estate.

For commercial and high end properties, I always hire a professional photographer. The difference is staggering in my eyes.

As to your pricing, I believe it will vary based on your geographic area, your competition and the quality of your work.

My suggestion is this:

Get with a few agents/brokers in your area and offer an introductory price discount.

Do you also provide paste up or layout work? If so, that is an added benefit and service to offer.

Best of luck.

[the-ref]

I would have to agree. I think $80 for all the services you listed in your post is very reasonable. Especially with the fact that images are what capture potential buyers, having the right lighting and everything is pretty crucial to truly capture the room/home.

One thing you might consider doing is seeing if people in your area have posted photography jobs on freelancer sites and start working that angle. Granted, the best idea would be to just post your services in the local paper, but it may be an option worth venturing.

[TobyMunk]

It depends on the prices of homes in your area.
Here in Aspen people pay $500 for a good set of pictures. But that is not snapping things but spending 5-10 hours taking pictures with a full lighting kit etc.

I take photos myself as a good amateur photographer, but getting the high contrast interior shots is tricky and having the right lights helps. I like the shots taken at what I call the "blue hour" just after dusk. Gets great skies with a deep blue and a fully lit house does the rest.

$80 depends on how long you spend. Might be high might be low, also depends on how good the pictures are.

[karyljm]

I think it is a good idea these days with the market like they are for you to subsitute selling homes with photo shoots for those who are still busy. Your prices are great and the market is eventually going to pick back up, it always has and it always will.
Doesn't this happen every 10 years?:eek:

[TimuM]

$80 is pretty reasonable...

You can ask him to do shootings for your web site..

Content is the king on the web......

[fractional-homes]

It depends on the prices of homes in your area.
Here in Aspen people pay $500 for a good set of pictures. But that is not snapping things but spending 5-10 hours taking pictures with a full lighting kit etc..

Agreed. If you are selling a high-end home, professional grade photos can make a great first impression to prospective buyers. A picture is worth 10,000 words. Hiring a pro photographer for luxury homes is worth it. When selling our luxury fractional ownership homes, we always hire a good photographer and it has made a big difference.

If you are selling a home that isn't high-end, buyers don't really expect spectacular photos. You can do away with digital photos.

[madisonbrent]

I just had a pro come in and do 20+ photos, 5 pan's, and he put together a virtual tour for $89 total. I have the rights to all photos to use towards any marketing. I think that is a great deal and shouldnt be reserved for "high end" homes. Much of our marketing is done online, having professional photos can get you a few more viewing over the crap we take with our digital cameras. Not only do the pictures turn out better but with the wide angle cameras they use we can actually see 3/4 of a room instead of 1/4 of the room because we cant zoom back far enough. My guy said he preffers and overcast day for inside shots, he says its harder to shoot when its sunny out because of the bright light outside and the sun shining in the rooms. I was extremely pleased with his work and I would gladly pay $89 bucks to market a 200k house as well as a 500k house. I dont have to take the bad photos, I dont have to edit or create a slide show, and they look so much better on marketing material and on the net. Sure you may not always want to show a house with good pictures because it doesnt look good, then again nothing seems to turn a buyer off more than looking at pictures of a house and then it person it doesnt look half as good.

[FlipItBig]

I wouldn't pay for that service. I have a nice digital camera that takes good enough picture for me.

[madisonbrent]

I wouldn't pay for that service. I have a nice digital camera that takes good enough picture for me.

I dont know, I think its a cheap way to go. Can you link your pictures together and make a nice panoramic? That shows an entire room for what it is. Professional quality photos that you can use on any marketing material. A professional virtual tour prepared for you to post on the web. The correct lens for lighting and wide angle can get very expensive. You dont have to edit the photos or even show up at the house while they are there is you dont want to. Since the internet is where the best marketing is at I think having the best pictures and production for you home are key. $89 is a small price to pay, in my opinion. I have a $400 sony 8 meg, 15x zoom and my picture dont turn out nearly as nice as the person who does my photos.

[Cisco]

Photography makes all the difference in the world. It's the sizzle that sells the steak and should not be under emphasized. Get as many gorgeous pictures on the web as possible. A good photographer with the right lighting equipment can be an incredible asset - especially with high-end sales.

Cisco

[itsallpc]

I agree with cisco for high end sales i think it is a very important aspect of the selling process. With big deals you want to look like a pro and the people viewing want to be working with a pro!:o

[Cisco]

If you live near a school with a photography program or an art institute, contact the head of the department or internship coordinator. They may be able to connect you with a really talented photography student who would be thrilled to make a $15-20 per hour shooting for you.

Regards,
Cisco

[Nealrm]

Real Estate photographer to real estate photographer, there is a market for professional services. $80 sounds a little cheap to me, however you may need to price at that level to break into the market.

When it boils down to it, most agent are not goning to spend $1000 or more to buy the high end equipment to make good real estate photos. Nor will they have the experience of a real estate photographer the is shooting photos for 8hr a day every day. A good software package also helps.

As for the overcast days, I suggest offering an overcast guarantee. Schedule the shooting as necessary. If the day is overcast, go ahead and shoot the outsides. Then next time you are in the area and it is sunny, reshoot the outsides.

[Nealrm]

It would be too expensive
The photographer or the guarantee?

[housetubetv]

You might want to try your hands on simple photography plus videos using some good quality digital cameras.
The best part is learning yourself.

[riverviewrichie]

How are you doing with this so far? $80 is pretty good price for what you offer.

[housetubetv]

How are you doing with this so far? $80 is pretty good price for what you offer.


Where who what?

[mynt2007]

How are you doing with this so far? $80 is pretty good price for what you offer.


Well, I've printed fliers and have visited about a dozen real estate offices (and posted on craigslist) --but not one client yet! =(

Could someone please take a look at my portfolio and advise if I'm good enough to be pro.... witphoto.com (under "real estate") ..in other words, if you saw my webpage, would you hire me?

Anyone else here a real estate photographer and can suggest marketing ideas?

[Good Neighbor Home Buyers]

Professional photographers are well worth the money. They know how to get the beautiful lighting.

[misch.chief]

I would always use a professional photographer, although many don't. It's all about 1st impressions, especially with real estate, as the house and the aesthetics of it have a large part to do with selling homes!

[erobbins]

if you can find one at a reasonable price, then i say go for it!

[askbryce]

I've used my own photos and those of a professional. I've gotten
mixed respones. Now I use a professional when the seller thinks it
will make a difference and I shoot when they don't care.

[portland real estate]

I will certainly pay for a professional photographer on a higher end home. One of the main appeals is if you can host virtual tours as well. Either 360 degree photos, videos, or panoramic photos.

[djohnson127]

A professional RE photographer, for most situations, would not be concerned about overcast skies or too much light coming in the window. These can be corrected and may actually be an asset to the shot.

What a pro does is save you time.

You get the listing signed and then call your "photo guy" to make arrangements with the homeowner. You can usually download the photos to your computer from the pro by the end of the next day. You don't have to go back to the house again to get the good light or (I'm not being disrespectful) fiddle with processing the probably mediocre photos taken with your point and shoot.