Real Estate Photography

**doogiebklyn** · 09-29-2008, 11:42 AM

I was just reading an earlier post here whether or not brokers use professional photographers, myself being one, and it seems most would consider it for higher end properties only.

Working in New York where the market is still pretty steady, I'm surprised at how many, except the really large chains, send in their sales people with a point n' shoot camera.

What they don't realize it that it's very much a matter of "You get what you pay for". If you have an outdated website and store and all your business is repeat, then it may not matter. But if you want to impress new customers then presentation and first impressions matter more than ever. Most new real estate searches start online, with all else being equal, the properties with the most and best looking images will attract more prospects.

What can a professional offer that your sales agents can't?

Experience with angles, perspective, light, and furniture
Top of the line camera and lens equipment with backup for everything
High resolution JPG or TIFF Images that can be used for everything from online thumbnails to billboards
Professional lighting setup
Tripod
Cable release
Distortion management through high end lenses and PhotoShop post processing
Color cast correction
Turnaround time and productivity

There is no way an amateur with a point n' shoot can compete with that. So how much is too much to pay for these services? Based on New York City market rates, my rate is usually less than 1% of the brokers commission. A pretty small price to pay to invest in your brand and help sell your properties faster. Trust me when I tell you, Perception sells!!!

And through professional photography, your smaller agency can level the playing field and have imagery that looks as good as that of Corcoran, Halstead, or Douglas Elliman Prudential.

Best Regards,

Douglas Ljungkvist

**fractional-homes** · 09-30-2008, 05:28 PM

It is very true that you adertise at places other than the internet, you need to have high resolution, professional quality photographs. Unless the agent has some training in photography, it is definitely worth hiring a pro. If you only market on the internet, some multiple listing sites display only small images. In that case, professional photos may not show much of a difference.

In today's real estate market, marketing is the key. Investing in marketing does pay off.

**celtdkey** · 10-04-2008, 07:17 AM

We do all photography in-house, with a high-end digital camera with wide-angle lens, and use Photoshop for editing and color-correction. Personally, I would never outsource this, since it is the core of our business and I feel that that only we know exactly what we want to show on our website for each property that we market. I you'd have a chance to chat with our clients, our photography would be one of the aspects of our website they are almost certain to complement us on.