Why Real estate photography matters

Posted on May 9, 2007 by Jim Duncan

Real Estate photography matters. With every property I market, I am marketing to at least three sets of the market -

1 – Buyers. With so much inventory, it is crucial to present the property in the best possible manner.

2 – Sellers. Sellers look at the MLS and Realtors’ sites and evaluate potential representation this way. A picture says 1,000 words, and a Realtor who takes excellent photographs shows that he or she takes pride in his work.

3 – Other Realtors. Realtors are more inclined to show properties with quality photographs. Quality photos demonstrate a certain level of professionalism that is sadly lacking on far too many listings. There are Realtors with whom I would rather work, and there are those with whom I would rather not work. When evaluating which of the 20 houses we might see, those with multiple photos will be shown first. Those Realtors who take only one or no photos are doing their clients a great disservice.

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Which photo is better? (hint, it’s rhetorical) All I did was think about the shot that I wanted to take, stand on top of my real estate car, and shoot away. However, it is too rare that this little bit of thought goes into real estate photos.

 

Update 26 September 2011: For 99% of the homes that we market, we hire professional photographers … the market has changed and the market demands have changed. As such, our marketing has evolved as well.  (in no small part due to Nest’s real estate signs – the only ones in our market)

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About Jim Duncan

A Charlottesville Realtor who tries to stay on the bleeding/cutting/functional edge of technology and real estate trends. I have been selling real estate for the past 10 years, lived in C'Ville for twenty+ and am married to one of few Charlottesville natives left.
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  • http://NRVLiving.Typepad.com Jeremy Hart

    Interestingly enough, I was thinking about this topic just yesterday. I was on a Charlottesville agent’s website searching for a listing he has for some folks who are moving to Blacksburg. Obviously I have an interest in how their home is marketed and advertised, and so I went to his site to see how it looked. Can’t find the house … not only can’t I find the house, I can’t find ANY of his listings. I have to search the MLS for a house that I don’t know anything about, and when I do find it the pictures are awful. This is a half million dollar house, can’t we do better than have three grainy photos? I called my client to ask about it, and he said they had asked the agent to upgrade the photos.

    We’re not professional photographers, certainly, but if we can’t take great pictures then we need to hire the folks who can. By the way … the pictures I saw when searching the Charlottesville homes were pretty good – you all have a lot of great-looking homes! Or were they just great looking pictures …

  • TrvlnMn

    We’re not professional photographers, certainly, but if we can’t take great pictures then we need to hire the folks who can.

    I would’ve thought in the age of digital cameras there would be almost no excuse to use a bad photograph.

    A picture says 1,000 words, and a Realtor who takes excellent photographs shows that he or she takes pride in his work.

    It also shows that the Realtor understands the fundamental principles of selling, and the importance of the internet as a sales tool.

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  • http://www.realestateremix.com Carson Coots – Real Estate Photographer

    I have been at it for a while now, and there is definitely a market for this service… but I have found that the best way to find clients is through good old-fashioned direct mail and networking rather than using only internet and seo. Higher-level income producers and brokers are ready and willing to hire if the price and portfolio is right. It’s also great if you can get a contract with the marketing manager of a multi-agent office.

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