The value of good photography?

Question

Calling all rehabbers, agents, landlords or anyone that posts photos of their property while selling. I've been thinking about photography and real estate and figured I would ask a few questions to the community.

Do you see value in having better than cell phone images?

Do listings with professional photos sell faster? For more money?

Do you take the photos yourself?

Do you hire someone? If so, how much did you pay and what did you get in return?

What about video?

Thanks in advance!

Penny I. · Answer

Hi Adam,

Because most people search online when they're wanting to purchase a home, good photography will get more people in the front door. If the photos aren't great, they may eliminate a home as a possibility. Depending on the cell phone, you can get excellent quality but what's more important are image composition, lighting and staging. A cluttered home is still going to turn people off - even with great photography ;-) It's been proven that a staged home sells for more - people LOVE show homes!!

If you contact a local real estate office they should be able to refer you to a company who can do photos and put together marketing material for you. I pay someone 125. for 20 of the best shots, my marketing piece, and a narrated video. These companies work on economies of scale.

All best! Penny

Elizabeth Colegrove · Answer

I am helping my parents sell their rental house and do a 1031 exchange. The pictures that the real estate agent did were amazing. They use a few props and it made the house look great. The house is under contract for more than I thought was possible.

On the other hand, I rented out another one of my parents house with only a crummy front photo because the location and # bedrooms were impossible to find.

So honestly it depends on the market :)

Tetiana Vernik · Answer

Even professional pictures by one photographer can be different quality and have completely  different price. It depends on how long it took to shoot it and make post production. And certainly for small condo and huge business center photos cost not the same.

Bobby Gerry · Answer

Even if a rehabber decides not to hire a photographer, there is still one more thing they could consider doing. .. Try downloading any one of the cheap photo editing apps to their mobile device.

If you're going to take the listing pics with an iPhone or Android, try using a photo app to brighten the pictures!

Below is a regular photo taken with an iPhone.

______________________________________________

And here's the same photo brightened with a cheap photo editing app!

(below)

______________________________________________

Almost looks professional! :)

Tamara R. · Answer

Then again, I have visisted homes that looked great in the photos, but terrible in person (you couldn't see the dirt, cracks, and stains in the photo, but it was very evident when you visisted the property).  I agree that good photos are important, but the overall condition of the property is most important.

Bobby Gerry · Answer

I 100% agree with Penny here. In today's world, everyone is looking at houses online. It's an online world and images are at the vanguard of this online world (product photos on Amazon, friend photos on Facebook and Instagram). Since this online world is image driven, it is vital to put the best foot forward with good photos.

Also, Penny goes notes that she pays someone $125 to photograph her houses. That's exactly what I pay. In fact it's what I paid to have the photos taken in this example:

BP forum post: The importance of good listing photos!

And to Penny's point, it's about getting people to come see your house. That's it. You want foot traffic to your house. And if a house looks fantastic, you will get more foot traffic. If a house looks dreary, you will get less foot traffic.

The more people that come see a house the better. The more people, the more chances you'll get an offer you like.

Adam Hofmann · Answer

Thanks for all the replies, really appreciate it!

Phillip Dwyer · Answer

The bar is set really low in my market for real estate marketing photography.  I usually hire out for houses I'm selling.  For rentals, my goal for the year is to get better equipment, learn how to use it, and make the process efficient.

Corey Davis · Answer

I will often hire out the photo/video work on properties, because I myself am a photographer, and I know it takes all day to get the right shots, and then another day to edit them.  I personally value my time at a certain dollar amount (right now it's 100/hour) so doing it myself, regardless of not having to pay someone else, a two day job is going to cost me the loss of funds I'd normally be making elsewhere.

If I know one of the photographers I work with can do the job for a couple hundred dollars, I always hire out.

That said, the ONLY reason I ever use my own pictures is because I have the professional gear and 10+ years of experience as a photographer.  So if I absolutely can't hire it out, I trust myself to do a good job.

I've never paid more than 600 for a full package.  (50 edited photos) but I've never paid less than 200.  I feel like with photography, you don't always get more by paying more.  Seeing the portfolio of a photographer before you hire them, and comparing to the others on the market will get you a better deal than just paying top dollar.

I've seen photographers charge 1000+ for packages, (100+ images HDR) but I've never had a property worth a million bucks or more, that's the only time I'd ever consider spending that much.

I love sites that have video walk through, but I've also seen so many of them that I wish had NEVER hired the person they did you talk through the tour, so much so that I think good photos would have been a better plan.

The value of good photography?

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