How seriously are you concerned about your property photos?

Most Popular Reply

Eric G.
Real Estate Broker · Orange, CA · Member since 2015 · 79 posts · 86 votes
9y
Photos are very important. It's the first thing people see when they search your home online. I bet some people don't even read the description. It boggles my mind when I see homes that are listed with professional agents or property managers, and the photographs are garbage. As agents, it's a crucial part of the job. And it's not even difficult. I can't tell you how many times I see photos that were taken with an iPhone. Of worse, photos that are upside down or sideways in the listing. Oy! If you're going to sell a property, pay the money for a professional photographer. If it's just a rental, amateur photos will do. But I do recommend purchasing a nice wide angle camera. Invest $100-200. It will be worth it. Standard lens cameras will have a hard time picking up smaller rooms.
7Reply
See this reply in the discussion

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Eric G.
    Real Estate Broker · Orange, CA · Member since 2015 · 79 posts · 86 votes
    9y
    Photos are very important. It's the first thing people see when they search your home online. I bet some people don't even read the description. It boggles my mind when I see homes that are listed with professional agents or property managers, and the photographs are garbage. As agents, it's a crucial part of the job. And it's not even difficult. I can't tell you how many times I see photos that were taken with an iPhone. Of worse, photos that are upside down or sideways in the listing. Oy! If you're going to sell a property, pay the money for a professional photographer. If it's just a rental, amateur photos will do. But I do recommend purchasing a nice wide angle camera. Invest $100-200. It will be worth it. Standard lens cameras will have a hard time picking up smaller rooms.
    7Reply
  • Andrew Johnson
    Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9y
    Solomon Johnson My personal perspective would be: pay a professional. As long as you don't materially change the quality/fit/finish of the property you should be able to use them for years (easily). If you want to go the cheap route, why not find a photography class at a local college/junior college and offer a student $100 to take and edit the photos. They might not be perfect, but it's cheap(er) and like better than you (or I) could do ourselves. Heck, they might even have a drone they can use to take those fancy exterior photos or do a fly-by movie.
    1Reply
  • Solomon Johnson
    OP
    New York, NY · Member since 2017 · 19 posts · 8 votes
    9y

    @Andrew Johnson I'm not surprised about your Votes :) Great answer, thank you. I have not even thought about finding local photography class.

    2Reply
  • Brad Russo
    Professional · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2016 · 124 posts · 31 votes
    9y

    @Solomon Johnson Once I've read this nice post about making photos on your property. Here it is https://rentberry.com/blog/real-estate-photography... Maybe it will help you, somehow I hope so :) 

    Talking about me, I prefer to call my friend, he is a pro in photography. Normally he do it for 450$, but for me, it's twice cheaper. As a result: 

    A quality of photo is damaged, but it's nice and I have more clicks on my property. Good luck!

    0Reply
  • Linda WeygantPro Member
    Investor and CPA · Arvada, CO · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9y

    I had a rental that wasn't moving, even though I knew I had it priced right.  Looked at my photos and thought they might be the culprit.  Paid a friend with more talent and better equipment to take photos.  Re-listed the rental at $50 higher with the fresh photos and phone started ringing off the hook.

    A picture is truly worth a thousand words.

    Podcast Guest on Show #244
    2Reply
  • Andrew Acuna
    Investor · Mission, TX · Member since 2017 · 220 posts · 135 votes
    9y
    Solomon Johnson I think it's essential. It's only $100-$200 and you do it once per property. If it shows well it goes well!
    1Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    9y

    Depends on a lot of factors. What class of property is it? How hot/cold is the market? What will it cost you for professional photos compared and how does that compare to the rent income?

    I take my own photos with my cell phone and a wide-angle lens attachment. I also know a little bit about basic lighting, angles, etc. My photos are above-average quality but certainly not professional. However, I'm one of the few people that advertise rentals online in my market so there is little competition and I see no reason to pay $300 for a pro when I'm already leaps beyond everyone else.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Linda S.
    Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y

    @Solomon Johnson,

    If you are selling a house, or have a luxurious rental that you're getting top dollar for-- ABSOLUTELY.   People judge based off the pictures if they want to see it.    

    From the flip side, as we are buying in lower income areas, we target ones with really bad  (obviously unprofessional) photos, because we know less people are looking, so we can low ball them and they will probably take it!  We know the pics suck, we know there's potential underneath, but since the pics are ugly-- 90% of people will say "no thanks!"... but if you are selling, you definitely do NOT want people like me!     Good luck!  

    0Reply
  • John Hole
    Investor · Daly City, CA · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    9y

    I agree with @Nathan Gesner    I use my Iphone with a wide-angle lens from Amazon for about $20.  The pictures come out pretty good, especially taking pictures of the small bathroom.  The trick is turn on all the lights inside and take the pictures during the brightest time of the day. Also move around and take pictures from different angles.  And then you can select the ones you like from the computer.

    0Reply
  • Jassem A.
    Investor · PA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 602 votes
    9y

    I sometimes don't bother with very many photos but if the place looks nice then it's probably beneficial to take some pictures

    0Reply
  • Lucas Machado
    Real Estate Investor · Sunny Isles Beach, FL · Member since 2013 · 788 posts · 333 votes
    9y

    Photos make a huge difference. On the properties we've done, we've used professional photography (and really it's super cheap) and we have immediate offers and showings so much so that I sell properties with a realtor. No way I could handle that volume of offers/showings without more important work suffering. I know rentals are a bit different in that the renter less concerned with appeal/finishing than a buyer, but I would think the same principle would apply.

    0Reply
  • Michael Noto
    Real Estate Agent · Southington, CT · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9y

    In my experience, for the most part potential tenants do not read the description of the property that closely in your rental ad until they flip through the pictures and like what they see.  Think of the quality of the photos as the tenants way of pre-screening your property.  You need quality pictures plain and simple.  If you aren't good at taking them, I would recommend hiring someone.

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free