What Professional Listing Photographers Brings to the Table
According
to a 2010 Redfin study (redfin.com), homes that are professionally
photographed sell for at least $934 and as much as $18,819 more than
homes photographed by an amateur. The study also shows that homes
photographed by a professional garner 61 percent more online views.
The
key to getting these results is in creating inspiration, according to
real estate photographer Jay
Groccia.
Effective marketing photos are inspirational. If homebuyers perusing
the Internet get inspired by a photo, “they’ll click through to
the agent’s website. If they don’t, they click “back” to view
the next result in the search list,” Groccia explains.
“That
was it – right there – that was your opportunity to grab that
buyer’s attention, and if they clicked back, you’ve lost them
forever,” he cautions.
“But I Own a Really Good Camera … “
Many
agents fancy themselves photographers merely because they bought a
high-end camera and taught themselves how to use it. There is an art,
however, to good photography. The skilled professional knows how to
use composition, color and lighting to make a photo more
appealing. Owning
a great camera makes one no more a professional photographer than
owning a Wolf range makes one a professional chef.
To
illustrate this further, real estate photographer John
Becker tells
a story about a blues fan who attended a B.B. King concert and was
able to meet him in person after the show.
“Backstage,
he thanked Mr. King and said, ‘I’ve always admired that
particular guitar – it sounds so good!’ Mr. King’s response was
to take the guitar off his shoulder, lay it on a table, and ask, ‘How
does it sound now?’”
How Much do Professional Listing Photographers Cost?
In an
online real estate forum, the question of whether to use a
professional photographer for listing photos was met mainly with the
lament that photographers “cost too much.”
Although
we can’t find a study on the average fees that a real estate
photographer charges, we do know that they vary across the country,
with photographers in New York being the priciest.
–
Hiring
a professional listing photographer costs 0.09% of the median U.S.
home price.
–
Photographers
who hang out at Digital Photography Review claim that $300 to
photograph the whole house – interior and exterior – is the going
rate. A photographer in Montana offers a menu of options in different
price ranges according to the home’s square footage. His prices
start at $125 and top out at $300.
Let’s
assume that you’re an average agent, working in an average market
where the median sales price is the same as the national median,
about $222,275, and you take one of those average listings.
If
you spend just 1/10 of 1 percent of the list price to advertise the
home, it would cost you $222.
Considering
your commission will be $6,668 and change, $222 seems paltry, doesn’t
it? Kick down just a bit more and you can hire a professional
photographer.
The
extra money spent to adequately market your listing pays off even
after the sale. An additional benefit of drop-dead gorgeous photos is
that you’ll be viewed as more professional and get more listings,
hopefully with a higher price tag.
Be the Agent – Not the Photographer
Deep
down inside agents understand that they can’t wear all the hats in
their real estate practice and still adequately serve their clients –
especially while simultaneously trying to grow their businesses. It’s
the agents who delegate that typically move to the next level.
Even
if you fancy yourself a budding photographer and have all the
high-end equipment necessary, your
time is better spent drumming up new listings and growing your
business.
–
Real
estate agents are hired to sell homes, not take photos.
–
“I
used to believe that a good product sold itself,” admitted Phil
Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike, Inc.
Lots
of real estate agents fall into the same trap. A
good house will not sell itself without your assistance. Even
in the best of markets, advertising your listings is essential. Your
clients expect it and they’re paying you to do it right.
The
next time you’re tempted to pull out your iPhone to snap listing
photos, ask yourself this: Would Phil Knight whip out his
point-and-shoot and snap random photos of a pile of athletic shoes to
be used in Nike’s print advertising?
Your
main objective is to “make them dream.” Jaw-dropping photos do
that.
Jacob
Skyline
Productions
208•277•8584
CDAAerial@gmail.com
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