While reading a recent post entitled Would YOU Say Something? by Kathy Passarette, a Long Island Staging Professional, it got me to thinking about REALTORS®, photography and MLS photos. In Kathy's post, she was questioning whether or not to mention to a local REALTOR® that the photos of a particular listing on MLS didn't show the home in the best light.
Being a Long Island REALTOR®, I know that it is a challenge to get people to pay a professional stager to prepare their home for sale on Long Island. However, even if we cannot convince the homeowners to pay for staging, we should at least take it upon ourselves to have them get their home into "show-ready" condition before photographs are taken for MLS and all marketing materials.
Some homeowners do whatever it takes to get the home into "show-ready" condition, and yet the photos that potential buyers see still don't do the home any justice, and there is a simple explanation for this. Many REALTORS® take their own photos of their listings instead of letting a professional photographer take them. In my opinion, this is a mistake. Of course, there is always an exception to any rule, and there may be a number of REALTORS® out there that take outstanding photos. Generally speaking though, this is not the case.
As REALTORS®, we can clearly see the pitfalls that people make when they decide to sell their home on their own. After all, we are professionally trained to do what a FSBO may only do once or twice in a lifetime. How can they possibly be as effective as we are when marketing their home? The answer is...they can't! This is not to say that all FSBO's are doomed to fail, or that they all will receive much lower offers than they would if they used a REALTOR®, although the statistics do show that this is true in most cases.
Can a FSBO sell their home on their own? Yes, some of them can. Can a REALTOR® take professional looking photos of a home? Some of us can, but most of us don't. Our job is to market a home, and while photography is part of marketing a home properly, it is not something that we do often enough to qualify us as professionals.
I'd like to share with you some examples of homes photographed by REALTORS® and also by a professional photographer. These are not exaggerated examples for effect. Both of these homes were previously listed and expired. When I took over each listing, I had the homes photographed by a professional photographer, who also put together the virtual tour. The cost for the total package for each was less than the cost to run a photo ad in the local newspaper for two days.
Home # 1
Home # 2
It is widely accepted that the most effective executives are the ones that surround themselves with people that are better than them at certain aspects of their job. Just like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a marketing campaign is only as strong as its weakest link. Arguably, the most important part of the marketing campaign (outside of price) is visual. If the photos that you are using are not the best that they can be, then you are placing yourself, and more importantly, your homeowner, at a disadvantage.
So why do REALTORS® choose not to hire a professional photographer? There are two main reasons that I can think of, and they are as follows:
[1] COST - Why pay for something that you can do for free? I'm sure that most FSBO's would agree with this statement.
[2] CONTROL - Many REALTORS® have trouble delegating because they feel that they can do it better themselves. Again, the FSBO's are probably in full agreement on this one.
We are in a competitive marketplace right now. Many homes are expiring from the market each day. Do you want your listings to be the ones that sell, or the ones that sit and eventually expire? One simple solution to making your listings stand out is to have them be the most appealing looking homes on MLS. By the way, both of the examples listed above ended up selling for very close to asking price, in a relatively short amount of time, in a declining market.
If you're looking for a point of differentiation when going on a listing appointment, tell the homeowners that you'll be hiring a professional photographer to take pictures of their home. The odds are that your competition won't be making that same promise.
Having access to a professional photographer, or even making friends with one, will add value to your listings if you can get him or her to help you take pictures of your properties. Many of our agents here switched to professional photographers and saw a noticeable difference in the way clients perceived there listings.
Listings are on the Internet now, including all their photos which are viewable on large screens. Draw potential buyers in.
One thing that a professional can do is make a room look bigger that it is. Some of us agents have the same capabilities. But, I have found, one thing that turns a buyer off of a property is when they look on-line at photo's or in my office MLS, when we get to the home and the home doesn't look like the pictures...
Truth in advertising includes pictures in the consumers eyes.
PMZ: You hit on the most important factor, which is that the photos are all over the Internet as the home is being marketed. If the photos are not appealing, buyers will eliminate the home without ever seeing it in person. Thanks for your comment.
WILLIAM: The photographer that I use does his best to capture the true dimensions of the room. This is not always easy, as they have limited space to work with to make sure that the whole room is included in the photo. In the case of the photos above, the agent photos actually made the rooms appear smaller than they are. My job is to make the home appealing so that buyers will want to see it. I don't try to trick anyone into thinking anything. The fact that I also include a virtual tour lessens the possibility of the home not being what it appears to be in photos. Thanks for your comment.
It wasn't until I joined AR that I realized there was such a thing as a professional photographer for real estate. I am not a professional photographer I am a hobbyist. I do all my own photographs, not because I wouldn't hire a professsional, I just haven't thought about it before.
I am sure it would actually be more economical to hire a professional in most cases. For the average size home (under 2000 sqft.) I probably take 100 photographs at different times of the day. This does not include photos of the neighborhood and its amenities. (Another 100 to 200 photos, Thank God for digital cameras!) Then I go home look at all of the photos, make selections, put together the presentation folders, brochures and visual tour. I doubt they are among the professional grade, but I get great feedback and compliments on my presentations.
I would definitely search out a professional (now that I know they exist) for homes are out of my expertise as far as volume and details that are difficult to capture, these usually being luxury homes and historic homes.
I agree, professional photographers have the equipment and the knowledge to produce good photos. A wide angle lens can cost as much as the average agent would pay for a digital camera. Composition and lighting can make all the difference in the world.
Good Post!
Most agents use a point and shoot rather than a DSLR camera. My flash alone cost $400 and I do have the wide angle lens to get the entire room into a shot as well. I think it's one of those things, if you are good at it do it, if not hire it out.
Some agents have great taste and can stage their properties successfully on their own, most can't. Me, I hire a stager.
My only concern with pros is that they can overphoto shop a photo. I mean some add blue sky and green grass in there. If the lawn is dead, it should be dead in the photo. Showing up to a house with green grass in a photo and dead in real life...not a good impression to start the buying process with. Photos need to reflect as much as possible the true nature of the home.
Adam that is an amazing illustration of your point. I have to admit I don't hire a professional but my assistant takes all my pictures and she does a decent job. You are right though, the photos can make or break the presentation.
I am wondering why you are not using a feedburner account. You do a fantastic job with your blog and don't have a means to let consumers subscribe?
JoELLEN: You have an interesting situation. The photographers that I use don't shoot nearly that many photos. If you like to have a lot to choose from, then this might not be as cost-effective as you think, unless of course, you can hook up with one that will give you more time. My appointments generally take about a half hour to 45 minutes. I found my photographer through the tour company (Obeo). Thanks for your comment, JoEllen.
MICHAEL: Even though I purchased a digital camera with a wide angle lense, it doesn't even come close to the professional when it comes to capturing a room. You are right about how expensive it would be to start getting into purchasing equipment. My camera is just point and shoot, and while it did a pretty good job, it wasn't even in the ballpark of the professional photos. Your point about being able to use composition is another reason why I stopped doing it on my own. Thanks for commenting.
MELINA: I agree. If you're good, and you have the equipment, there is no reason not to do it yourself. However, I can't tell you the amount of terrible photos that I see on MLS and just shake my head in disbelief. Just this week, I saw a photo that had someone's full arm clearly in the picture. I can't imagine that this is what the homeowner was thinking when they agreed to pay a commission to a professional. My photographer doesn't use enhancements with photoshop, but I imagine that some might. It's not worth it to make the home look like something that it isn't. Thanks for your comment.
Great examples to illustrate your point, Adam. I have to agree with Kelly on the cost, though. In my area, it is a major investment. However, many of the homes here are at a level that do warrant this expense. I have a new point & shoot with a wide angle lens that I'm just starting to use. It's great, but at a certain level, I would hire a professional.
I love your point about delegating to benefit your client's best interest. It is WISE!
BTW -- Your listing looks great! Whoever you use is talented.
Hi Adam: While I'm not a professional photographer I do have very nice camera equipment and get compliments on my photos and virtual tours all the time. However, I do agree that many agents take VERY poor quality photos of their listings. Some agents are getting paid a full commission and only inlcuding one photo of their listings on the MLS. There are a few agents in our area that don't even have an exterior photo of their listings on the MLS after they have been on the market 30 days or longer! I would be outraged if I were their seller client!!
If I were doing business in a higher average price range market I would consider using a professional photographer though.
Adam, this is exactly why it is SO important to have a team of people around you. Make it beneficial for everyone involved. I would make it a point to partner with a great photographer, landscaper, stager etc. Thanks for this post Adam, it really opened my eyes to the difference a picture can make!
To your success,
Susan
I agree with you about hiring a professional photographer. If a seller makes a decent effort to prepare the home for sale, I'll do it. The cost isn't prohibitive here, usually it's well under $200.
Some are better than others. And then there are some photographers that make the home look as brilliant as an oil painting, and when you drive up to the house you're like, "Waitasecond, what's the address? Are we at the right place...'cause...this looks nothing like the picture". In a bad way.
Adam- I was on our MLS yesterday and came accross a listing and the main photo was a photo THROUGH A SCREEN!!! IT was horrible. For those that still dont want to delegate, I have seen some great posts lately about certain cameras that do a "professional" job as long as the user learns how to use it!!
Good illustrations. I had a comment on my post this morning about one of "my" listings and the lack of quality in "my" photos. I deleted it because it is a company listing and it does not represent MY work. I should have printed out the comment for the agent to see what the public thinks of her photos but didn't think of it until I already hit the delete key. Consumers are looking at the photos when thinking about hiring you to sell their home.... or not.
Adam - I agree with your point about telling potential clients that you will use a professional photographer. And to drive that point home, I'm sure you show your "before" and "after" photos - what a difference.
Adam, Good point as I have just thought about it and can't think of one customer I have worked with who told me that the picture didn't show the true size of the room.
Have a Fabulous Real Estate Day!
Anona
Great blog and great analogy with FSBOs.
I’ve heard a few agents claim that a professional photographer doesn’t always capture the key selling features of the home, and that they can do it better. But I think that’s just a simple matter of being there when the photographer shoots, and directing them.
Again, great post.
Adam,
Great article. I assist with online marketing and advertising and am amazed that many do not realize how important photographs have become in the industry. Online advertising and the attraction to this by shoppers is the ability to experience the property from their PC. Just as a great onsite staging presentation is extremely important, so is the online presentation.
As you know, taking photos in houses and properties is not an easy thing. Lighting, angles, perspectives, focus, etc. are all key factors when taking photos. Eventhough I am pretty comfortable with taking photos, there are times I recommend that a professional be brought in when I just am not getting the output I think does justice for the property and the owner. I've crammed myself in corners, got up on ladders, taken numerous photos in my own house playing with various setting and writing them down to get certain pictures just right (i.e. the whiteout and darkness effect which happens at windows, etc.), but sometimes it just doesn't happen. At that point a pro should be called because photoshop is great but it can only do so much when the original is really poor.
Great examples too which turly show the challenges with the sky, lighting in windows, the impact of quality, etc.
What these agents are lacking is a wide angle lens. Just that alone could change some of the above photos. Second comes taking shots at the right time of day so your natural light is maximized. A little education can go along way to taking great photos so agents can learn to take great photos. Most professional photographers cost a minimum of $500 here in the Twin Cities so using them for lower priced listing may not be cost effective.
Now you can go the OBEO route, which might cost you around $150 and have a photographer come out, but most of the time these photographers are in and out in 30 minutes, and the photos are not as great as one that might spend four hours in the home. But for some agents that don't have time to photograph a listing, this could be an easy way to get the job done.
Adam - We use a Nikon D70s. Hired a pro photographer to teach us how to use it. We take a good picture... sometimes. We still use a pro photographer for homes that require a lighting package to shoot properly. And that is much of the time.
best
Adam!
A very necessary and relevant post - it is affordable and possible for Realtors to use professional photographers. Great images are important - you also need a place to put them where you will get a million visitors a month-gee, where would that be?;-]
The market demands this-consumers run from a bad experience. Eight out of ten buyers are on line. You have to put your marketing and your money where they buyer is.
Blog on!
Steve
I like what Bob & Carolin said...I am now with a small brokerage - we do our own photography and if I want to have a professional come in, its at my expense. When I was with large brokerage, we had someone doing the photography - but it wasn't all that good and he didn't come back if there was a problem. The result was that I ended up redoing the photos myself! They paid for the photographer, and he was probably great for some, but I had some tricky shots that needed to be done.
Given my 50:50 split and the fact that commissions have been under heavy downward pressure there is a real limit on how often I can afford to call in a professional. I'm pretty good with a camera - although I have to get a better wide angle lens. It's on my wish list, but for now I have to make do.
I am always shocked whenever I look at photos on the MLS. Without any exception, there is always a listing without any photos (come on, even a camera phone shot to start off with?!) or with photos that are very "amateur" looking.
I use a photography service for my listings. They come out, take great pictures and make a photo tour of them. I have followed the photographer around with my camera and have compared my photos to theirs, and there's no comparison. There's look so much better and more professional.
I love the listings with great pictures that "walk" you through the house with the imagery and the captions. On the flip side of the coin, though, I hate it when the pictures look really great and you get to the house and it's nowhere close to being as nice as the pictures!
Adam - Great post. I came across a listing in our MLS yesterday with the photographer's finger on the left side of the photo. To make matters worse, the photo was taken from within the driver's side of the car as you could see the side mirror's edge on the right side of the photo. I can't make this stuff up!
Learned long ago that my virtual tour photographer was worth every penny I paid him. I take good pictures but they pale in comparison to his.
Adam: WOW, what a thought-provoking post--I don't know whether my listing that I just added is good enough now!! Seriously, if I take poor photos, I will call the professional but, I have a wide-angle lens and think they're okay! Sometimes I show the marketing proofs to the Seller and let them know that I'll get the professional out that afternoon if they would prefer. I've only had one client request that I hire the professional; then, when the photos were sent to us, the guy asked if we could use mine because they were 'brighter'!!
Adam -Wow looks like you struck a chord.
I saw several recommendations for good deals, here is the one that produces a video, tour and flyers, photographs and can measure the floorplan - www.floorplanonline.com around $200 per avg size listing.
Adam:
This is a great post and so well stated. It is well worth the investment to get professionals invovled when possible. We can also do a better job of helping our clients stage their homes for sale.
I have a firend who is a professional photographer. He does phenomenal work- head shots, products, martial artists, motorcycles, etc. So, thinking to help him out, I hired him to photograph a high end listing I had. ($2.8 milion, to be exact.). His shots were so bad, I couldn't use them. I am a mediocre photographer at best, and even mine were better. The lesson is it isn't enough to be a professional photographer, but it has to be their area of expertise.
Low end listings I may not hire someone, but ususally I do.
Adam:
I think that if Realtors are prepared to do the necessary photo editing, then they should not feel obligated to hire a professional photographer. But EVERY photo needs editing when you take it. And I usually "over snap" when taking photos. I take them from a variety of angles to find the best ones. Photos can sell your listings. Even Realtors are guilty of thinking "There must be something wrong with that house," if there are no photos, or only a few.
Adam,
I think there are clear advantages for using a professional photographer, but also times when editing works too. Here's a before and after I did (VERY basic, 5 minutes or less edit I did for a house I staged). The agent is doing a virtual tour, so I really just took this shot for my use.
Adam,
I don't use a professional photographer, but as a gift, my husband gave me a fantastic nikon D40 for Christmas and all I can say is "WOW", what a difference a great camera makes! Good photo-editing is also really important and there are a number of software programs that will do the trick. I enjoy taking the photos myself, but if I did not have this camera and a little bit of an eye for it, I would absolutely use a photoographer. A picture REALLY is worth a thousand words!
My goodness you must have read my blogs and my mind. I have to take my hat off to you and thank you. I have a virtual tour company and I call realtors who tried to do everything themselves FSBO's. take a look at what I have been writing and you'll crack up!
how does a free lance photographer charge by the hr, by the pictures, by assignment. might be a dumb ? but i would like to get started in this industry asap thank you very much.
MAR: The photographer that I use is paid through the company that does my virtual tours. However, my guess is that the best way to price would be by the amount of photos taken. The virtual tour company offers different packages based on the size of the homes.
This is who I recommend! They are professional, affable, and extremely talented!
www.BlakeSlade.com
Pro photographers are a must! You sell your services as a professional by ensuring everything you do is seen to be professional. I'm a Downtown Vancouver Realtor and competition is fierce. You don't win with low quality poorly shot pictures.
Adam,
I found this while doing a search. Thank you thank you for posting this.
I am a fledgling real estate photographer in a small town where the demand for my work will come in the next decade or so.
I love how you compared Professional Real Estate Photographers to FSBOs. This is a comparrison I like to use, too. Imagine being one of the very first Real Estate Agents ever...in a world where people are all and always have been FSBOs. You would have your work cut out trying to convince folks that you have ways to get that house sold more quickly and for more money!
That's how my job is at the moment, and it is tough. In the industry, it is said that only a small percentage of the top selling 10% of agents "get it". Thanks, Adam, for being one who does!
Just like you expect sellers to use your services, sellers (and buyer alike) want you to use a professional photographer! It's a great way to show them you are willing to do whatever it takes to sell the home.
Be honest with yourself and admit when you need help. As many have mentioned, not all photographers are created equal, do your shopping. No, you don't want someone who photoshops-in green grass or one who's photos are just marginally better than your own. Also, it will probably not be worth hiring a professional for the less expensive homes, but you need to draw a line (ie: $400,000) at which you will delegate to a pro., and not just any pro. Look for an independent Real Estate Photographer, find out how they've been trained. "Photographers" from some of the virtual tour companies rarely have any real training and though some are very good, others are very bad. A good place to look is at Larry Lohrman's PFRE blog (just google it). He has a directory of Real Estate Photographers, many of whom are the best in the industry.
I'm currently in my third year of specializing in real estate photography and this post is great. There have been many good points made.
In my business I want to represent the home as you see it. I don't want it to appear larger or nicer than it is. I WILL NOT photoshop out any wires, telephone poles, electrical boxes or fire hydrants. I won't even green up the grass. I may add the odd fire to the fire place, add an image to a flat screen TV or blue up the sky though.
For those of you that may think professional photography isn't worth the money, I have quite a few clients who have had listings on the market for months and months, but within a month of having me in to photograph and/or create a single property website or 360° virtual tour, they have sold!! Excellent pictures capture the buyers attention, they don't sell the home. That's the realtors job. I'll hook em with the pictures, you reel em in!
And just because you have a Nikon or Canon camera with a wide angle lens, doesn't mean you're going to take great pictures. A lot goes into learning this craft... and I continue to learn on a daily basis.
I am also a strong advocate for the Photography For Real Estate website. You need a pro, you'll find them there!
Linda
I have to say that I take my own photos. In fact, I hire out to other agents to take their photos as well. But it takes more than a wide angle lens to take great real estate photos. It takes more than a couple of flashes to take great real estate photos. It takes someone with the knowledge of how to take great real estate photos, to get great real estate photos.
Susie L- You hit it on the head with your comment "photographers from some of the virtual tour companies rarely have any real training and though some are very good, others are very bad." I love that comment and can attest to that in our local market.
I shot this house for an agent. That agent ended up losing the listing to another agent. The 2nd agent used a local vender to shoot the same house. Here's one example of my shot vs that virtual tour company's shot. The shots that this one particular photographer at the vt company took are no better than the average agent's shots. And this was on a $2M listing where our average is $220k.
The one thing that gets me is the number of comments that say "well it is prohibitive in my area..." What is prohibitive about spending $200 or less on great photos? Just be forewarned that some "professional photographers" are not all that great, as Susie L mentioned. But lest us forget, Sunday paper ads (when agents did those things) in our area used to cost nearly $200 for a picture ad along with a line listing!
So for the price of one Sunday picture ad, you can now get great photos that you can use on all your marketing pieces.
Now days it's not just taking a good photo - it's what can be done to it in post-production to make it look more like the human eye would see a room.
This image is straight from a pro camera. It's brightness range is limited by the camera sensor.
This is the same image post-processed to increase its dynamic range to approximate what the human eye would see:
Could this latest photo technology reduce the DOM? Result in a closing prior to having the first price reduction? Would the savings of a price reduction more than pay for the cost of a talented pro photographer? Or would it just not make a difference?
Buying a good camera to take real estate photos without knowing how to fully use it is really a waste of your time and money... To properly develop and edit photos, it takes years of training and hours of time on each shoot that could be better spent working on your business... When you are hiring the services of a professional photographer you are paying them for their time, their investment in equipment and education, and their talent as both a photographer and editor. You are also freeing up your own time so that you can get more done in your day. This is why the most successful real estate agents refuse to take their own photos. I have seen dozens and dozens of homes sold much more quickly with the help of my professional photography, but it is no substitute for the Realtor doing their work too... You have to properly present the home, and make sure everything is looking good and in good working order. Taking professional photos of a dirty house or one that needs a lot of maintenance upgrades is kind of like trying to put lipstick on a pig. Photography is just one part of the whole marketing picture, but one that is often overlooked and neglected. You wouldn't try to do the home inspection yourself, so why would you want to try and do the photography yourself?
In this down market, a professional photographer hired to shoot your new and existing porporties can give you that edge you need. Try Carson Photography in Phoenix Arizona. You wont be disapointed.
www.carsonphoto.net
I agree that professional photography makes a BIG impact! I am a realtor and have found out that professional photography is one of my best marketing tools. When prospective buyers are searching mls you only get their attention for about 1/2 a second before they scroll past your listing, and it is that first image that either draws them to your listing or makes them pass it. My real estate photographer, Dream Homes (www.dreamhomesny.com) even offers complimentary retouching! They advertise that they can "make the grass greener on your side of the street, or turn a gray sky blue!" And can they ever. They put my photos to shame. I am so glad that I made the decision to trust my listings with a professional; after all it takes money to make money so don't think of the cost as another expense, but as investing in your business. It has really increased the amount of interest in my properties, and in this market that is something that we all could use!
I know I am really singing their praise, but I am really so happy with them. Even though they advertise 12 still photos in their still photography package I usually get between 12-24 pictures depending on the size of the house. They believe in quality AND quantity. And you get the photos the same day! When you sign up you get 15% off your first 10 bookings! Such a great deal! Hope this helps those out there who are on the fence! Give it a try, and if you are not satisfied then do it your way. But don't say never until you've tried it!