So much house search is done online. According to www.realtor.org , 92 percent of Americans use the internet to shop for homes. The NAR also provided that, 99% of millennials search on online websites compared to 89% of older baby boomers. Buyers are going online to eliminate houses to look at as much as they are picking houses to go see. The ones that do not show well are the first ones to be put aside. What’s more is that most people that are looking for houses online are looking on their phones, so there’s not a lot of screen size to make a first impression. Browsing for homes in 2021 is a lot like online dating. You only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention in an exceedingly small space. Be the house that someone swipes right on!
I can say from 23 years of selling real estate and photographing real estate that the purchase of a home is largely emotional. The marketing must reflect that. The images and video that are being used to advertise a property have to convey a feeling of home. Dimly lit, odd angled real estate photographs will not cut it. It already sends a bad vibe.
Coming from a very competitive New England real estate market, I’ve had to hone my shooting and editing style to stand apart from the competition. I do not shoot HDR, which is simply taking a few photos of different exposures and blending them together in software. I find this creates yellow, orange and blue color casts on ceilings and walls. If nothing else, the colors of the rooms must be exact. To avoid this, I shoot a combination of flash and ambient images and hand blend them in Photoshop. The flash images portray the color correctly, and the ambient images get the range of light needed to evenly light the room. Below is an example of HDR versus flash / ambient architectural photography.
Quick Facts About Using a Professional Real Estate Photographer:
98% Of Homebuyers Said Photos Were the Most Useful Tool In House Hunting
Houses Utilizing Professional Photography Will Sell Faster*
Professionally photographed homes command a 47 percent higher asking price per square foot.*
* According to a recent PR Newswire report, listings that used professional real estate photos sold 32 percent quicker than listings that did not have professional photos.
** A Redfin Survey concluded that listings with professional photos averaged $3400 more between the list prices of $200,000 to $1,000,000.
*** Redfin Survey
The biggest advantage were homes listed between $400,000 and $499,000. These homes saw a value increase of over value over $11,000 when using professional real estate photography.
Professional photographs are a source of legitimacy for buyers.
Build Your Real Estate Brand with Professional Photography
What separates one real estate salesperson from another when it comes to listings, is the marketing strategy used. Be the agent who comes to the table at a listing appointment that could show the future seller the lengths they go to to market a property. Your listing portfolio will grow and become an invaluable tool to show sellers the quality and standards you adhere to. Every customized marketing plan begins with stellar imaging.
Take a look at my real estate portfolios. Each job was done as if it was my own listing. The first rule I made in regards to photographing real estate –
I would never turn in a photo I wouldn’t use myself.