Professional Photographers (agents, square footage, listing, standard)

[CAugust]

Someone asked me a question and I thought I would come to you for the answers.

A professional photographer is thinking of offering her services to agents /brokers in regard to taking great photos of the homes an agent has for sale....she asked me if there was a market for this...

I take all my own pics, so far so good.

Would you use a service like that and if so, how much would you pay for it?

thanks for the input

[Mike Peterson]

I tried it once for a high end listing and the pictures didn't come out any better than the ones I take.
They may get some work out of it but I wouldn't think they could rely on it for the bulk of their work.

[middle-aged mom]

I always use professional photographers as do most agents in my area.

I use a service that creates an interactive floor plan and shoots most rooms from a variety of angles.

If a house is vacant, I will haul in some of my own furniture so that the pictures are not of empty rooms and advertizing a vacant house on the internet.

I involve the owner is selecting the best pictures for internet advertizing when the owner is so inclined.

Good photography and professional lighting can make an unattractive home look good on the internet and poorly photographs can make a nice home look unattractive.

It's marketing. The truth is in seeing the home.

[CAugust]

[quote=middle-aged mom;3973024]I always use professional photographers as do most agents in my area.
QUOTE]

might i ask how much you pay for this service? thank you for your clear answer.......

[middle-aged mom]

The interactive photo floor plans average out to about $150, dependent upon square footage.

[Jamesww]

CAugust,

I am looking for someone in my market right now, however, I expect the pictures to be better than what I take. This is the problem that I have run into. I have not worked with anyone that takes better pictures. I already use an RLS with a wide angle lense. I want a real professional that knows how to frame the rooms and has all the right equipment. If I find this person I am willing to pay up to $100 for 25 pictures. If this is not enough maybe that is my problem. I can take the pictures in an hour or less so cant see paying more than $100.

[brikag]

I happened to stumble on this thread, so please forgive me. I'm not a real estate agent, but a professional photographer. I lived in Charlotte and Honolulu. And to make extra money in my down time as a modeling photographer, I worked with several RA's with their needs.

The costs. Granted this was in Charlotte in the late 90's, I charged $40-50. for each home. Snapped the pictures they wanted with a list they provided and delivered in a timely fashion (pre-digital) In Honolulu, I went to school (UH) and to supplement my spending for more camera equipment I not only free-lanced as a wedding photographer, but as a property photographer. There, I charged $65-75. per home. The cost of living was higher. Started using digital and made life much easier for RA's and their clients.

Now here's the kicker. For the High End clients, I charged the said ammounts above but at an hourly rate. Why? Because the set up and attention to detail that the RA"S and their clients needed. The use of special lenses and lighting was the cost factor. Equipment that needed to be brought in, ie., ladders, water hoses(to wet the pavement), lights. I even did ariel shots for RA's b/c of client's request. They paid for that adventure!

So charging $100. isn't far fetched. High. Especially with the climate of the ecomomy. But, as mentioned with the economy, you're better off snapping pics with the digital and hiring a photographer for the high end clients. Many wishes of luck!

[revelated]

I really hate professionally EDITED photography.

There's a house out in Temecula on the MLS right now...from the pictures you'd think it was heaven on earth, but in visiting the property it's clear some creative photoshopping took place.

- The grass in the photo is lush green, like synthetic. In reality it's a healthy shade of yellowish brown.
- The house looks to be a freshly painted light pink stucco. In reality, I couldn't count how much flaking was going on, and the paint was faded.
- The interior showed rich Pergo wood flooring with a wood banister. There was wood alrighty...faded and dull.
- The kitchen was made to look absolutely massive. Visiting the house it's no bigger than any standard kitchen. The photographer clearly cramped himself in the corner and used a wide shot at the "perfect" angle to fake depth of field.

[DavePautsch]

I think a better business model to pass on to your friend is to do MORE than just take the pictures. There is a young lady here in our area (mid-Willamette Valley in Oregon) who does the professional photography (very nice pics) AND incorporates it into a virtual tour...and hosts it for me. She creates 2 versions of the VT - one that can be used on the MLS (requirements limit the 'branding' you can do) and one "Full" version that is fully branded with my information.

All this - $150. I can be there OR I can just let her make arrangements with my clients (she is very personable and I trust her, although I wouldn't do that with just anyone)...she takes about 100 pictures and then narrows it down to the best. Her pictures ARE better than mine because she does have the expertise to get the right angles, lighting, etc...we've also talked about the idea of doing video too...but I don't have a price on that.

Hope that helps.

DaveP

[homesweetazhome]

It seems there is a trend to post Video Listings on You Tube. Geez, I don't want to be out there shooting some lame 'home movie' to post.
For that I would want a videographer that knows what I'm looking for to shoot this for me. I think this is the direction photographers need to go or at least add to their repetoire.