RealTown's RealTalk

The following group discussion has been shared by John Reilly, e-PRO.

Why don't Realtors use Professional Photographers

Posted at RISMedia by Gar Benedick on Mar 16, 2009 12:10:57 PM

There are lots of studies by independents, websites that cater to real estate and by real estate related organizations that show results proving that having more and better quality photographs help greatly in the sale of homes online. And when I say online, I'd like to point out that a survey that was done in late 2007 showed that almost 80% of the home sold in 2006, people started their search for those home online. It is now 2009 and I am sure that number has increased. With the number of households with a computer and internet access, eventually everyone will be searching for their new home on the internet.

The results show that having more and better photography can increase the interest and number of offers on a home, increase the value (and final sales price) of a home and decrease the time on the market. With all this evidence, why would any professional Realtor not want to use a professional photographer to assist him/her in the selling of a home.

One example in a recent survey stated that a home that was valued at $410,00 sold for $460,000 with professional photography. That is a $50,000 increase. Now if we say that you only get a 2% commission, that is $500 more commission. You paid $250 for photography and you made $250 more by using a pro. Not really an incentive, right? Wrong! Yes, you may have only made $250 more, but look at all the other benefits.

1 - You did not have to spend the time and expense of putting yourself in the "photography business" to save yourself money.

2 - You listing sold faster, now you have more time to concentrate on other listings and sales.

3 - You client made more money and are much happier with you and your service.

4 - When you are selling yourself to the next client (listing or sale) you can boast about your success and how by using a professional it added value to the home and to the sale.

5 - You look smarter and therefore like a much better candidate then the next realtor because you have some added value to selling their home because you recognize the importance of using quality (and quantity) professional photography. You have a team of professionals that serve you.

 

So my question is "Why don't Realtors use professional photographers?" More specifically, why don't you use a professional photographer when you have that much to gain?

What will it take for Realtor to get the importance and magnitude of how professional photography can work for them. It is a tool not an expense. It is kinda like advertising, advertising does not cost, it PAYS. Professional Photography does not cost, it adds a lot to the overall sale of the home, the price of the sale, the amount of time the home is on the market, the satisfaction of the client and the reputation of the Realtor. Where else can you spend $250 and get this kind of improvement in your sale. Nowhere!

For those that take their own picture, its like me saying, I am going to sell my home FSBO. How hard can it be?

John,

Great point, it would be likened to taking your own photos for your business card or website development. My wife and I, both Realtors, are about ready to hire a professional to take the later.

The issue to obtain copyright or proper licensing for using those photos would be subject that may intice further discussion.

Daniel J. Lopez (Newbie, soon to be AreaEpro)
with BlogHoustonRealEstate.com
(this is my first post, more after the upcoming NoBloggerLeftBehind Webinar)
http://www.OnlineHomesHouston.com

John,

I agree 100%. I recently used a company to come out and take still shots and a virtual tour and after viewing the pics, I realized that I could have done the same thing myself. I guess the moral is, you get what you pay for. After doing some research for my E-Pro assignment, I went on some agent websites and it was interesting to see that the one's that has better pictures, were the sites that were more appealing. I guess consumers look at it the same way when looking at houses for sale. I guess now the thing to do is go out and find a quality photographer.

Thanks alot for the excellent post. I found the statistics you mentoined very interesting.

William Hagan
RE/MAX Homeland
williamhagan@remax.net
http://www.4SaleSearch.com

My opinion on this comes from the fact that I am (was/kinda) a semi-professional photographer. I believe that in a lot of cases you can get just fine pictures using a fairly inexpensive camera. However, there are times in which there are challenges with lighting, small spaces, unusual circumstances in which having the 'right tool' is vital for the job.

For instance, I have a superwide lense. It is 14mm and runs well over $1,000. I get almost a 180 degree view. I guarantee you that in certain circumstances I can get a decent shot where nobady else (except a professional) can. In addition, I have the ability to put up remote flashes, spaced appropriately that I can properly light the most difficult situations. However, this may be more applicable in luxury homes sales.

But as a photographer, I have been shocked at shots people have taken with inexpensive cameras versus my expensive stuff, and thought they did a better job :( . So there is skill involved, not just the camera.

Just some thoughts....

Chris Pendleton

Realtor, e-PRO

http://www.itucsonrealestate.com

As with many other aspects of successful real estate marketing, every agent should be very honest with themselves as to their personal strengths and weaknesses. For some there is little or no real need to hire a professional photographer and for others it may be the height of folly to take their own pictures. The same can be said for staging, website design, SEO, etc.
 

John

I truly agree! We are professionals and should look professional.

A professional photographer will have the knowledge and know how in positioning us the right way. They also provide the right background.A professional looking picture lets the recepient know that we are serious about providing quality service. It gives the image of confidence. Some one that they can trust to do a good job.

When our photos are posted on line. We are reaching an even larger clientel. It makes people want to develop a relationship with this person. Again,it gives a positive self image; how one carries one self.

Highering a professional photographer is a good investment. It will bring us great business and also increase our volume of business.Our photos are just as important as the visuals of the properties we are promoting. It is basic to promoting ourselves in this business.

First of all, to all the agents out there that do use a pro, THANK YOU. You obviously 'get it' and hopefully your business reflects that.

I've come across these basic camps of agents that don't.

Camp #1: 'We did it once and the results weren't great'. I know EXACLY what you mean. I've seen this over and over again. In all professions there exists a range of expertise. Just look around your office and I'm sure you'll see high quality agents and others that you wonder if they should even be in the industry. One of the challenges of the real estate industry is that agents want packaged solutions and lowest possilbe costs. The industry is filled with 'commodity' virtual tour companies that pay their 'photographers' anywhere from $15 to $50 per house while charging the agent $50-$150. It just is not possible to get quality photography for that kind of money. Do you think you could market a home for a split of 3%? What would you do if the industry suddenly went 'Walmart' and a price war ensued? Well that happened and that is why there are so many 'professional' virtual tours that are in the words of Simon Cowell, "Bloody aweful". I've also seen a lot of independent photographers that really aren't skilled at shooting architecture, don't have proper lighting equipment or technique, and just don't have the chops to do this kind of work. They know what the commodity services charge and match their prices to get the work. So when the results are about what the average agent shoots, I can see why agents are reluctant to ever hire anyone again...ever. I can help them. They just need to take five minutes to see the difference.

Camp #2: FEAR. I can't tell you how many times I've hear this, "Well the problem with that (don't you just hate it when people start a sentence with that line?) is what if I spend all that money and the house doesn't sell?" Well, I don't know about you, but when I hear that all I can think of is this agent doesn't know how to sell houses and expects to fail regardless of the photography. I can't help them unless they see a good coach like Amy Chorew.

Camp #3 Agents that absolutely refuse to hire pros because of either pride (they they they are great photograhers) or they feel the money they spend on agent dues and office splits constitute their marketing expenses. I'm not sure I can help them.

So I got a call in the middle of March (stick season in New England -no leaves on the trees, no flowers yet, and lawns with no color). A real estate agent is on the other end of the phone. She got my name from other agents in the office. She tells me that her own house is going on the market and needs good photos. She asks my price and I hear this THUD on the other end of the phone. Then I tell her that she's getting a substantial discount from my starndard price of 1/10% of the listing price for FSBOs - her house was going on the market for around $900K. She said that she really needed to get the house sold and she hired me. Here's the house:

http://www.onlinepropertyshowcase.com/showcase/10272/index2.html

I did the shoot - sent her the files and set up the website for her. I didn't get any feedback from her and mentioned it to another agent in her office as I was shooting one of her listings. She said, :"Oh, didn't you hear? She sold it". So I contact her and she told me that a couple that came on the first open house made an offer that day. Her reply was that if she was going to accept an offer on the first day, then it would have to be at full price and they said OK. Done deal.

So, if you're a real estate agent reading this I have just one question for you: Why don't you use a professional photographer for your listings?

Jay Groccia

Principal Photographer, OnSite Studios™

Founder, OnlinePropertyShowcase™

i agree that professional photos are worth the extra money and will certainly save you time of the course of the listing. However, be very clear with the photographer about how you are going to use the photos. are you going to share the photos with other agents so they can market your listing on their website or print advertising? are you using it on your website, print, or both? how many copies of direct mail ads will be send out? Photographers get a very upset if they see their work elsewhere and they were not informed or compensated. if it's discussed up front, you will save yourself from a huge headache down the road.