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Why don't Realtors use Professional Photographers
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Group MemberThere 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?
- Edited by Gar Benedick on Mar 17, 2009 9:21:50 AM
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Group MemberI have seen some very lovely pictures taken by realtors. In our area some realtors use photographers and the difference is not that great. Often quantity and variety is more important. If you have 15 listings that is quite an investment, especially in this market where 6 months to 1 year is not uncommon to move a property. When only a few pictures are allowed to be uploaded especially on ranch properties where there is a big story to tell and only a few pictures allowed to post it is difficult to juggle what best to reveal. Some of the virtual tours take too long, and with an audience that is in a hurry I expect some viewers do not want to wait for a tour that drags by.
Group MemberThey say 20% of Realtors do 80% of all of the business.
In the current economy, I'm guessing it's more like 90/10.
Most of those 10-20% do understand the value of a good presentation online. They understand that 90% of buyers begin their search online and that they eliminate properties based on their internet presentation. They understand that buyers today want total transparency - they want to see everything. They understand that today's buyer wants to do ALL of their research and fact finding on their own, only to call a 'house salesman' when they get towards the end of their search. They understand that buyers will hit the NEXT button if a Realtor only posts a few bad photos in "hopes" that it will prompt a phone call for a personal visit.
But...
- Most Realtors can design their own websites.
- Most Realtors can design their own marketing flyers, mailers, etc.
- Most Realtors can take their own snapshots. They own a camera!
- Most Realtors can do their own Virtual Tours - there are plenty of cheap slideshow programs that import their bad MLS photos and zoom in and out on them in hopes that a buyers is fooled that they are seeing something new or additional now that the MLS pictures are zooming to music. It's really insulting.
That's why the real estate industry is in the state that it is today. Kohler spends more money photographing and doing a video on a $200 toilet than most Realtors will spend on a $1M property. Zappos shows EIGHT professionally shot views of a $50 shoe. Each and every shoe!
Yet many Realtors feel that it's "OK" to take their own photos with a $150 point and shoot camera for their $500K listing. And they only take 4-5 pictures! I saw a $1.2M house just today with 5 photos! Of course it's been on the market now for 295 days!
The biggest problem is many Realtors really don't see the difference! They think their photos are great! I recently reshot a home for a Realtor who thought her photos were just fine - until she saw the difference. Then... she got it!
Successful, professional Realtors realize they can't be good at everything. Nobody is good at everything. And they realize how amazingly important that internet presentation is. It is THE key to getting a buyer in the door. Period.
They surround themselves with professionals who make THEM look good and make THEM successful, leaving that Realtor to spend their time doing what THEY are good at - selling real estate!
It's always been that way, and will always be. I think sellers today are getting a little wiser and expecting MORE from their Realtor. They know it takes a little more than running around the house for 30 minutes snapping pictures with a pocket camera.
Group MemberYou know the answer. Money and Time. Agents don't want to spend either - waiting for someone else to get the job done and the green is tight for many. Speaking of St Patricks Day and the luck of the Irish, I utilize a pro because I SEE the difference in a wide angle lens form a Nikon and cannot sleep at night unless I know I have given 110 percent ot my clients. They get a professional shoot for high definition tour and the maximum photos allowed by realtor.com and our mls Ann Arbor Area Board. www.KathyToth.com Kathleen O'Connor Toth
Top of the mornin to ye...wearing green, but GO BLUE! info@KathyToth.com
Group MemberSo the people making money being a professional photographer or videographer want to emphasize that Realtors who take their own photos aren't acting in a professional manner. And the Realtors emphasize that while photography is necessary to properly market any property, paying for a professional photography service is a luxury that may or may not be worth the cost in any given situation.
That same debate occurs whether the marketing service is staging, flyers or post card design, website design and maintenance...the list goes on. Virtual tours are just one example.
If your post card never gets delivered to an interested buyer; if your virtual tour isn't distributed to sites where buyers frequent; if your flyer is full of typos; if your staging is "too much" or "too little", then you're using the wrong choice or the wrong service.
For example, our company is able to help more than 100,000 Realtors gain maximum exposure anywhere in the country, and we make it easy for each Realtor to use either their own photos or hire a service. Choice is great. Value is better. Results are what counts. In today's market, the vendors who provide Realtors with flexible choices, a great everyday value and proven results can help more Realtors be successful.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
J. L. Winn
Group Member'That is why the real estate industry is in the state it is in today'. Sorry, I am still laughing at that one. Its a skosh more ridiculous than the FSBO comment. There are 118 steps(which will vary per realtor) from going out on the listing appt through setttlement. Photos are a integral part, but we're getting a tad absurd here. I just read to 'web-vertisements' with no handle on tangible fact.
I'm in that '20%' and have seen absolutely no adverse affect from taking my own pictures. Can a professional take better ones? Sure! Is it going to make the difference in selling my house, in THIS market? No. Price is the driving force behind sellers getting their house sold in this market. Everyone is out to get our money with their propaganda, some of it good, some bad. What they don't understand is the simple fact of if a seller is going to be unrealistic in price and timely price reductions, then why should we spend our hard-earned money on 'fluff' when its not going to sell because of the price.
Group MemberBecause I use a virtual tour with every listing, and pay for it, I will use a professional when the value of the listing warrants it. I use a company that allows up to 40 photos. And addressing Gar's point, I have seen surveys that claim a virtual tour and photos are dramatically important to online searchers. When the value of the house is lower I feel confident in taking my own photos, and as many as I can. This approach saves me money on lower commissions and I only have to pay the tour company an admin fee, while still providing the benefits to my client. It probably goes without saying, but I will anyway. If any of the photos are unacceptable, by my standards, I would reshoot them before I would let them be published.
Group MemberI really don't buy too much into the theory that a professional photographer's photos will sell a home!
The truth is people will buy a home if it is the home that fits their needs and feels like home.
In all of my years of real estate, I have yet to meet a buyer who calls me off an internet ad who wants to buy the house because the photos are so nice.
I have even inquired locally about having "professional" photographers photo my listing. I tried it. It wasn't worth the money. My experience is photographers dont work with dates and deadlines like us. I informed her that I needed the photos by a certain date and explained why. 3 weeks passed before I received the photos. They didn't compare to the photos I took with the Kodak V710 (ultra wide angle-dual lens).
It came to me that this "professional" photgrapher never could hack it with family/baby/senior picks so she ventured to the real estate side of photography.
Ultimately, there are a lot of people who try to get their hands in the real estate cookie jar. More are reaching for it now with the economy in the recycle bin. Get back to basics, folks! Make sure you take a lot of photos, make sure they look good and you will be fine. Or, hire the person that is Sears Portrait studios most recent resizing casualty!
Group MemberThank you all, Good stuff! Keep it coming!
Also, there is a similar conversation happening in this community:
http://www.realtown.com/community/MLSInformation/view/003CB5
Check it out!
- Edited by Gar Benedick on Mar 17, 2009 9:59:08 AM
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