Adventures in Real EstateBuying and Selling Tips September 17, 2019

Professional Photography, is it Necessary?

This shouldn’t even be a question, but sadly, many in our industry think the answer is no based on the myriad of listings that contain poorly shot cell phone or digital camera photos. It honestly upsets me so much.

Almost all home buyers begin their search online before physically choosing properties to tour. Buying a house can be exhausting and it involves hours of time spent online. A buyer sets up search criteria to include their desired price, beds, bath, etc. Then, the first glance they get to determine if they want to tour a property is the pictures they see online.

This is critical. A buyer is going to take time off work or from personal time to view a property, so they are going to select homes that might be viable purchase options. What happens when a listing includes limited, blurry, or images that don’t properly represent the house? They might not look. Let me say that again, they might not look. Think about that. You are selling a house, looking to maximize the time, money, and emotion you have invested. And it might not get the attention it deserves because of a lack of high quality, professional photographs.

Even with a high quality cell phone camera (left), just look at the differences vs a professional with proper equipment and the right eye to capture the space. The pictures are taken from basically the same spot, same lighting.

When I work with buyers, I have found deals for clients because of this issue. A house likely didn’t receive the quantity of showings it should have if professional photos would have been taken or it had been marketed effectively.

This is a minimum service that should be offered, but I also think the bar should be much higher. Not only professional photography, but also drone images when applicable, 3D virtual tours, and virtual reality compatibility. Just take a look at this virtual tour and see how helpful this would be to showcase a home.

Tour a home without the drive time!