When it comes to selling a home, whether it’s $65,000 or $650,000, first impressions are everything.
Those first impressions are not only of the property, but they also reflect the branding of the real estate agent.
This is why it is crucial for real estate professionals and home sellers to use professional photography to showcase EVERY listing. Real estate photography not only helps to highlight a home’s best features, but it also helps a home stand out in a crowded market and can ultimately lead to a faster sale and at a better price.
Let’s look at the top 5 reasons why ALL real estate listings need professional photography:
1) Professional Real Estate Photographers Know How to Capture The Strengths Of a Property
Real estate photographers are skilled at highlighting a home’s assets and creating the best composition for the property. Knowing what angles to shoot and which ones to stay away from are important when photographing a property to get the most views. Professional real estate photographers are also experienced with creating beautiful images in challenging weather situations, especially if you live in the northeast where winter tends to brown the grass for months on end.
Real estate photography is not just about taking beautiful pictures, it is also about capturing the essence of a property. Professional photographers understand how to showcase a home’s unique features and characteristics, making it more appealing to potential buyers. They know how to use the right angles, lighting and composition to create a sense of space and flow that makes a home look bigger and more inviting.
Moreover, professional photographers understand the importance of showcasing the lifestyle that a home can offer.
2) Buyers are Looking Online First
According to the 2022 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends and report 95% of all buyers used the internet to search for homes. Of those buyers, 84% stated that photos were the most valuable website feature when searching for a home on the internet. Having professional photos of your listing will increase your views and attract more potential buyers to your property.
Standing out amongst hundreds of other listings will also boost your reputation as a professional who believes in quality work. Using a professional real estate photographer for all of your listings shows your potential sellers that all listings are important and will be treated that way. Professional photographs receive up to 119% more online views than those without professional photos.
3) Homes Sell For More Money With Professional Real Estate Photography
Professional real estate photography can help homes sell faster and for a higher price. It has been reported by NAR that professionally photographed homes sell for a median of 17% more than non-photographed homes and a study by VHT Studios found that listings with professional photography received 61% more online views than those with amateur photographs.
A Redfin study found that homes listed between $200,000 and $1 million sold for $3,400 to $11,200 more relative to their list prices when photographed by professional real estate photographers.
4) Poorly Lit Rooms Look Even Worse In Amateur Photos
When scrolling photos in your local MLS, you’ll see many photos that are dark with very little natural light. Even worse, some are taken at night with harsh inside lighting that creates deep shadows making the space appear drab and dull.
Professional real estate photographers are experts with any lighting challenge and even create gorgeous twilight photos taken at dusk. photographers can fix lighting in homes by using the existing light sources, use their own artificial light (flashes) , adjusting window coverings, and using advanced editing techniques. With the right tools and skills, professional photographers can create beautiful, well-lit images of any room in the home.
5) Hiring a Professional is Worth the Investment
Professional real estate photographers use professional-grade equipment to create high-quality images. They have high-end cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment that can capture stunning images of a property.
They also use advanced editing software that allows them to create images that are sharp, vibrant, and free of distortions. This is important because high-quality images can make a property look more desirable and increase its perceived value. They are trained and experienced in techniques in composition, lighting, drone operation, 3D tours and video cinematography.
According to Ruby Home, the average price of professional real estate photography is $110-$300 per project for photos only. That’s a small investment when it comes to selling a property and branding yourself as a professional.
To gather some additional proof, I reached out to some local real estate professionals for their thoughts on using professional real estate photographers.
Kathryn M. Early, REALTOR®, a real estate expert in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts and southern NH added:
“I use professional photos for my listings because I am a Realtor® and not a photographer. As a Realtor®, it is my duty to showcase my listings in the best way possible. Collaborating with a professional photographer has elevated my marketing capabilities and shows my sellers that I am serious about my industry and that I care about their investment.”
According to Reggie Eld, Realtor® in MA & NH:
“I use professional photography to give buyers a strong first impression of a property. With so many people browsing listings online today, it’s imperative that the photos in the listing showcase the home in the most attractive light possible. Those photos are what will get people in the door. I don’t consider professional photos a liability expense, rather, I feel they are just as important as paying dues and investing in marketing material.
Because buyers are triggered by emotion, it’s important to capture the essence of the home so they can imagine themselves living there. Empty or cluttered rooms don’t trigger emotion. That’s why professional photography, coupled with the right staging, can bring everything into focus and ensure an instant connection between the buyer and the home.
Professionals don’t just take shots. They consider the time of day, the positioning of every item in a room, light exposure, the angles, and more. Once the photos are taken, the work doesn’t end, as the photographer then processes the photos, enhances the color and selects the most attractive photos to represent the home. The end result is a carefully thought-out process that piques the interest of potential buyers so they will visit the property in person. Then I can take it from there!”
Adam Gidley, Manager of Salem Manufactured Homes LLC located in Salem, NH shared:
“We use a professional photographer to enhance our photos to show people the true quality of the homes we are listing. When professional photographers capture the right angles of rooms, people can picture how they’re going to set up their furniture, it helps them visualize making the house a home before even seeing it in person.
Professional photos also give off a good impression to potential clients. On top of knowing you’re going to get good quality photos, in the correct format to post online, hiring a professional photographer is so convenient and relatively cost effective.”
Yaneris Pena, REALTOR®, covering Essex County in Massachusetts, Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire adds:
“High-quality pictures can give home buyers that valuable first impression that can lead to a meeting, which can help real estate agents sell listings faster. A professional photographer considers the background, uses wide angles fairly, cleans the light fixtures, etc.”
Professional real estate photography is a must-have for every listing. It can make a home look larger, brighter, more inviting, and more attractive to potential buyers which can help it sell faster and for a better price than using amateur photos. It can also help a home stand out in a crowded market and attract more attention from potential buyers.
First impressions are so important and professional real estate photography will get your listing noticed and sky-rocket your reputation.
So, if you want to maximize your chances of selling a home quickly and for top dollar, hire a professional real estate photographer.
