Why You Should Use a Real Estate Photographer for your Listings
A picture says a thousand words, right? According to Realtor.org, 92% of homebuyers use the internet for their new home search. They browse listings when and where it’s convenient for them, using laptops, tablets, and phones. This means you need to capture their interest immediately because they will not linger on a photo longer than 20 seconds before they move on to the next listing. If the image that you’re presenting as the main image of your property is not professional, appealing, and intriguing, they will move on.
Your listing photographs create the first impression that a potential home buyer is likely to form of a property for sale. We know that most home buyers start their searches online before ever going to look at a property in person. It’s important that you have a captivating and professional image as the first thing your potential buyers see.
With many realtors having access to smartphones with cameras or even their own camera and lenses, it’s easy to try to shortcut the professional photographer piece and attempt to take your own photographs. Especially with the trend to post everything on social media. However, today’s consumers are also savvy enough that they can quickly spot an image taken by an amateur versus a professional. You don’t want a potential homebuyers first impression of the listing to be anything less than perfect.
There are many reasons that you should hire a professional real estate photographer for your listing.
1. It will set your listing apart. Using a professional, like Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography will give your listing a professional image. If you tend to sell properties that have been foreclosed or other property in a lower pricing category, one where sometimes there are not professional photographers used, using one will make your listing stand apart from the others and give it a step up on competing properties. Standing out in a crowded real estate market is one of the most important keys to selling homes, especially in such a densely populated areas like Washington DC and Northern Virginia. The photographs you use can provide a quick and easy way to set yourself apart from the competition.
2. It will put you on a level playing field if it’s a high-value listing. For higher value homes, sellers almost always use professionals. In places where many homes list for more than a million dollars, if you want your listing to be competitive with the others, you must use a professional.
3. The property will be more appealing by using professional images by an experienced real estate photographer. Washingtonians are proud of their homes and the area they live. To provide top-notch customer service, you should be able to offer them services that will adequately show off their homes. Real estate photographers have the tools necessary to make your listing shine. Some of these include poles that they can mount their camera on to give a broad view of the property, lighting and special lenses to shoot any room for a flattering angle. They know how to use composition, color, and lighting to make the images more attractive and appealing to potential buyers. Little tricks, like making a room appear spacious and airy or with more light can get a prospect in the door that you might have lost otherwise.
4. Appeal to online buyers. Northern Virginia and Washington DC tend to attract many out-of-towners wishing to relocate here. With so many buyers and potential buyers doing their searches online, it’s imperative that your online listing shows off the features in such a way to capture a buyer’s interest quickly. Photos that appear to be done by an amateur will result in the viewer leaving your listing and looking for other, more visually appealing properties.
5. Save precious time. It’s time-consuming to walk through a property and take numerous flattering pictures of every room. Add to that the time that it will take you to upload and edit the images properly and you’re looking at many hours of work, at a minimum. A professional can have this done in a much shorter time frame and free you up to focus on selling the property and getting new clients through the door.
6. Provide more options to your sellers. Real estate photographers are usually able to provide you with additional professional services to aid in selling the property. These may include virtual tours, professional floorplans, and videography. These are important tools to appeal to long-distance homebuyers. Some photographers also offer high-quality print services which are beneficial to promote the property when doing open houses and other local events.
7. Sell the property faster. Studies show that online listings with more professional photographs sell faster than those with just a few photographs or those that have amateur photos. In some cases, it has been reported that this could be several weeks faster.
8. Improve your professional image. The extra money you spend on a professional photographer will earn you a reputation in the industry as a true professional that goes above and beyond for their clients, leading to more business for you.
Buyers are savvy enough to spot amateur photography – even the untrained eye can now differentiate between a professional photograph and one taken from a smartphone. No matter how good the quality of your smartphone camera, it cannot capture the image in a way a professional can. Even if you happen to own a high-end camera, you do not have the number of hours invested into the craft of photographing homes to sell that a real estate photographer, like Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography does.
9. It’s a marketing investment. The money spent on professional photography for your listing will come back in the form of quicker sales and more future listings for you. It’s a very effective tool to help establish your brand in the highly competitive real estate industry.
10. Sell the property for more money. Listings with professional, high-quality photos typically sell for more.
11. Using a professional photographer increases the odds that your listing could go viral on social media. Social media loves great images. If your photographer is able to capture one amazing image of the property that you can share, this increases the views of that property and increases the number of people that your real estate business comes into contact with.
Picking a real estate photographer to work with
Remember as you begin your search for a real estate photographer that not all professional photographers are created equal. It’s important to interview photographers, ask specific questions and find the right person for your real estate needs.
As you begin your search for a real estate photographer, look for these signs of a true professional:
1. Find someone with experience doing real estate photography. Anyone can hang their sign and claim to be a real estate photographer. You want someone that has proven experience photographing homes and property, like Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography.
2. Look for a photographer with an impressive portfolio to show you. An experienced photographer will be able to show you examples of their previous work.
3. Don’t look for the bargain. This is not a place you want to cut corners if you’re going to make the investment. A few hundred dollars out of your pocket now can mean several thousand back in sales with the right photographer.
4. They should have experience staging properties. Properly staged properties can have a big impact on the final offer made to your client.
For more information about how we can help you maximize your real estate listings or sell your home faster using professional photography, contact us today at….
Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography
bryant@novarealestatephoto.com
571.377.8681 757.348.3402
