One question I often get from new clients is “why should I hire you, I have a digital camera, I can take the listing pictures myself.”

Photograph by a Professional Photographer	Photograph taken by a Realtor

There is no doubt in my mind that this is true ~true in the same way that I can sell my own home.  The question is, how successful will either of us be?   I’ll admit that I know some home owners who have sold their own home, and some realtors who take amazing photographs – in both cases they are exceptions to the rule.

We all build expertise and gain experience in our occupations.  When I need a website built, I will go to an expert the same way I go to the dentist, and accountant.  I expect these people to have the most up-to-date knowledge, technology and experience

Property photography is more than owning a good camera.  Do you know how to ensure the lighting is inviting, capture the entire room versus bits of it?  Can you edit the photography so the garbage can is removed from the driveway?  Are your photographs optimized for print, web, and MLS?   If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then you should hire a real estate photographer.  They can ensure that your property puts its best face forward.

There have been many recent articles on buyer trends – did you know that 80% of new home buyers look on the Internet before they ever contact a realtor?  This means two things, one if you have poor photographs they will not look twice at your property and secondly it damages your reputation.

Buyers are becoming more and more technically savvy and judging you and your property in 8 seconds or less.  How many potential buyers are you losing?  A recent study quoted potentially hundreds of buyers will turn a property down based on visual presentation online.

That brings me to an interesting point.  I’m often hired to take photographs of spectacular properties – I’m talking $750,000 to over 3 million.  These properties are relatively easy to shot as they are generally incredibly well kept – they have great lighting, views, the landscaping is immaculate, etc.

When it comes to homes under $350,000 Realtors will spend less on marketing and the first thing to go are the professional pictures.  I’ve been told that the marketing dollars are wasted.  I beg to differ – generally there are more homes under $350,000 than the high end homes.

So I will ask – “what should one do when there is a lot of competition within a market?”  Posed that way, Realtors will tell you that they need a competitive edge.  That would be my point – it is even more important to spend a few dollars on properties that have a lot of competition and have that home shine.

Professional photographs are just one of the many tools in the Realtors marketing tool box.  Watch for my next article on where virtual tours are going…..

Thanks for taking interest in this article.  If you have any questions, contact me.