When you put a house on the market, what brings people to your property? You might say your Realtor, but the truth is, your real estate photographer is one of the most important people in generating interest for your listing.
Typically, the number of interested buyers you see comes down to the strength of your listing and how well it appeals to buyers. No matter how unique and eye catching your property is, if your photos do not do it justice, most prospective buyers will not give it a second thought. In fact, there are six main ways your real estate photographer can make or break your listing.
All the Right Angles
Any photography subject, be it a person or a house, looks best from certain angles. Your real estate photographer knows exactly what angles will accentuate the best features of a room. This creates dynamic photos with depth, rather than the flat, one-dimensional images you might get from an amateur.
HDR, Life-Like Images
It can be difficult to make a single photo of a room look good when the exterior light from windows is far brighter than the interior light of the home. Either the window will look completely washed out, or the room will be too dark to see properly. Most professionals use HDR, or High-Dynamic Range, photography to combat this problem. They take multiple photos of the room at different exposure levels and combine those photos with special software to create an image with an even level of brightness throughout the room and through windows. This mimics how the room would look in person much more closely than a single under or over-exposed image.
Years of Expertise
One of the biggest benefits a real estate photographer can bring to the table is experience. If you attempt to take your own real estate photos, this is likely one of the first homes you have ever photographed. It will probably take you several attempts to get the lighting and angles you want, and even then your photos may seem lackluster. But a professional real estate photographer has likely shot dozens, if not hundreds, of houses and knows exactly where, when, and how to take their photos.
Attention to Detail
A photographer who can spot when something in a room is amiss is a great asset. You may not notice a crooked painting or couch pillows that have fallen askew, but a good photographer will. These small details make the difference between a polished, professional listing and a listing that is nice, but not all the way there.
Top-of-the-Line Equipment
A seasoned real estate photographer will have the best equipment in the business. This will likely mean they can charge a higher rate relative to an amateur or inexperienced photographer, but it also means that you do not need to invest in any equipment or editing software yourself. A little more investment up front is well worth the assurance that your listing will look just as good online as it does in person.
Long-Term Marketing Assets
If you are a flipper or a builder, you may sell multiple homes in a year. You know how important visuals are to home buyers, and what better marketing asset could you ask for than high-quality, staged photos of your best-selling properties? When you pay for high-definition, professional photos, you get more than just Instagram content; these photos still look sharp at large sizes and can be used to create beautiful brochures and print portfolios too.
Staging is all about creating the right look for the most likely buyer. Part of achieving the right look is taking the best possible photographs of your property. If you would like to learn more about how a real estate photographer can help you with your listing, get in touch with our team and browse our gallery of professional real estate photography.