5 Reasons Why Professional Listing Photos Matter

We have all been there – deciding on whether or not to save time and money by taking listing photos of our home ourselves, or hiring a professional photographer to do the work for us. If you’ve been in the real estate game long enough, you know that choosing photography for your listings used to be something that set you apart. Here are 5 reasons that using a professional photographer for your listing photos is an absolute MUST!

1. Professional Photos are a great first impression of both the home and yourself as a seller: Buyers respond to photos. Every online retailer knows this concept. The ones that provide dynamic, detailed photos that are clear gain the customers trust and a therefore a greater reputation. Real estate is now bought and sold online — buyers go right to the web to check out homes, striking ones that don’t look good as they go and thereby eliminating a sale. This is your first place as an agent to make a great impression about the home and about your abilities. Image matters and listing photos reflect on yours.
2. Buyers use the internet to research prospective homes: The vast majority of buyers look at homes online when they’re in the market. Today’s technology has made it very easy to search for exactly what you need in the location you want; however, since home prices are soaring, there’s a lot of competition out there. To entice buyers, you’ll need photos to accompany your listing.
3. Homes with professional photos sell for more money: If you have professional photos, your home is more likely to sell for thousands of dollars more than asking. According to RIS Media – Homes with high quality photography sell 32% faster than homes with basic photography. Homes with more photos sell faster, too. A home with one photo spends an average 70 days on the market, but a home with 20 photos spends 32 days on the market and it’s all because the high-quality pictures show them off to their best advantage.
4. Better Photos Get More Clicks: We all like pretty things, so it’s no stretch to think homes with higher quality photos get more engagement than those of a lesser. In fact, homes with professional photos get 61% more views than listings without. According to REDFIN, Facebook posts from brands that included images earned 87% of all engagement.

5. A Professional Photographer Saves Your Agent Time: Delivering great photos can be a time-consuming job, time your agent could be using to ensure the rest of the home selling process is going smoothly. There is more to real estate photography than just showing up and snapping a few pictures. There are many things to consider. Will the home be staged and when will it be? What is the geography of the property and where are the best angles? Which way does the house face and when does it receive the best light? Will any particular equipment be needed?