New Study Highlights Importance of Photography in Real Estate Listings
A recent survey of conducted by REAL Trends, in partnership with our affiliate member, Virtuance, asked top-producing real estate professionals nation-wide how real they use professional photography in their own businesses. The results highlighted five reasons why these high-level professionals choose to invest in professional photography, and why you should as well! After all, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
5 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Professional Photography
1. You have a duty to your seller
According to the survey, 94% of agents and 73% of brokers feel passionate about the importance of using professional photography. Several agents and brokers said this importance derives from an obligation to sellers.
One independent broker in Arizona went so far as to say, “You have to [use professional photography]. You are doing a disservice to your clients otherwise. People are visual, and you have to grab them.”
2. It drives online traffic
According to the National Association of REALTORS® 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 83% of homebuyers rated photos of properties for sale as the most useful website feature. Furthermore, 43% of buyers looked at homes online as their first step in the home-buying process; this was up from 35% in 2011. Clearly, it makes sense to give buyers the quality content they seek on your own website, especially considering that this trend will likely continue to increase over time.
3. Win more listings
As a listing agent, it is your responsibility to market a property in a way that gets a seller the best sales price possible. That relies on a strong visual representation of the home, especially as homebuyers increase their online home shopping activities. In other words, the better the photos, the better the chance of attracting a buyer.
4. Solidify your brand image
Photos can serve as the first impression of the home - especially when homebuyers are searching online - so it is crucial to capture the attention of a buyer. Additionally, photos may serve as the first impression of your brokerage or your personal brand as an agent as well. Nearly 75% of agents and brokers ranked “quality of property photographs” as the most important feature for their brand. The second highest ranked feature was “consistency in the look and feel of property photographs.”
5. Best bet for your time & money
The cost of professional photography has certainly decreased over the past 10 years; a service that might have cost $1K is available now at about one-tenth of that cost. On average, most agents and brokerages combined reported paying $160 for property photos. And, more importantly, when asked whether or not these agents and brokers felt they received a good ROI for these photos, the answer is 'yes'! Even those agents who were paying more for property photos still felt that it was a worthy investment.
The Takeaway
Without a doubt, professional photography for your listings is one of the simplest ways you can shape your brand and business. Plus, it takes lightens your workload and allows you to focus your efforts elsewhere. Why not consider finding a a professional photographer to work with? After all, the incentive of having a photography solution for your agents is something that benefits you both.
