Why Hiring a Real Estate Photographer is a Good Idea (and How to Find the Best One)

Just about every person has a capable cell phone camera in their pocket or purse, especially with how advanced smartphones have gotten. So, you could feasibly take your own real estate photos, and many of them will look great. So, why hire a real estate photographer?

While you can take your own photos, professional real estate photographers bring a number of benefits to the table. They know the tricks of the trade, how to frame photos, how to show a house in the best light, and most importantly, how to help you have faster sales with higher offers.

But, this is only scratching the surface. Let’s take a look at every reason you should hire a real estate photographer, and then, what to look for when finding one.

7 reasons for hiring a real estate photographer

A professional real estate photographer can deliver a number of benefits to individuals and real estate agents selling commercial properties or residential real estate. Yes, they cost money, but they can more than make up for it in a number of ways.

1. Get high-quality images

First and foremost, a quality real estate photographer will deliver high-quality images. Professional photographers will likely have high-quality equipment, and they’ll know which angles and lighting will show off the house to the fullest.

Homebuyers consider photos the most important element of an online listing. What better way to ensure that element shines, than hiring a real estate photographer?

2. Increase click-through rates

High-quality listing photos, and the right kinds of photos, can have a real-world increase on your click-through rates. That is, the number of people clicking on your listings.

In fact, one breakdown found that the right kind of twilight photo led to a nearly 8% increase in site clicks. Without a professional, twilight photos are difficult to pull off, meaning you can easily miss out on this kind of boost in your own click-through rates.

3. Highlight unique selling points

The best real estate photographers don’t just know their way around a camera, they also know how to highlight the unique selling points of a house and property, from shooting at the right time of day, to showcasing natural light inside a home, and more.

Does your listing have an incredible backyard and view? The right photographer can highlight this.

Every property is unique. It’s these unique features that can appeal to certain buyers. Highlighting those unique selling points is crucial if you want to move more listings, faster, and for higher asking prices.

4. Ensure professional listing presentation

Along with high-quality photography, comes a more professional presentation. Not only will high-quality photos show off a property to the fullest, it will also show that your agency takes what it does seriously.

Much like a professional website or business card, professional photography signals to prospective clients that your agency knows what it’s doing, and is the one to go with.

5. Sell faster and get higher offers

According to one real estate photography company, professional photos can help real estate pros generate up to 118 percent more online views and sell listings 50 percent faster (Source: NAR). 

Professional photography can result in a home selling 50% faster ^{Source: NAR}

There’s also anecdotal evidence that professional photos can lead to higher prices. This is due to professional photos making a house look even more valuable than amateur photography.

6. Save time and effort

Taking your own photos and editing them is a lot of effort. And again, they may look decent, but they’ll likely lack the professional polish of a photographer’s work.

When you hire a real estate photographer, you can save all the time and effort you’d pour into doing it yourself. And, you can almost certainly see better results from their photos.

7. Stand out in a competitive market

It’s no secret that the real estate industry is competitive. With the accessibility of professional-level websites, business cards, and other marketing materials, it’s more competitive than ever.

Professional real estate photography gives you another edge in this increasingly-competitive market. When you have a polished site, slick marketing, and professional photos for all your real estate listings, you’re increasing your chances of landing clients and ultimately staying competitive.

What to look out for when hiring a real estate photographer

No two real estate photographers are the same. Each one has a unique style, different levels of expertise, and even different equipment. This can make finding the right one overwhelming.

To simplify your search, we’ve broken down several of the most important elements to look for when hiring a real estate photographer.

The types of professional real estate photography

There are several types of real estate photography, each one vastly different. While some generalists will handle every type, others will specialize. Knowing which type the photographer specializes in is crucial when picking someone.

• Commercial: Photographers specialized in capturing hotels, retail, and other commercial businesses.

• Residential: Photographers specialized in taking pictures of both homes and apartments.

• Interior: These are photographers specialized in taking pictures of building interiors, and know how to frame the layout and showcase the best lighting.

• Architectural: These photographers specialize in showcasing the features of a building, whether commercial or residential, and are typically contracted by engineers or architects, designers, and home building companies.

• Drone: Drone photographers specialize in using drones to capture buildings and the surrounding landscape.

In some instances, you may even want more than one photographer, or a photographer that specializes in a few types. For example, it’s a good idea to include drone photographs with nearly every listing, as aerial photos increase a home’s chances of selling by 52%, with 6% of realtors using drones themselves and 46% hiring a professional drone operator (Source: NAR) .

Experience and expertise

Photography experience and expertise are crucial, as an experienced photographer can truly showcase what makes a property unique.

Vet the photographer who seems like an ideal candidate carefully, checking to see if they have experience with HDR, drone photography, understanding staging, virtual tours, and so on. Keep in mind what kind of photography you need as well.

Does a property have an especially beautiful backyard or stunning architecture? Is the interior the biggest selling point?

Equipment and technology

The right equipment and tech goes a long way toward crafting eye-popping real estate photos. Professional real estate photographers should have, at minimum:

• DSLR and mirrorless cameras for capturing diverse shots

• A wide number of lenses to deliver wide-angle shots, interior shots, etc.

• The right lighting equipment to showcase every room in the best light

• Software that allows them to easily loop you into photo editing and vetting

Not all photographers will have drones or the right equipment to craft virtual tours, but these are both huge benefits as well.

Reputation and reviews

Before moving forward with a photographer, make sure they have a solid reputation and positive reviews. The last thing you need is a photographer that flakes and doesn’t deliver quality photos, or deliver photos on time, resulting in an incomplete or delayed listing.

The market is incredibly competitive, and a reputable, timely photographer plays a crucial role in ensuring houses are not only shown in the best light, but shown on time.

Turnaround time

Depending on the scope of a project and property, a photographer should get photos to you within a day of the shoot. At a minimum, they should be able to deliver essential photos that allow you to showcase key elements of the house.

Any drone footage, virtual tours, or video can take an additional day or two in most cases. But, these media types shouldn’t take much longer.

Cost and value

Great photography isn’t free, but it should still deliver value. By finding a photographer who has a great reputation, the right expertise, and a short turnaround time, you’re already getting value by not having to do it yourself.

Next, look at the photographer’s rates and ensure they’re in line with current photography rates. Some photographers may run a little above those rates. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but make sure they have a portfolio to back it up.

Remember: While a pro will cost more than an amateur photographer, you can more than make up for it with potentially higher sales prices, great photos that enhance your overall marketing strategy, and property listings that truly grab the attention of potential clients and homeowners.

Communication and professionalism

Responsive communication and a sense of professionalism go a long way when working with a real estate photographer. Real estate moves quickly, so it’s important your photographer responds quickly when you have questions or last-minute tweaks.

And of course, peak professionalism can make the photographer pleasant to work with, and mark the start of a beautiful working relationship.

Personality and compatibility

Along with professionalism comes personality and compatibility. Some photographers may have the skills and portfolio you’re looking for. But, if you don’t click and get along well, the relationship will be an unpleasant one. This will make it more difficult to collaborate and ultimately hurt your listings.

Bonus: Has a partnership with Matterport!

Lastly, a partnership with a respected entity, like Matterport, can open doors to even more possibilities with your listings.

For example, VHT Studios has a partnership with Matterport. This enables them to deliver not only professional real estate photography, but also provide professional virtual tours and digital twins. Instead of simple photography, you can get an all-in-one visual and marketing package, including HDR photos, drone photography and video, virtual tours, floor plans, and more.

By going with a studio, like VHT, that’s partnered with a virtual tour and digital twin specialist like Matterport, you can save yourself the hassle of shopping around for multiple specialists. And, you can get professional results that speak for themselves.

Learn more about working with Matterport-savvy photographers here. 

Get the most out of your real estate photography

The right real estate photography can help your listings truly shine. And with a partner like Matterport, a leading provider of digital twins and virtual tours, can elevate your listings and real estate marketing to new heights.

Matterport empowers you to get the most out of your real estate photography in a number of ways:

• DIY: Capture spaces yourself using your smartphone, one of our partner 360 cameras, or any of our Pro cameras. Then, manage your 3D tours with ease using your Matterport account.

• Digital pro: Let Matterport handle the load with 25+ photos, a 3D tour, floor plan, video, and more in our Digital Pro package. This allows you to quickly launch a professional listing that showcases every angle of the house.

• Professional photographer network: Matterport also allows you to either bring your own photographer, or utilize our network of top-tier photographers, including the award-winning VHT Studios.

No matter which route you go, Matterport allows you to breathe new life into your listings, show homes in their best light, have social media-ready images, and deliver an immersive experience for clients.