Do we really need professional photos and video to market a home?
When my colleague and I started our new brokerage, we made some early decisions on what would make us stand out. One of those decisions was that ALL properties would have professional photography and video. Our rationale was that nearly everyone else just let the agents do their thing. Some agents would take terrible photos. Others would do a great job. We wanted consistant quality. So, every listing has professional photos and video. Does it make a difference?
NO DATE OR TIMESTAMPS PLEASE
The agents who take photos with date stamps, dark photos, ridiculous angles that show nothing, etc are not helping their client or themselves. We all know that - not really an issue. However, anyone with a good eye and a decent camera (even some smartphones) can take a pretty good shot these days. So, is that good enough? If you're handy with a camera and took a class or read a book, is that good enough? More importantly, are there properties where "good enough" is in fact perfectly OK and professional photos just waste money? Perhaps.
RAISING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS
Going back to the datastamped photos - many of us have rightly pointed out that the clients seem to miss bad photos. They don't seem to care or just don't pay attention. Certainly not all consumers are like that. This begs the question: Would having more professional photos and video raise the expections of consumers? My company is not the only one where all the photos are professionally taken. It's still rare though. I'd like to think that going "all pro" would raise the standard so consumers expect better quality. This would be good for the industry in my opinion. How do you feel about that?
COST OF DOING BUSINESS
Is the cost of a professional too high for some price points? Yes. Having seen some prices around the country, I can honestly say that on a sale where the agent is only making a few hundred dollars or even just a couple of thousand, the cost of a professional becomes a high burden. I may be wrong about that but that's my impression. If it's the case though, where do we draw the line on having a professional quality standard versus "close enough".
In the end, professional or not, it's about the quality of the photography. As long as truly great photos are taken, do we care who took the pictures?
Photo courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net
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