Why do you need a professional real estate photographer?

It’s a good question, given that a real estate agent or a homeowner could save themselves a few hundred dollars by taking the photos themselves. It wasn’t too long ago that it was widely accepted to take the photos yourself with a phone, but if you have a house to sell now then you can no longer get away with doing the photography yourself.

What’s changed in recent years?

It basically comes down to the exposure that today’s buyers have had to high-quality photos online. They’re used to scrolling through their Facebook newsfeed and seeing great images and video, they look at their favorite Instagrammers and their YouTubers, and all they see are great photos and videos of food, kittens, people and houses.

In other words, buyers today are now much better educated on image quality than they used to be. So when they go to see what homes are currently for sale in their area they want to be impressed. They don’t bother clicking on the poorly presented home, or the bad photo, unless they are looking for a bargain. Instead, the buyers will quickly scroll through the images.

In fact, there’s an app called Doorsteps Swipe that works just like this, where homes are swiped right or left based on that main photo:

So when you put your home on the market today it’s so important that you make a really positive first impression. In fact, according to a study by Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, it takes less than 50 milliseconds to form a first impression, and that’s going to be largely dictated by the visual elements the viewer sees, not the written elements since they don’t have time to read that much in just a fraction of a second.

That first impression used to come from an actual visit to the home, but these days it’s the photos, the 3D tour where the buyer can move around the entire home, and the video tour.

Your photos have to look amazing, and it’s not just about hiring any professional photographer. For example, you wouldn’t want to hire a local wedding photographer, or a news journalist. There’s no guarantee at all that someone who specializes in one type of photography is going to excel at photographing real estate.

Instead, you want to look for a photographer that is a real estate photography specialist. They might cost a little more than an inexperienced photographer, but the benefits for you to have more buyers asking about your home will make it all worthwhile.

www.pipasimagery.com

Realtors

Guest Blogger – Samantha Ward

April 27, 2018June 3, 2018 Pipas Imagery

Introducing a very special guest blogger today. Samantha Ward is a Kansas City real estate photographer based in Blue Springs, Missouri, on the southeast side of Kansas City. She works with real estate agents, designers and builders throughout the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. For those in the Kansas City area check out Picture KC.

Everything you need to know to Market Real Estate on Instagram

Instagram has become one of the best social media platforms for market not only listings, but also for real estate brands. Followers can be gained quickly and relatively easy if realtors use specific proven strategies. Here is a basic introduction by best-selling author Jack Delosa to the etiquette behind building a brand that works:

Know your brand and target audience, and focus on that. So if you’re a real estate agent in Kansas City, it’s important to keep it local with hashtags like #kansascityrealestate #leawood #leessummit #sellkc or your local brokerage group, and steer away from generic tags like #ranchhome #hgtv or #1970s.

Fitsmallbusiness.com has put together an excellent list of some of the most effective hashtags for real estate, here are some of my personal favorites:

#”Your Target Neighborhood” – Some of the best in KC include #Roanoke #Brookside #Crossroads #Waldo #ShoalCreek #Midtown #Longview #Briarcliff
#Curb Appeal
#JustListed
#”Local+Style of Home You’re Listing” – #BlueSpringsMidcentury or #LeesSummitRanch
#Dreamhome
#MillionDollarListing
#OldHouseCharm
#Investment
#HomeSweetHome
#OpenHouse
#HouseHunting
#”Local School District” – #BlueValleySchoolDistrict or #BlueSpringsSouth
#”A Great Nearby Amenity” – #LakeLotawana #LoosePark or #CountryClubPlaza
#”Your Brokerage Name”
#JustSold

But hashtags are not all Instagram is about…

As full time Instagrammer Sabina Trojanova states, many people struggle to get going on Instagram, not only due to its growing popularity, but also because the new algorithms mean posts are no longer in chronological order, which means there is more than meets the eye when it comes to getting noticed:

Though Trojanova is a Travelgrammer, she offers several tips that are useful for a real estate account.

Post quality visuals!! Photography and video is the foundation of social media, so make post content that stands out
Use the Geotags, studies show geotags perform up to 79% better
Keep consistent. Not only with your content, but post at regular times and days, so followers know when and what to expect from you
Partner with others. Create mutually beneficial relationships with other Instagrammers who work in Kansas City real estate, whether it’s investments, design, or flipping. When they tag or send people your way, their followers see you, and vice versa.
Switch to a business account. Instagram Business offers analytics on how many views you get, when, from who, location and more
Build relationships. Leave meaningful comments on others posts and reply to the comments you get. It’s a social platform so it’s important to be social
Use Instagram Stories. Not only will you get more recognition from your current followers, as your profile will show up at the top of their screen, but rumor has it the new algorithm favors account using Stories
Use Instagram Live. One of the best tricks Sabina reveals is to save your Live video and post as a Story so you are almost guaranteed to be first on the feed. Instagram Live is a particularly useful tool for realtors when it comes to walkthroughs and showing homes, so use it to your advantage and get your account noticed!

Now all these thing to keep track of just to get noticed may seem a little overwhelming, but fortunately… there’s an app for that! Check out this list from CoSchedule on all the Apps available to make you social media posting easier.

Want more inspiration from some of the best real estate agent accounts on Instagram?

Here’s a list of 2 0 real estate accounts doing exceptionally well. They include:

Jellis Craig – Melbourne, Australia

The Agency – Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

Smash Properties – Chicago, Illinois

Pope Real Estate – Toronto, Canada

Samantha Ward Photography – Kansas City, MO – Ok, maybe not one of the top performing, but check it out! 🙂

photography

Why professional photography is invaluable

April 19, 2018June 3, 2018 Pipas Imagery

This blog post is about an article from the June issue of Featured Agent Magazine called “Why professional photography is invaluable”.

It starts off by talking about how people who are looking for an agent or a new home go online these days to look at the images of homes.

I think that’s the main point – the photos matter for every home, regardless of the price point and regardless of the size of the home. Every real estate listing is looking for a buyer, so every property needs to impress someone enough that they want to pay thousands or even millions of dollars for.

The article on professional photography then goes on to give four reasons why professional photography “is worth every penny when it comes to securing the best price for your listings”, and the four reasons are:

The pros have the proper equipment.
That’s a good point, because a lot of photographers will be carrying very expensive gear around with them, and that’s because the quality of the gear impacts upon the quality of the photography. However, they’ve also invested a lot of time into knowing how to best make use of that camera gear.
The pros save you time.
A lot of real estate agents are incredibly busy responding to enquiries, marketing their own services, and handling all that they have to do. The last thing they need is to squeeze yet another activity into their day, so it pays to outsource the photography to someone else who is going to do a far better job.
The pros take care of the technology.
They mention the way in which a professional photographer can size the images correctly for online marketing, and how they can also prepare virtual tours and other marketing tools as well.
The pros deliver a premium product.
This is where professional photography really stands out, and this article correctly points out that a photographer has the skills to make even a small property look amazing. They do that through knowledge and experience, creatively using light and smart image compositions to make a home, any home, look its very best.

Professional photography really makes a difference, why?

Home sellers hire real estate agents to achieve the best possible outcome for the sale of the home, and professional photography plays an absolutely essential part in achieving that outcome. But it’s not just any photography – it has to be amazing photography!

The best thing you can do for your brand, your listings, and your clients is to hire a photographer for all your listings.

photography, Realtors

Make your listings stand out

December 7, 2017June 3, 2018 Pipas Imagery

It’s no question that photos of a house is a great marketing tool for brokers and agents. Having your listing stand out among the rest will attract more buyers.

If you have any questions about out packages do not hesitate to ask.

Tag: photography

Why do you need a real estate photographer?