Real estate photography

[Cypher]

Hey there folks awhile ago I was looking for a house in brisbane. I noticed that most of the real estate agencies take shoddy, crappy images that show potential clients nothing of the houses' potential. So I was wondering is it at all an idea to approach real estate agencies ? And has anyone ever done photography for real estate ??

Thanks in advance,

Cypher

[vfdbaker]

I have done real estate photography. That is how I got started actually. I worked for a company called CirclePix out of Utah (I worked locally in Ohio though). They specialize in Virtual Tours. I am not sure how you would approach a real estate company but you could put an offer on the table. Who knows? They might bite at the opportunity to get a really good photograph!

[LeeR]

I suspect that someone who knew how to make a 360 degree panorama and do it small enough to keep a dial-up line from getting jammed might do all right. Years ago I shot for the MLS people, but back then the pay was lousy and the schedule was impossible. I'd stay away from that kind of production mill type work and concentrate on pricier homes where spending a few bucks on good marketing great images is likely to pay off for your clients.

[Jim Bryant]

Real Estate agents, unless they are selling the high end custom homes to those who make six figures a years can afford, squeak when they walk. I had one local company in town was interested in me taking pictures for a variety of homes, but they fainted when I told them my prices and I haven't heard back. The other day I was some mom with a carload of kids, taking pictures with a consumer kit and I could only laugh.

[RLucas]

Powerpix does it. You can ask him.

[Kellyj69]

we have a company in Austin that actually has an ad posted offering $10 per house for a minimum of 6 shots per house! I told them to call when they wanted to pay $10 per photograph and we could talk

[GadgetRick]

Being as I come from the mortgage industry, I can explain a few things about realtors.

Contrary to popular belief most realtors make very little money selling houses. Sure, you see that 6% commission paid and you think the realtor is making big bucks. However, in most cases, the realtor is working some sort of split with their broker. If it wasn't their listing the split is even less. So they may wind up with 2% (or less in some cases). Still seems like a lot of money at times. However, keep in mind, the realtor (typically) pays ALL of their own expenses...any kind of marketing/advertising, buying signs, etc.

For a realtor to make any kind of money they really need to be selling 2+ homes a month. In reality, the last time I checked, the average realtor sells more like 2-4 homes per year! So, as you can see, most realtors just don't have the money to do this.

Now, from a photog's perspective, this is still a potentially decent way of making some money. However, you must keep some things in mind:

-This isn't art shooting. Don't expect to be paid like it is and don't expect them to think it is. It's also not portraits, a wedding, other event, etc. It's just a photo of a home and some shots inside. Nothing more, nothing less.
-Most people (forget about just realtors) don't know the value of a good photograph of something you're selling. You must impress this on anybody you're speaking with about this. In their eyes, their shots with the p&s are good enough and they only need, "good enough".
-Because this is just shooting a home and nothing more, you cannot expect to be paid like you're shooting other things. You're just not gonna get that kind of money so don't waste your time if you're not willing to shoot for less.
-Realtors are notoriously cheap (for lack of a better term). Since most of them make little money, they have to be. Again, you must keep this in mind when going after this kind of business.
-Real estate photography like this is more about volume and less about what you're making on each photo. To make this work, you need to shoot a bunch of homes in a given time. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense.

I've been looking at getting into this and have spoken with some realtor friends of mine. I've proposed pricing/etc and they seem to think it might work. As soon as I can get myself a good wide angle lens, I'm going to give it a go. Here's the pricing I've proposed:

-$20 per house
-shots outside and inside (all rooms)
-they get a disc with the images (of course I retain the rights)
-for an additional $20 I will provide them with an 8x10 photo of the outside for them to give to the new homeowners as a gift. Of course, this only applies if the house is one you'd want a photo of.

Not a lot of money for them or me. The concept is to get business and shoot 4 or 5 homes in a day. Won't take long (make sure they're in the same area). Of course, hard to make a living at that kind of rate so I don't plan to. It's just an additional source of income. Every little bit helps.

There are lots of things like this where you can earn a few bucks. Most pros won't touch this kind of business because it's just not a lot of money. If I was making enough doing the other things I do I wouldn't be trying to do this so I understand that. But it can become a decent little money maker for some extra spending money.

[Cypher]

Thanks alot for your input mate, appreciate it as it must have taken some time to type

Cheers again,

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by Cypher

Thanks alot for your input mate, appreciate it as it must have taken some time to type

Cheers again,

No worries. Just trying to help.

[JBrowning]

Nice info on the subject. I have family in the real estate business and have thought of approaching them about this just for expereince if nothing else.

What would be the recommended lens for this kind of work?