When you are trying to sell your property, the most crucial piece of your marketing strategy should be real estate photography and videography. Nowadays, when 90% of property searches begin online, giving potential buyers access to photos and videos increases your chances of generating inquiries and leads.
If you want people to notice your real estate listing, you need eye-catching and high-resolution photos and videos that give potential buyers a good sense of the property and all of its features. Whether you are distributing the photos online or through a hard copy, you need photos that can do the property justice.
Hiring a professional real estate photographer can be especially helpful when you have multiple properties to showcase or a large area to cover. If you have never worked with a photographer before, there are several things you can do to make sure you are hiring the right one:
Before you hire a professional photographer, you need to decide how much of your budget you are willing to allot for their services. This will help you narrow down your choices and decide on who will be best suited for your particular needs. If you have several properties to capture, lumping them together in one deal can help bring the cost down. Aside from the actual video shoot, a photography agency will also charge for post-production services like editing, enhancing, and digital effects.
To start shortlisting candidates, you can view their portfolio of work online. Most photographers and videographers have an online presence, whether it’s a social media profile or a full website. You can visit the sites of professionals in your area to get a feel of their work and which photography and videography style will best suit your real estate listing needs. Some are experts at producing motion picture-quality films, but keep your budget in mind when browsing portfolios.
The best real estate photographers will come highly recommended by your friends and colleagues. If you have a short list, try to inquire with your friends in the industry if they have had previous experience working with the photographers in your short list and if their work helped them sell their properties faster. Online reviews can be helpful, but a personal referral reveals so much more information and insight.
When you have cut down your list to at least two or three, you can approach each of the candidates and inquire about their services directly. Most accomplished and capable videographers will have more samples than what they provide online. You want to check their capability to light their subject adequately, especially when the weather is overcast or even at night. You also want to look for those who can do creative shots and unique angles. If you want aerial shots, you can ask them for samples that demonstrate their capability with drone photography.
Many photographers will offer to do a no-commitment trial run whether for a minimal fee or for free. The test run fees can often be folded into your final production fee, so be sure to negotiate this with the creative agency before agreeing on a contract. If your budget permits, you can engage the agency for one property before agreeing to the rest of your listings. You want to make sure you have a good working relationship with the photographers so you can establish a partnership with their agency in the long term and mutually beneficial arrangement.
Conclusion
Remember that when you are hiring photographers and videographers, you’re paying for quality. If you want stunning and eye-catching visuals, you will want to work with experienced professionals. You can always engage an amateur photographer with a few references, but if you want to increase your chances of success, you should invest in a good creative agency that can support your real estate business in the long term.
Are you looking for the best real estate photography service in Dallas? We offer professional real estate photography and videography capture with drone capabilities. Visit our website to view sample work and book a schedule with us today!
