How and why I got into real estate photography

I first want to state that I am not here to offend any real estate agent taking their own photos or using someone who is not necessarily a trained eye. I don’t think any real estate agent would intentionally do something that would impede the sale of a client’s home. What I’d like to do is educate on better visual marketing, and what that means.

The reason I decided to get into real estate photography is simple…I saw a real need. As a consumer in the real estate market I am continually disappointed and frustrated with the photos in real estate listings. And I’d have to say that a good 80% or more of the listings I’ve looked at have one of the following issues: 1) Poor presentation, 2) Bad perspective, 3) Less than adequate collection of photos, 4) Too many photos of a given space, and 5) Unrealistic representation due to photo manipulation.

And some real estate agents are going to respond to me by saying that with a lower commission listing it’s just not worth the investment to hire a photographer. I’ve heard that line, and I just don’t understand it. Though I’m not an agent, I know the quicker you sell the house, the higher the sale price; therefore the higher the commission. So why in the world would you risk a bad first impression? And the truth is, I’ve seen these photo issues on homes priced at $150K up to $900K. Even if all the specs for the home match what a person or family is looking for, a bad first impression due to one of the first three issues listed above could and do cause buyers to overlook or look past your listing as an option. Therefore, they will never even call their real estate agent, or have the agent take them to the home for a viewing. What do we call that? We call that “a lost opportunity.” I’m here to help you capitalize on that opportunity. Call me, 602-809-7710, Michelle Fox.

Now I bet you are wondering Why should you hire me?

See the first follow up article: 1) From Poor Presentation to Good Presentation