Embarking on a journey in real estate photography starts with a blank canvas. As a photographer, you’re more than just a picture taker; you’re a storyteller. Crafting a narrative through your lens is a powerful tool for attracting the right clientele.

Building Your Portfolio

Begin by curating a captivating portfolio. Experiment by photographing your own home, your friends’ spaces, or an Airbnb to showcase your skills. These initial shoots will form the foundation of your portfolio, giving potential clients a glimpse of your capabilities.

Fact: Real estate photography plays a pivotal role in real estate marketing. With 97% of home buyers incorporating the internet into their property search, presenting a property in its best light becomes crucial for attracting potential buyers.

Display your work on Social Media

In this digital age, if your content isn’t on your social media platforms, you’re missing out on reaching many potential clients. Reels, particularly given your talent in creating stunning property photography, are one of the easiest ways to grow your channel. Consistency is key; by regularly sharing your work, you’ll soon see fruitful results in the form of growing followers.

As you notice homebuyers, homesellers, and realtors starting to follow your account, take it as a sign that you’re on the right track.

Understand your Target Customers & Leverage Networking

PhotoUp suggests that there are 4 main types of customers for real estate photography services:

Real Estate Agents: The primary clientele for most real estate photographers. With millions of agents and homes sold annually, this segment offers a vast market. Base prices usually range from $150 to $200 per shoot, though adjustments can be made based on location and additional services offered.

Luxury Clients: Shooting luxury homes involves high-end techniques and significant investment in marketing. However, these clients represent a small fraction of the real estate photography market and might not be the starting point for most photographers due to the specialized skills and reputation required.

Architecture Clients: This category involves working with architects or home builders for portfolio shots. The pay scale is high, often ranging from $500 to $1,000 or more per shoot. Breaking into this field typically requires an existing portfolio and is more prevalent in big cities or luxury markets.

Commercial Clients: Primarily found in larger cities, commercial photography covers a range of spaces like commercial buildings, hotels, or restaurants. Pricing is comparable to architecture photography, but it’s a niche that might not be accessible or necessary for everyone.

How to Network

Don’t underestimate the power of networking. Network with lenders, title officers, and stagers. This is vital since you share the same network: agents.

Engage with local bartenders; they often have connections with individuals starting their real estate journey. Offer to photograph a few properties or commercial spaces (even a restaurant) for free to expand your portfolio and establish credibility in the field.

Reach Out to Realtors

Once you’ve built a portfolio, it’s time to connect with real estate agents and property management firms. Attend agent and real estate events armed with your portfolio and business cards. 

Fact: Exceptional photography has the power to distinguish a home amidst the multitude of houses available for sale. A top-notch visual presentation through images, videos, and virtual tours can significantly shorten a house’s time on the market while also boosting its selling price.

Bonus tip: if you have an engaging social media, it can also help you get more inquiries or responses from real estate agents looking for photographers in their area.

Your exceptional work will speak for itself, and if you’ve captured the essence of a property effectively, the inquiries will soon follow.

Time Constraints, Location and Property Sizes

Consider your time availability when approaching client acquisition. If you have limited hours to dedicate, focus on efficient strategies to attract clients. Determine the services you can offer beyond photography; consider videography, floor plans, and drone photography to broaden your appeal.

Location and size of the property are also important considerations for building effective pricing models. However, a common practice is to charge higher rates for larger homes, typically based on their square footage.

For instance, if the standard price for a 1,500-square-foot home shoot is $150, it’s customary to add an extra $50-100 for each additional 1,000 square feet. Moreover, it’s valuable to note that, in many markets, the average home size falls within the range of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet (source: PhotoUp). 

Offering Compelling Services (Trials, Add-ons, Bundles)

One of the most overlooked strategies for building a successful real estate photography business involves evolving into a media and marketing company rather than solely focusing on photography. This shift, known as Real Estate Photography 3.0 (REP3), signifies a larger industry trend.

Trials:

When starting out, consider offering your initial shoots for free to secure your foothold in the industry. While many might just capitalize on the free offer, a fraction will become loyal clients, generating substantial revenue in the long run. Additionally, consider bundling your services at a discounted rate to attract clients looking for comprehensive packages.

Add-ons:

​​Did you know that Photographers who provide add-ons can increase their revenue from 2 to 3 times without investing in additional gear?

While investing in additional gear might be necessary for certain add-on services, for many of them no additional equipment is even needed. Some sought-after services that can elevate your pricing beyond the base rate include aerial photos and videos (requiring a specialized FAA license), virtual staging (an easy add-on with no extra equipment needed), the resurgence of virtual tours, single property websites, home walk-through videos (only your mobile is needed), and digital floor plans (only your mobile is needed). These offerings present opportunities for photographers to expand their services and enhance their business’s profitability. The return on investment is promising, especially that some of these add-ons require only 5 minutes on-site.

How to sell the add-ons 

Nathan Cool explains how to soft-sell various examples of add-ons in this video:

Eli Jones, a real estate photographer,  educator, and owner of Norman and Young Real Estate Media shares the pricing strategy that allowed his company to grow so quickly. And yes, they also use CubiCasa 2D and 3D floor plans, and have joined the CubiCasa Preferred Photographer Program.

Andrei Restrepo, a luxury real estate photographer explains how to sell 3D video render walkthroughs and other floor plan add-ons:

This comprehensive guide is designed to help budding real estate photographers embark on their entrepreneurial journey, navigate their initial challenges, and set the stage for a successful and fulfilling career in real estate photography.

Here are some real estate photography stats that you can leverage when offering your services:

• Real estate listings that include professional real estate photography sell 32% faster
• Homes with aerial photos sell 68% faster
• 403% more inquiries are driven from listings with video (source: NAR Realtor).

Ruby Home Luxury Real Estate concluded that:

Listings with pro-quality listing images close between $934 and $116,076 higher than comparable listings with low-quality photography (According to the Wall Street Journal)

According to a Chicago-based study, homes marketed with professional photos sell faster, which is clearly desirable for home sellers and their agents:

Real estate listings that include professional photography sold 32% faster, spending 89 days on market compared to 123 days for other homes.

Agents who use professional real estate photography make double the average gross commission income compared to agents who don’t use professional photography.

How much to charge for real estate photography services:

Your pricing structure can be based on one or several of the considerations or methods here:

• Based on hourly rates
• According to the number of images provided
• Depending on the home’s size

The pricing packages can also differ depending on the professional’s expertise, property size, and the quantity of images or the length of video content delivered. Additionally, some professionals might include an extra charge for shoots that involve significant travel.

Pricing Insights for Real Estate Photography

Ruby Home Luxury Real Estate conducted research to discover the average costs for photoshoots in the United States, encompassing 10-25 MLS-ready photos for homes sized between 1,500-3,000 square feet:

According to PhotoUp, an independent real estate photographer working full-time can anticipate earning anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 annually. The income potential increases significantly if you expand and establish a team over time.

For individuals dedicated to sales and marketing efforts (topics covered in subsequent lessons within this course) and fully devoted to their photography business, the average earnings for a real estate photographer could be as follows:

Year 1 $60,000

Year 2 $90,000

Year 3 $120,000

Considering this, throughout the peak busy season in summer, an average full-time real estate photographer typically handles 2-4 home shoots daily, while in the slower winter season, this reduces to 1-2 homes per day.

Moreover, a typical residential home shoot spans 60-90 minutes, varying based on the home’s size. Larger homes might necessitate more time.

The landscape of real estate marketing is evolving, with add-ons increasingly becoming a standard offering. These add-ons, such as 3D video, aerial shots, floor plans, and virtual tours, not only enhance the shoot but also contribute to additional time and profitability.

P.S: CubiCasa’s 2D floor plans are free!  Our simple floor plan is the perfect way to show the flow of the home, and it’s available to you at no charge. Include this version at a nominal fee for your client, and suggest the fully featured version including fixed furniture as an upgrade. With a simple 5 minute scan, you can provide even more products that will help your client add to the value of their listing, such as our GLA report, 3D floor plans, or video render, with no extra work.

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