Why use a professional real estate photographer? Read on for 5 top reasons. Technology has made it easier for homebuyers to search online when looking for a new home. With this increased use of the internet to list and attract potential buyers listing agents need to show their listing online in the best way possible. The images you use for listing properties are a vital part of successfully selling a home. These images are the first impression you make on potential buyers and poor images will make a lasting, poor impression. If you are not using a professional photographer to shoot all of your listings…you may want to reconsider. Here are 5 reasons why you should use a professional real estate photographer.

Using Professional Images as a Real Estate Agent:

1. Professional images attract more buyers.

The better quality images you use for your listing the more attention they will get on listing sites. Studies have shown that professional real estate photography can increase the number of clicks on a listing by well over 100%. Listings that use a professional real estate photographer for their listings will not only get more attention but are more likely to generate more interest in the home.

2. More professional.

High-quality images give you a more professional look. When you meet with a seller the professional images you have in your portfolio will give them more confidence in your ability to sell their home for the best price and quickly. More than half of the listing agents in the industry use a professional real estate photographer to capture their home. This is more noticeable when you are selling homes in the most competitive list price bracket. The more competition there is, the harder you will have to work to stand out. You want to look as professional as the other agents listing in your area which means you’ll need to use a professional photographer to capture the homes you are listing.

3. Saves you time.

Taking images of each property yourself as the listing agent can be a time-consuming process as well as stressful. Not only does it take time out of your day to take the images but it also takes time to upload them, re-size, and if the images come out blurry or poorly you’ll have to take the time to re-shoot them. Hiring a real estate photographer to do all this for you can equal a lot less stress for you. They’ll shoot, edit, re-size and properly format the images so all you have to do is add them to your online listing.

4. It gives you a competitive edge.

People who are selling their homes will most often go with the listing agent who uses a professional photographer to photograph their home. This is because they know that the better the images they have showcasing their home the better their home will be marketed and increase the potential for selling it fast and at a high sale price.

Chances are that the most successful listing agents in your area already use a professional real estate photographer. It not only gets the listing more attention but it also allows you to look more professional. If you want to stand out more in your area as a listing agent then using professional images instead of taking them yourself with a point and shoot will give you a competitive edge over your competition.

5. Sell faster.

Homes that are listed using professional images tend to sell faster. Studies have shown that professional real estate photography can help a listing sell around 50% faster than comparable homes without professional photography. The images you use to represent your listing can have a major impact on potential buyers. Using a point and shoot camera to take your own image will most likely not get as much attention so potential buyers are more likely to just scroll past the listing. Unless you have a successfully produced, attractive image of the home it is going to get overlooked and will sit on the market for much longer.

Using a professional real estate photographer will not only get your listing more attention but it makes the home seem more appealing. Buyers will unconsciously assign a higher value to listings with great photos than with listings with bad photos. Potential buyers generally want to be able to see themselves in a beautiful home, not in one that has poor lighting and looks unwelcoming.