The internet is full of articles about how real estate photographers can get the most money possible for their services. But little has been reported about how much real estate agents should be paying for listing photography. We know how critical photographs are to helping agents win and selling listings. So, we did the digging, looked at the local markets, and found out the truth about real estate photography pricing.

Why is Real Estate Photography Important?

Sell Homes Faster and for More

Rismedia recently reported: 

Listings with high-quality photos sell 32 percent faster.

Listings with more photos sell faster.  A home with one photo spends an average of 70 days on the market, but a home with 20 photos spends 32 days on the market.

For listings in the $200,000 to $1 million range, those that include high-quality photography in their listings sell for $3,000-$11,000 more.

Impress Sellers and Get More Listings

But most importantly, photos are important to home sellers. According to the NAR, The number one service home sellers look for in a real estate agent, is someone with a great marketing strategy. Photos are a huge piece of that marketing strategy.

Incorporating beautiful and appropriate photographs in marketing materials can really help a listing agent to make their marketing services and expertise tangible to sellers. Showcasing the best photos alongside floorplans, virtual tours, and videos with services like Single Property Sites is one of the best ways agents can show their marketing strengths.

What is Average Real Estate Photography Pricing?

The average price for real estate photography is between $100 and $350.  This price can vary slightly by region and by property size. This price should include 1-3 hours of photography time, at least 25 edited images, a quick turnaround time, and images that don’t require reformatting for the MLS or across social media. Copyright for each photo should fall to the agent for commercial use.

Real Estate Photography Pricing by Region

West: Denver

Hot Shot Pros focuses solely on high-end real estate photography. They offer an array of packages, but the most popular, MLS-specific package is $195 and includes 35+ edited photos, home tour, Youtube video, and interactive floorplan. Springing for a luxury listing package only costs $250.

South: Miami

iUSE Photography is Miami’s premier real estate photography company. They offer a blue sky guarantee on all their photos with tons of a la carte pricing options. Their best is their $249 twilight package which includes 24 photos and 1 twilight photo. The best part is their quick turnaround time with next day delivery.

East Coast: Washington DC

Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography is one of DC’s most trusted real estate photography studios. Their standard package is $300 for 30 edited images and includes a virtual tour. They have multiple awards from Houzz and offer drone services, too.

West Coast: Portland

Tim Sadle Photography has had agents singing his praises for years. Seriously, check him out on Yelp! His photos are stunning and his packages are very well priced. For $135 real estate agents get a full package with 15-35 interior and exterior photos with professional editing. All photos come pre-formatted for the RMLS.

Southwest: Dallas

Capture 2 Sell is an all-in-one listing stop for real estate agents. Capture 2 Sell offers traditional photography, videos, drone photography/video, and Matterport virtual tours. Their drone and standard photography package runs at $260, and additional products like Matterport and videos can be added on.

How to choose a real estate photographer

Choosing a real estate photographer is one of the most important services an agent will choose.

When picking for a real estate photographer, it is important to look for:

Binding Contracts

Many photographers have contracts designed to protect themselves and their clients. Real estate agents should never hire a photographer who does not offer signed contracts. They can skip town with an agent’s payment before delivering any photos.

Golden Hour Photographs

Taking real estate photos during dawn or dusk can set a listing apart from everything else on the market. Agents should look for a photographer who specializes in using natural light and takes “golden hour” photos at dawn or dusk. These photos wow both sellers and buyers alike.

Real Estate Only

Many aspiring photographers will try to brand themselves a jack of all trades by offering engagement photos, family portraits, pet photos, and real estate photography. Even though an agent may be attracted by a lower price point, Realtors should steer clear. Taking listing photos and taking family photos require two different skill sets. It would be like asking a dentist to operate on a hand, simply because they are a doctor.

Delivery Method & Post Production

Real estate agents should also be aware of how their photos will be delivered. Some real estate photographers offer flash drives, some offer disks, while others send the files securely online. For the easiest use, direct download is best. The best real estate photographers also use post-production filters, editing, and touch-ups using programs like Adobe Lightroom.

Real Estate Photography Pricing

Finding a good real estate photographer should cost no more than $100-$350 per listing. Choosing a good photographer is important because photography impresses sellers, sells homes more quickly, and makes an agent’s job easier. Being mindful of contracts, post-production, when a photographer takes their photos, and their area of expertise all play a part in choosing the right real estate photographer.

The post Real Estate Photography Pricing: How Much Should Agents be Paying? appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Worse than Goldfish

It all boils down to science. Scientists in Canada have found that most humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Thanks to smartphones and tablets, we can typically only pay attention for 8 seconds or less!

This has been a nightmare for marketers trying to get consumers attention. But they are slowly finding that video is king. The stats don’t lie. Forbes reported that “By 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic.” And, “After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.” That is insane.

This is because video holds our short attention spans in a way that tradition print and photographs cannot. Hubspot reported, “55% of people play close attention when consuming video – more than all other types of content”

Seller Clients

The #1 thing that sellers want from an agent is the ability to market their home. This is why having a killer marketing plan before walking into a listing appointment is critical. It is the top priority for sellers. Statistics show that the best way to market online is through video engagement. Knowing this information and presenting it to soon-to-be clients is key to more conversions. Renderforest recently reported:

• Marketers who use video content get 66% more qualified leads per year.

• 70% of marketing professionals report video converts better than any other mediums.

• Video posts on Facebook have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts.

• The users spend 88% more time on a website with video.

By sharing this knowledge with sellers and then acting on it, agents can position themselves as marketing experts and get more clients.

Brand Awareness and SEO

Video is also a useful way to bump website SEO and increase brand visibility. One of the ways that Google ranks websites is by how helpful or useful it decides a website is. Part of this decision hinges on dwell time. Dwell time is the amount of time a person spends interacting with content. The longer people spend watching video and interacting with the site, the higher Google will rank it. A video is actually 53x more likely to get ranked on page 1 of Google, organically.

As far as brand awareness goes, video reigns because of its sharability. In fact, “Video posts on Facebook have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts.” And, “Social video produces 1200% more shares than text and images combined.” For growing future business, videos are going to be a vital source for the next 5-10 years.

The Hassle: Time and Money

All the stats look great and it easy to see that video is one of the best ways to market real estate. But…it takes a lot of time and/or money to make videos.

I remember sitting in one of my final college courses on video marketing and actually crying. I had never cried in school before, but Final Cut Pro drove me to do it. It took hours upon hours to even make a thirty-second spot that still was nowhere near complete when class started. I hadn’t slept in 48 hours, just trying to figure out audio layers. Plus, the software wasn’t cheap either.

For Realtors who are like me and don’t want to hassle with the learning curve and time commitment of video producing, there is always to option to hire someone else to produce videos. The problem there is the cost. Real estate listing videos can cost anywhere between $1000-$2500 to outsource. That is a chunk of commission.

So is there a way to use real estate listing videos and forgo spending an arm and a leg…or giving up hours of sleep?

Alternative Solutions

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to harness the marketing magic of video without breaking the bank or forgoing sleep:

Automatic Listing Videos

We would be remiss if we didn’t let you know that every time a Single Property Site is created, a free listing video is automagically uploaded to YouTube. The videos pull photos and details about the listing to create a slick listing video. Agents don’t need to do a thing. Here is a recent real estate listing video from a Colorado listing.

DIY Quick Editing: Splice & Quik

If an agent has listing photos or video footage on their phone, they can use Splice (ios) or Quik (android). Both of these apps were created by the GoPro brand. And unlike very complicated programs like Final Cut Pro, they were designed with small business owners and creators in mind. These apps allow agents to edit videos quickly and painlessly on their phones. If an agent is interested in compiling their own real estate listing videos, these are the best apps to use.

Video Stabilizers

For real estate agents wanting to use their smartphone to shoot listing videos, testimonials, or social media clips, stabilizers can make videos look 1000x better. A video stabilizer automatically makes videos look smooth and crisp by taking out any shaky camera effects the phone might pick up. Emulsio (ios) and Deshake (Android) are two great options.

Real Estate Listing Videos

Video is king. There is no way around it. This year 80% of all web traffic will come from video. It is the most effective way to engage leads and impress clients. But real estate agents don’t need to break the bank to harness the power of video. Options like automatically generated videos with all-in-one marketing solutions, easy phone apps for editing, and tools that make a professional looking video are all great workarounds to listing videos that cost thousands.

The post Are Real Estate Listing Videos Really Worth it? appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

2. Crowdsource Listings

Crowdsourcing is on the rise and many agents are jumping in the game. Why should a real estate agent do all the work of selling a home when social media users want to help? If an agent is already sharing their listing videos and photos on social media, this one is a no-brainer.

Simply tag the homeowners in the listing post on Facebook and Instagram. Their own social networks will help take care of the rest. By seeing a friend trying to sell their home, many users will share the listing on their own profiles. Its exposure for both the listing and the agent.

 3. Strong Descriptions

4. Professional Photography

5. Interactive Experiences

It’s no secret that virtual tours and drone videography have taken off over the past few years. I know *insert eye roll*, more money, but hear me out. Virtual tours aren’t just changing the way we look at listings, they are also a great tool for the ever-increasing number homebuyers moving to new states as well as millennial buyers. Realtor.com reported that listings with virtual tours got 87% more views.

But above all else, virtual tours and drone photography/videography are not for homebuyers, they are for home sellers. Using these forms of marketing not only motivate sellers to choose an agent, but they are also a great tool to attract other clients, too.

For more info on interactive media, check out how much agents should be paying for drone photography/videography and our virtual tour brand guide.

6. Single Property Websites

Closing

The post How to Market a Real Estate Listing 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Strategic and Colorful Accessories

When staging a home, adding flashes of color can make any listing pop. According to the Pinterest and Pantone gods, Living Coral, BEHR’s Blueprint, and deep, foresty greens are ruling in 2019. Adding these colors into your real estate staging process this year is a must.

Brightly colored accessories do wonders to draw attention to certain areas of a room and can add a vibrant vibe to any space. A few, strategically placed throw pillows in Living Coral, can draw the eye to selling features like bay windows or a cozy fireplace. Creating a little contrast in just the right spots will ensure a room doesn’t come off as dull or lifeless.

Focus On Neutral Colors

On the flip side, neutrals never go out of style and they have never been hotter. Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore are boasting neutrals (Cavern Clay and Metropolitan AF-690) as their 2019 colors of the year. The classic rule of thumb that homes show well with neutral palettes has never been truer. Adding the bright pops of Living Coral, deep blues, and dark greens is important, but the majority of the listing should be classically decked out in neutrals.

The most important room to utilize neutrals in is the bathroom. Color psychology reveals that humans connect neutrals like white and beige with cleanliness and purity. Nothing turns buyers off more quickly than a bathroom they perceive as dirty. Additionally, if there are any holdovers of those bright, garish accent walls from the early 2000s, it’s best to suggest that the homeowner, cover them up with white or taupe.

Minimalism

2019 has kicked off with a major de-clutter trend. Marie Kondo’s Netflix show “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” has become a runaway hit and minimalism is trending. Decluttering has been part of any real estate staging process for decades, but never has it been more necessary.

Aside from having home sellers remove personal photos and niche memorabilia, it is also important to declutter. A good motivator for sellers is to remind them that they will be moving soon, so it is the perfect time to start purging and part with anything unlikely to make the move.

Quick tips for creating a clean, minimalistic space include:

• swapping out large trashcans for smaller sizes that can be concealed within cabinets
• hooks to hang items within work and kitchen spaces
• using storage boxes to fill bookcases with hidden clutter
• tubes like shower rods to conceal messes of cables and cords

If all else fails, door-fronted furniture like Ikea’s Kallax Units are a home seller’s best friend. In order to maximize the apparent size of the rooms, remove as much furniture as possible.

Simple Windows

If a listing’s curtains or drapes look like they were purchased in the ’80s, it’s time for an update. This goes right along with the 2019 minimalism trend. Instead of over-the-top window treatments, curtain rods, and blinds, opt for something fresh, neutral, and open. Beige or white curtains or simple blinds are best. Curtains and blinds should be open and the windows should be clean. If using curtains, select ones that extend all the way from the floor to the ceiling. This is because curtains that only extend to the bottom of the window frame cut visual space in half, creating an awkward, blocky appearance that creates the illusion of a smaller space.

Clean Air

In 2019, biophilia is also having a moment. The relationship between people and nature has never been more prevalent than today. Conversations surrounding sustainability, phone addiction, and natural resources are heating up. These themes are being reflected in decor trends for 2019.

Maximizing natural light, house plants, and accents that are deep, foresty greens are in. A couple strategically placed and well-taken-care-of plants can add an air of freshness and liveliness to a home. Place a few, green plants in high impact areas of the house and open the windows.

To further add to the freshness of a home, be sure to check the scent. Clean citrus scents pair perfectly with the minimalism and biophilia trends of 2019. For open houses, sending a few lemons and orange rinds down the garbage disposer instantly freshens any kitchen. Likewise, storing an open container of oats in the fridge and a few hidden boxes of baking soda around a home clears the air.

Front Entries

When a potential buyer first approaches a home, every effort should be made to wow. After all, first impressions matter. The front entrance of the home should have special attention when prepping. Neutral, minimalism is key. Yard decor should be removed and if there is a front porch, a power washing is in order. Hanging a mirror near the front of the home is also a great idea because it literally forces buyers to picture/see themselves in the home.

Let The Light In

Anyone who has done real estate staging knows that dark homes make for terrible photos and are also are unappealing for showings. But with Biophilia and Minimalism trending, now more than ever, it’s important to let as much light into the home as possible. All of the blinds in the home should be opened and the windows should be clean. If the yard is less than ideal, consider only partially opening the blinds so that light is allowed in while still obscuring the outside view. If the natural light is not that great, it’s still important to turn on all of the lights.

Wrapping Up

With the rise of virtual tours, listing videos, and online home shopping, real estate staging is more important than ever. In addition to the classic staging techniques that Realtors have picked up over the years, each new year offers an opportunity to connect with current home trends. Classic staging techniques like letting light in and decluttering are more important than ever. And minimized decor, soothing neutrals, a pop of color, and a touch of nature will go a long way to resonating with potential home buyers in 2019.

Bonus: For the best place to show off every perfectly staged photo, virtual tour, and listing video in one place, check out Single Property Sites media showcase.

The post 7 Real Estate Staging Tips and Trends for 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

We are breaking down the best real estate drones for 2019. In the past decade, online real estate listings have really stepped up their game. Realtors now have images with higher resolution, more detail, and a stronger overall aesthetic. Drone photography is the next frontier in marketing listings.

By capturing properties at all possible angles, agents can set their listings apart from the rest. Using drone photography is the most cost-efficient, practical way to add professional style aerial images to real estate listings. And with the proliferation of manual drones, it is now affordable for large brokerages and solitary agents alike to utilize this technology.

And thankfully, in 2019, real estate agents won’t need to pay a drone photography firm to take professional-grade aerial photos for them. Drones are now user-friendly and durable enough that agents can afford them and figure how to use them pretty quickly.

What Realtors Should Look For in a Real Estate Drone?

There are many variables when choosing the perfect real estate drone. They are not all created equal. So jumping on Amazon and buying whatever is sale will probably not work in any agents favor. The drone market is full of different products catering to specific needs.

There are drones built for durability, drones built for speed, and drones built for other niche uses. For real estate photography needs, agents need a specific type of photography drone.

While there is some flexibility when seeking out real estate drones, it is important that they specialize in the four following areas:

Real Estate Drones Should Shoot in High Resolution

While it is important to find a well-built drone, remember to confirm the drone’s camera resolution. Most now come with a camera standard, but not all cameras are created equal. Buying a top-tier drone that does not deliver in the camera resolution department will not benefit your real estate photography needs.

Realtors should remember to check the following specs before making a drone purchase:

Resolution (at least 600 hp)
Frame Rate
Megapixel Level
File Type of Photos/Videos (make sure they are compatible with your devices)
Available Shooting Modes (filters, rapid shoot, etc.)

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Transmission Range

Another important feature of drones is the transmission range. That is the distance you can transmit commands from the remote control to the drone.

A drone with weak control range can cause headaches. Just imagine trying to get a good aerial shot of your property, but your real estate drone goes out of range, causing you to lose control, waste battery time, and loose footage.

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Battery Life

The battery life (or flight time) of your drone is dependent on the strength of its batteries. A good rule of thumb is to seek out a drone with a strong enough battery that, when fully charged, can operate for at least 15 minutes. It is always a good idea to buy a second battery that can be charged and switched out during a photo shoot. This ensures adequate photography time.

Real Estate Drone Should Be Easily Maneuvered and Stable

It is important a real estate drone is not only stable but can be easily maneuvered during a real estate photo shoot. The last thing an agent wants is a real estate drone that shakes, begins to lose altitude, or has a tough time staying level.

The Best Indoor Drone for Real Estate Photography

Altair Aerial AA818 Plus Hornet

The Hornet is pretty amazing. It is under $300 and is designed specifically for photography. The Hornet has a battery life of 15 minutes and 720 hp high-definition camera. It is controlled and synced with any tablet or smartphone. It also has automatic orientation adjustment. This drone is great because it is designed for beginners and is really easy to use.

Get the AA8181 Plus Hornet, here.

Best Drones For Outdoor Real Estate Photography

Yuneec Typhoon H Pro

With a retail price of $1100, the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro offers the types of features you need in a reliable real estate drone.
The Typhoon H Pro has a 4K HD camera that shoots in 12 megapixels. With a range of 1.6km, the battery life provides flight time of up to 25 minutes.

While there are other cameras on the market with higher levels of megapixel resolution, the photos are still high quality, and the video quality is still up to snuff (4k HD).

Beyond the quality of the images shot with the Yuneec, this drone offers some of the best manual piloting available in a photography drone. The high-quality controls of this drone allow for stable flight and easy maneuvering. The Typhoon H pro also comes with sensors that prevent collisions with nearby objects.

Designed for the professional photography market, the Typhoon H Pro is a great option for Realtors looking to use real estate drone photography.

Get the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro, here.

3DR Solo

Coming in at around $500, the 3DR solo offers flexibility when it comes to camera choice. While the drone itself does not include a camera, the device is compatible with several GoPro models (Hero 3, Hero 4), giving you flexibility when it comes to camera quality.

The 3DR solo is highly durable; its built like a little tank. The drone offers multiple flight modes that are perfect for your real estate photography needs.

With an 8km range and a 25 minute flight time, the 3DR gives you what you need to take the best photos for your real estate listings.

Get the 3DR Solo, here.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

With a retail price of $1200, the DJI Phantom 4 is definitely built for the professional market. While pricier, it boasts a variety of modes, a great camera and video capabilities, and long battery life.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro offers 4k video and 20-megapixel resolution, a range of over 7 kilometers, and a flight time/battery life of 30 minutes.

Not only does this drone offer high-quality images with the burst mode feature, but you can also get plenty of “quick shots” for your image gallery.

Other modes include bracket mode, which is very helpful in creating HDR composites.

Get the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, here.

Final Thoughts

As Online real estate listings continue envolve by offering more interactivity, drone photography and videography is a great opportunity to market properties. Real estate drones are great for aerial or angle shots you cannot easily get with a traditional DSLR camera.

Remember it’s all about the right drone for the job. Discounted drones, drones designed for kids, or even more touchy drones built for hobbyists won’t do the trick. For real estate drone photography drones need to be solidly built, with either a built-in camera or compatibility with an action camera such as a GoPro. If you go with the built-in camera option, remember to select a drone that shoots in high-quality resolution.

Your drone should offer a high level of flight stability, easy maneuverability, a high-quality camera, sufficient flight range, and a flight time that can last through your real estate photo shoot.

Need more ways to showcase listings? Single Property Sites offers free accounts for listing websites that can show off all of your drone photography, videos, virtual tours, and more.

The post The Best Real Estate Drones for 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

There’s probably no doubt that you’ve heard about the whole debacle between the ListHub listing syndication service (owned by Move, Inc) and Zillow (who also owns Trulia). The situation has been quite fluid and has changed quickly over the past few weeks.

In a court hearing yesterday (March 12th), the current temporary restraining order against ListHub was lifted by a San Francisco Superior Court judge and an agreement was reached to continue providing a data feed to Trulia until April 7, which is the same day a syndication agreement between Zillow and ListHub officially ends as well.

In other words, Trulia, the second most popular consumer-facing real estate website, now has less than a month to come up with a different data source for more than a quarter of its listings.

This news may not matter for brokerages and agents who are members of MLSs that already have agreements in place and feed listings to the major consumer real estate portals, but for those who have solely relied on ListHub in the past for listing syndication, the time has come to find another solution.

So if you’re in the group of agent or brokerages that are looking for a new way to make sure your listings continue to appear on all major real estate portals (including Zillow and Trulia) and be viewed by thousands of potential buyers, below are a few options to consider:

1. Manual input – Trulia and Zillow both allow you to manually input your current listings, including all photos and information. This can obviously become a very tedious process for an agent or brokerage with a large amount of listings, and can become a full time job all by itself. This is not very scalable.
2. Third party products –  Here at SPS Property Marketing, we provide individual agents and entire brokerages alike with solutions for marketing their listings, including syndication to all major real estate portals. While the AUTOMATED syndication piece is of course a big deal, we also provide all sorts of additional features and benefits for a nominal monthly or per-listing fee.
3. Contact your MLS – Many MLSs already pushes out data to all of these real estate websites, which is of course great for agents in those MLSs. But if your MLS currently does not have an agreement in place with Zillow / Trulia, consider contacting them. If enough of the agents and brokers in your area do the same thing, the MLS will likely have to listen (eventually).

Will YOU or your brokerage be affected by this change? If so, what solutions do you have in place to make sure your listings continue to be viewed by the masses of homebuyers out there?

The post Trulia will lose all ListHub data on April 7th, 2015 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

In order to impress your potential sellers you need to be in front of them before they even meet you. Get your listings first, getting them on all websites possible, and making them attractive to your sellers.

Give your sellers their own domain name and website. This is going to make them feel important, like they are a priority and you are going to help them in being successful quicker. By doing this you are going to gain that lead and turn it into a sale for yourself.

Provide them with free options to see your work in action before you ask them for money. This will give them the satisfaction that you are going to provide them with the best possibilities for them.

By keeping your leads intrigued, you are going to notice that you turn more leads into listings. By utilizing Single Property Sites you are going to be working alongside a marketing team that helps you optimize and keep those leads.

The post Why do you lose leads? appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.