Magnolia Lane: Southern Belle Photography Blog- Should NEW Agents hire a Real Estate Photographer?
"I'm a brand new real estate agent, and I don't have much left in my marketing budget after paying for my flyers and the billboard, so I don't think i'll hire a real estate photographer to shoot my new listings."
It's 2019 & we live in a time where buyers are searching the internet and social media sites for their property. People are no longer calling their local real estate agent on the phone anymore saying, "Hey Susie Q, have you got any 4 bedroom homes on the waterway in Murrells Inlet? My husband & I are looking to buy"
If Susie Q the Real Estate Agent wants to get buyers to look at new listings she has, then she won't write a small add and put it in the window of her office. She will most likely share information about her new listing via Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Zillow, Truila, Realtor.com and more. She will also send an email to potential buyers that will not just include words that describe the beautiful home, but also include gorgeous photos that she had taken by Southern Belle Real Estate Photography.
It doesn't matter if Susie Q is a beginner or an experienced agent, she's going to be sharing photos on her company website. She will share those photos on her Facebook page, her Facebook Business Page, in Facebook Group, Instagram & so forth. She's not just sending her listing out to the world to see. She is branding herself and building her Virtual Realtor Portfolio. She is showcasing what she does for her clients.
In other words Susie Q knows that in 2019 those visual elements play a BIG ROLE in determining how many buyers contact her about that new listing, and therefore the images are the CENTER of the marketing campaign. According to the National Association of Realtors 85% of buyers say that photos are the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR.
What do your photos say about you & your marketing???
What does this mean for new real estate agents?
A real estate agent could still take their own photos, but like anything at all these days there is a BIG difference between an amateur approach and a professional approach.
A real estate agent could use their own images, and it would get the job done in terms of providing a visual record of the property listing. However, is it going to attract the BEST possible buyer, one who is willing to pay top dollar for that home?
So the brand new real estate agent could choose to use their own photos like an amateur, as any old photo will get the job done in terms of providing an image that buyers can look at. However, those amateur photos will not attract the very best buyers, nor will they attract the very best sellers for the agent, and ultimately they fail in their main objective of helping the agent to grow their business.
When it comes to deciding whether or not to invest in professional real estate photography then an agent needs to decide if they want to be seen as an amateur who does the bare minimum that is needed, or do they want to be a professional.
There is no right or wrong answer to this, only a decision over how they want to be seen by clients and prospects in their market.
If you were a new agent, would you save costs and take your own photos, or would you choose to invest in a professional real estate photographer such at Myrtle Beach's #1 Real Estate Photographer Southern Belle Real Estate Photography from the very first listing?
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