The short answer is, "Yes!" Professional photos can make your home stand out and shine in comparison to other listings. At Ironwood Properties, we believe in professional photos so much that we provide them with our services to every listing client.
We spoke with photographer, Zack Nichols from Phrame Photography*, to get his insight on professional photographs for listings. Here is what he had to say:
Ironwood: Tell us a little about you. How did you get into this business and what sets you apart from other photographers?
A: My name is Zack and I am the owner and lead photographer of PHRAME Photography. I started this business in late 2020 after being laid off of my full time photography job at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had been photographing real estate on the side for a couple years prior to starting my business and decided to go full time and make this my career. I love the opportunity to make people's most valuable investment show in its best light.
One of my favorite things is hearing from homeowners that they didn’t even know that their home could look like that in photos. Oftentimes, people have lived in their home for a long time and thousands of memories have been made there. It is important to me not only to get the home sold quickly for the agents I work with, but to provide a timeless parting gift for people who are leaving a home they have spent so long in. I do a lot to set my business apart from local competitors. I am heavily focused on social media for the growth of my business but also as a tool to show listings to other agents and potential buyers. My following is growing every day and consists of a large majority of realtors. There are no other real estate photographers in the valley that take such an active role in marketing the properties as PHRAME does, and I take tremendous pride in that. However, the most important part of my business is customer service. While the photographs I deliver are important, I believe that providing an exceptional customer experience is paramount to anything else. This not only means that my clients will be well taken care of, but that the homeowners will feel comfortable and know that their home is respected. I go above and beyond when it comes to my duty as a real estate photographer - from last second tree trimming, to moving furniture in and out of rooms, I do whatever it takes to make the photos turn out as good as possible.
Ironwood: Why do you think professional photos are important when selling your home? Zack: We’ve all heard the old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” And, in real estate, pictures can have a huge impact on how quickly you sell a property. We live in an era where having a strong online presence is more important than ever, and we’ve seen a trend over the last decade or two of people shopping online, sometimes more often than they shop in person. Oftentimes, potential buyers are searching for homes online before even speaking with a realtor. They’re searching by area, sq footage, bed/bath, and a number of other specifications that they are looking for in their dream home. Now imagine you’re that buyer - and you start narrowing down listings that meet your needs, and you find 3 that are PERFECT. 1 with professional photos, and two that were photographed with a Motorola Razor from the early 2000s. One is appealing, bright, and taken from a consistent angle, while the others have photos that are distractingly poor. It seems likely that a home putting its best foot forward is going to get more attention, which would result in better offers. From an agent's perspective, having professional photos show your clients that you CARE. You care about your reputation, you care about how well your client’s home shows online, and you care about getting the property sold quickly. Aside from just photos, you can show your client that you go above and beyond by offering additional services such as 3D scans, videos and drone photos that set your listing apart and draw more eyes to the home. If you head to a listing appointment and show the seller that you do all of this to get homes sold, it will compare very favorably to an agent that does the bare minimum. Ironwood: On average, do the listings that you shoot go pending in less than or more than a week? Zack: On average they definitely go pending in less than a week, and often for more than asking value. According to the National Association of Realtors 2017 study, homes with one photo spent an average of 70 days on the market, but a home with 20 photos spent 32 days on the market. Not only do professional photographs help you sell your home quickly, but it can also help you get a better deal, too. For homes in the $200,000-$1 million range, those that include high-quality photography in their listings sell on average for $7000 more than homes without professional photos. And we’re putting an emphasis on the words professional photography because you NEED high-quality photos. This study, while a few years old, can be related to the current market well in that homes with professional photos are on the market for much less time compared to a listing with cell phone photos. Ironwood: How can a seller best prep their home for photos and about how long do the photos take? Zack: Sellers and agents will want to prep their home to have the photos turn out as good as possible. It can be especially helpful to prepare these things in advance and touch up the day of the shoot. For the exterior, it is important to remove all vehicles from the front of the home, and have all lawn tools and trash cans stored on the side of the home or in the garage. For the interior, de-personalization and de-cluttering are some of the simplest ways to make your home shine. I believe the photos should be a fun experience for the sellers. It's an exciting step in getting your home on the market and sold quickly. The photo sessions on average take about 45 minutes, and if the home is prepared prior, it will be a painless experience! For more information on what you should do prior to the photo shoot, check out my website! https://www.phrameca.com/pre-shoot-checklist
If you have questions about selling your home, feel free to contact us!
Ironwood Properties
559-978-8884
buysellmanage@ironwoodproperties.org
DRE00776430
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*Phrame Photography is an independent company from Ironwood Properties.
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