Working with a photographer should take work off your plate and help you sell a property. So don’t let poor listing photos or restrictive copyright terms hamper your marketing efforts. Make sure your photos can handle today’s high-resolution screens, virtual tours, and the ability to pinch-to-zoom so people can get a good look at your house.
You also want to ensure your photos present an honest look, don’t distort spaces, are lit well, and cover a good list of must-have shots. Your Dickson Realty agent will know some people to work with or even have a preferred photographer, so it’s good to know what we look for and what you should expect. Here are the qualities to consider when choosing a photographer to photograph your home.
Check their past work.
Ask to see recent listing photos they’ve shot, review their portfolio, and talk to agents they’ve worked with. You should feel confident they know how to shoot, edit, and make a property look its best to create a great first impression.
Are they familiar with the business?
Real estate photographers must do more than just show up with a camera. There are image rights to manage, turnaround time, additional service offerings, and even licensing requirements for certain types of photography.
Understand the licensing, assignment, or work-for-hire agreement.
Are their terms laid out? Do you understand what you can and cannot do with the listing photos you commission? Make sure that’s clear before moving forward. Agreements should be in writing because verbal agreements are difficult to enforce. A contract spelling out who owns the photos or how they can be used will help you. The contract may allow publishing on certain websites or exclusive rights, or the photographer may give you a select choice of photos, or they may give you everything to do with what you want.
Learn all of their policies.
For instance, does the photographer charge a cancellation fee if you change plans at the last minute? Does the pricing include high-resolution images or cost extra after the photoshoot?
Ask about related services and turnaround time.
Both parties need to set expectations. Find out how they provide the visual assets: a download from their website? A Dropbox folder? Do they offer resizing? Ask about other services they may offer, like floor plans, virtual tours, or video.
Can they counsel on house setup?
A home needs to be decluttered and prepared for photos as it would be for a showing. Does the photographer offer a list of tasks to be done at the home before the shoot? Some photographers provide pre-staging task lists, which will differ for virtual tours, videos, or still photos.
Do they have a drone license?
If you’re hiring a photographer who uses drones for aerial photos or videos, be sure they have a Remote Pilot Certificate/FAA Airman Certificate and their drone is registered with the FAA. Since drone photos will be used for commercial use—selling a house—they must follow the strictest guidelines, which includes applying for flight clearance from the airport through most of the Reno-Sparks area. If your photographer doesn’t know these things, that’s a red flag.
Lighting and equipment
Houses must be photographed with certain lenses and equipment to capture some of the beautifully lit, wide-angle shots of each room. This is particularly important in smaller bathrooms or bedrooms that don’t have perfect window light. Hopefully, this is the baseline for many photographers, but it helps separate a hobbyist or student from a professional. Not just anyone with a camera can show up to make your house look great.
Pricing
According to Snappr’s 2024 cost calculator for Reno, pricing can range from $250 to $700 for a one—to four-hour shoot. The amount of time will depend on the size of your house, the number of rooms, acreage, and features. Adding drone photography adds more time and demands higher skill, up-front cost from the photographer, and requirements, particularly with larger properties with a lot to show off. Your agent should be able to walk you through a marketing budget that includes these expectations.
