8 Real Estate Photography Facts
Somehow, even in today’s world of incredible amounts of content and its obvious importance in the sales process, some realtors and home sellers don’t understand the true value of professional real estate photography.
Below you’ll find 8 real estate photography facts that perfectly highlight why hiring a professional real estate photographer is one of the best things you can do to help sell a home faster and for more money.
All real estate photography facts below are updated for 2022.
Table of Contents
Real Estate Photography Facts
1. Professional Real Estate Photos Sell Homes Faster
According to this Redfin study, homes that are sold utilizing professional real estate photography sell faster regardless of the asking price of the home. However, homes sold between $400k – $500k saw the best results with houses selling an average of 21 days faster than those without professional photos.
2. Professional Real Estate Photos Sell Homes for More Money
According to the same RedFin study referenced above, professional photos sell homes for more money as well, regardless of the asking price. When looking at homes sold between $400k – $500k, they sold for an average of $11,200 more than those listed without professional photos.
3. 83% of Buyers Consider Photos to be "Very Important"
According to Douglas Elliman of New York, 83% of people looking to purchase a house said that photos are a very important part of their buying decision. This means that the vast majority of possible buyers are going to heavily consider the photos that you use to list your home in their decision whether or not to buy your house.
4. Professional Photos Hold the Viewers Attention Longer
A professional real estate photo can hold a viewers attention for up to 20 seconds. Thats a lot of time when you consider that a poorly taken photo only holds the viewers attention for 2 seconds. In a world where attention is everything and there isn’t a lot to spread around, professional photos helps capture more of it.
5. A Majority of Homes Are Not Professionally Photographed
Even with all the knowledge that we have displaying how important professional photos are, many realtors choose to not use a professional and opt to photograph the home themselves to save a few hundred dollars. This gives any realtor or home owner that hires a professional photographer an immediate leg up on the competition.
6. More Time is Spent Looking at Photos Than Reading Descriptions
Up to 60% of the time that possible buyers are looking at a home for sale can be spent just looking at the photos. While a property’s description is still very important, this shows us that photos provide the biggest opportunity to convince a possible buyer.
7. 20% of Recent Home Purchases Were Made Sight-Unseen
1/5 of home purchases were made without the buyers even stepping foot inside the home. This means that photos are playing a massively important role in the decision making process. Without being able to see the home themselves, buyers need to rely on viewing the home via the internet. This is an example of real estate photos selling homes themselves.
8. Professional Photos Get 61% More Views Online
Homes that are listed with professional photographs get 61% more online views. This is easy to understand since the lead photo is what draws our attention to the listing in the first place. Ask anyone that frequents Zillow.com and they’ll agree.
Additional Information
Be sure to check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of articles with helpful ideas and tips exactly like this one. Our Business Resources page has all the resources you’ll need to get your Real Estate Photography business started on the right path.
Additionally, if you are looking for real estate photography courses to help you learn more, including the best lighting techniques, check out our article Best Real Estate Photography Classes.
Finally, go check out our Gear page to get up-to-date reviews and recommendations on todays best gear for Real Estate Photography.
And there you have it. 8 incredible real estate photography facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How important is photography in real estate?
Photography is an extremely important part of the real estate market for all of the reasons listed above. Professional photography helps sell homes faster and for more money.
Is real estate photography profitable?
Absolutely. Real estate photography is very profitable. Additionally, with the growing demand for more content, real estate photography is growing with it.
What does a real estate photographer need?
The basics needed for real estate photography are a good camera, a wide angle lens, and a tripod. To see a full list of a professional real estate photographers gear, check out our Gear page.