Estate Agents - photography

[PJPphotographer]

Hi
I would like to get into the real estate photography, therefore I am trying to conduct a research whether there is a market for such services.
If there are any estate agents here could you please share if the agencies primarily use their own estate agents for photography, staff photographers, or hire freelance photographers?
Also it would be great if you could post any indication of the going rates.

Thank you
Pawel

 

[aaron web designer]

I have previously sold a couple of properties with estate agents and they bring their own ipads/mobiles to take photos. I think it would be the householders that you would approach rather than the estate agents. Trying to value your professional photography and services to homeowners. Although this is dependent on the demographics.

 

[ethical PR]

Are you based in the UK. I ask as you talk about real estate - not a term we use here.

As @aaron web designer mentions estate agents take their own photos for standard properties.

Upmarket development use professional photographers. Rates will depend on the job and location.

Presumably you have a portfolio including interiors, so do some market research identify the large upmarket developers where you are based and approach their marketing people to see how you might get on their roster.

 

[aaron web designer]

Also look into drone photography as part of your package.

 

[PJPphotographer]

I am in UK, large number of resources on this topic are US based and therefore I have got used to using this (wrong) term. Thank you for all your advice.
Regards

 

[BTON Agency]

I own an estate agency, we do not use third parties for a number of reasons (will not bore you unless you really want me to).

A couple of my competitors do use them, but there is an abundance of "Pro-Photographers" crowding a market (like wedding photographers). We get a 3 or 4 approaches a month and they are willing to photograph a property for between £40 and £50 some even throw in a floorplan.

No doubt you will get a few jobs but i do not think you can make a sustainable living out of it.

If you currently have a photography business it may be worthwhile as a bolt on to keep things ticking over.

 

[TomJ83]

I own an estate agency, we do not use third parties for a number of reasons (will not bore you unless you really want me to).

A couple of my competitors do use them, but there is an abundance of "Pro-Photographers" crowding a market (like wedding photographers). We get a 3 or 4 approaches a month and they are willing to photograph a property for between £40 and £50 some even throw in a floorplan.

No doubt you will get a few jobs but i do not think you can make a sustainable living out of it.

If you currently have a photography business it may be worthwhile as a bolt on to keep things ticking over.

I wouldn't be bored if you told me why you don't use third parties for taking pictures for your estate agency.

 

[BTON Agency]

I wouldn't be bored if you told me why you don't use third parties for taking pictures for your estate agency.

Ha ha, well as you asked....

1. The way most third parties present themselves.
2. The way most third parties conduct themselves.
3. More often than not we have differing opinions on how we want the pictures presented.
4. Timescales, They need at least 24 - 48 hours notice, plus post production time. I need a property on the portals ASAP
5. What do i do if you are on holiday?
6. Time keeping, 11am Is 11am NOT 11am - 12pm (You do not know how frustrating this is).
7. Myself and my staff are able to do the job at the appointment.
8. Added expenditure (rather invest in the equipment)>
9. Our equipment is usually better than the third parties
10. Payment terms - Example we had a chap do EPC's that expected to be paid within an hour of his appointment (business does not work like this).
11. I do not like the idea of sharing with a service (especially addresses and telephone numbers) with a third party that works for a competitor.
12. The thought of, if it does work well and we become reliant you may put costs up.
13. File size, i need large file sizes but this becomes an issue when they are emailed to me.
14. Who owns them? You? Me? The client? - Another grey area if we add a mark up to the client.
15. General reliability
16. If i need to take an updated picture, i will not match your style so it will stick out on the portals and details - Meaning i may have to pay you to go back and take a single shot, more time and more money.

This is of the top of my head, some you may be able to overcome but not all and all are pretty much a deal breaker for me.

I think the most agents will feel very strongly about at least 1 of the above which is why not many agents use third parties for photographs.

But some do, you may get a few calls and a few properties but probably not as many as you would want.

Out of curiosity, how much do you think you would charge? and how many properties would you expect to shoot a week or month?

 

[aaron web designer]

Nice post above, OP should be thankful!

 

[Revell Cornell]

I have two friends who are estate agents and they do NOT use professionals. With the auto-setting on most modern digi cameras, his staff do an excellent job. That's it. Bottom Line. I guess her Majesty or Agencies selling mansions and penthouses MAY use an outsider, but...

 

[ethical PR]

Hi @BTON Agency

Good of you to provide such a detailed reply.

Having worked with professional photographers for the last twenty years, my experience certainly doesn't reflect yours.

It sounds like you have been used people at the bottom end of the market, rather than experienced, professional photographers.

To pick up a couple of your points.

1. You are paying a photographer for their expertise in knowing how to arrange a shoot. Of course they should listen to you as a client but you should also listen to them.

2. Of course any professional will need notice, they aren't sitting there twiddling their thumbs waiting for your call. If you use a decent freelance or agency, they will have others available if they are not. I have never had a photographer not turn up on time and have arranged hundreds of photo shoots (see using people at the bottom of the market).

3. The photographers I have worked with have an extensive range of camera equipment, lighting, etc in the range of 30-40K's worth of kit. I certainly don't have anything like this. Do you?

4. Most photographers invoice at the end of the job and will have immediate payment terms not within the hour

5. Your contract with the photographer could cover off concerns about confidentiality

6. You don't email large file sizes you have them on a memory stick or upload them to a photography site.

7. Again your contract covers ownership. Standard is to agree joint copyright.

From what you say working with a professional photographer is not for you but those of us working in marketing and communications and those where professional product shots can make or break a business, they are essential.

That's why you see high end property developers using them.

But for a local estate agent I can see why you don't need this sort of quality.
.

 

[BTON Agency]

HI Ethical PR.

I am of course not saying do not ever use the services of a professional photographer, in certain industries (maybe yours) they are worth their weight in gold.

But the greatest of respect you do not know the ins and out of the property industry.

In reply to your above points.

1. Most professional shooters want to do lifestyle shots, in a magazine this is fine but for people looking for a property on a portal like Rightmove and Zoopla they are very irritating to the buyers (they want to get an idea of the room size). They also have this habit of making pictures look cold and sterile. Not warm and inviting. This seems to be a fashion, treating every property as an LA show home.

2. Yep some do need time and i understand that. BUT from the clients perspective (the seller) they want it done there and then. They will even instruct an agent ahead of another if they promise they can have them on before the end of the day. Its just the sad reality of the general public.

3. You will not find photographers looking to shoot houses with 30 - 40k of equipment. The cost of that shoot would be 1000's. Maybe a Manor House! Most have a mid-range Canon or Nikon, and a couple of lenses - Last camera i purchaser (2 months ago) set me back 6.5k

4. Most do invoice after a shoot and on 30 days terms you are right but some even want payment before, as i said above not an exhaustive list or attributes to every third party supplier but i can't be doing with educating a lot of these "Creatives".

5. Contract with photographer. I sure as heck am not going to invest time and money in drawing up a contract with a third party supplier.

6. USB stick or other such device, further time, further money.

7. Why would i want joint copyright when i can have full copyright.


I hope i have not come across rude, but estate agency is very different to all other professions. People think its easy and they know best.

I think the photographers you talk about with the properties they may have, Are limited to less than 100 offices across the whole of the UK. And yes there is a market for them but they are very limited and even harder to break into.

Given the average selling price of a property in the UK is just 1% and the average UK house price is circa 225k and given the fact estate agencies do not get paid sometimes until 9 months after first instructed You can again see why its not attractive to spend hundreds on photography from a third party and cover the cost, What happens if the seller stays put? Photographer going to refund me my money?

for full clarity i work in the South East, average property price in circa 500k and we get a whopping 1,25% on a successful sale giving us an average fee on £6,250 - Yet i still do not want to pay a third party due to a number of the above.