Real Estate photography - DPChallenge Forums

10/01/2010 01:52:38 AM · #1

I have a friend who is a real estate agent in both MI and FL. We were talking yesterday and he is interested in having me shoot the photos for his listings as he is not happy with the one MLS is taking for him. He also has an office in Florida, where he sells huge houses and said he would be willing to fly me to FL and pay my hotel room while I am there whenever he gets a really expensive listing so that he gets quality images. Another project is some type of brochure he wants to make and would like me to shoot images for it also.
I am excited about this prospect, but have no idea what is a fair fee to charge.
I was thinking maybe $50 a house for your average 800-1200 sq ft home, and for those mini mansions and bigger around $150. Is this too high? Anyone here do this sort of work? If so what do you charge if you don't mind sharing the info.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

10/01/2010 04:18:13 AM · #2

Wow, Linda - I believe it is rare to cover those kind of expenses for RE photos. I have done some RE photos around here and charged about $200-$250 (including edits) and those are few and far between. But if someone offered to pay my expenses to fly somewhere I wanted to visit or that I would have fun visiting, I would probably do it for next to nothing. But I am not intent on building a RE Photography business (or any photography business for that matter). Maybe just ask him what his budget is for the photos (with or without expenses) and decide if it is something you want to do.

Best of luck!

drew_makeanimpact

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

10/01/2010 04:49:36 AM · #3

Seriously?

You're charging too little. If he's willing to fly you out and pay for a hotel room, then he really wants quality images. If he's paying for all that, I'm sure he would pay well for the photos itself.

Why don't you ask him what his budget is? Tell him to throw out a price and work from there.

You might be surprised.

Just my two cents.

tanguera

Nikon D750

10/01/2010 05:08:25 AM · #4

You should PM

Bear_Music, who used to do that for a living, although your rates sounds incredibly low. You're a seasoned photographer, and a mini mansion is going to take you a good 2 hours minimum to cover. In addition, remember that magic hour is usually the best time to do exteriors, and that some interiors are going to require lighting. Which means you have to schlep lighting with you. I recently talked to an architect who hired a top photographer here to shoot one of those homes, and it was a 3 day affair, and cost $16K.

Just to give you an idea :-)

But you should definitely ask about his budget.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/01/2010 05:10:42 AM · #5

There's a number of different ways to work this out, Linda. At the end of the day, regardless of how you price it, it has to be something that is reasonable to you in terms of how many hours you put in, how much value he gets out of the images (in terms of commissions earned), and what he can afford to pay up front.

The problem with the MLS photography is that is essentially drive-by shooting. They hire people with digital cameras to run by (and sometimes in and out) of homes for $25-50 a house. You do NOT want to be delivering higher-end, quality work for the same price.

First, you need to get a handle on just exactly what he wants and expects.

Next, you'll need to calculate just what this is going to cost you. You'll need to get a firm handle on exactly how much time you are going to have to put into the project (including planning, travel, shooting, post-production, presentation, final delivery, and image maintenance). You'll also need to look at what type of equipment you'll need (do you need a boom? reflectors? additional lights? a better tripod?). Do you have adequate insurance? You also need to know how much you need to make per hour (or per day or per week) in order to operate. Once you have all these numbers put together, you'll know what your break-even production cost is.

[fwiw, I won't shoot a house in less than an hour. Sometimes, it takes a scouting trip or two to determine best time of day, for both interior and exterior images. Usually, a LOT more time goes into planning the shoot and organizing the shot list than it does to actually do the shoot. And sometimes, it even takes two trips just to do the shoot: one trip for exteriors and a separate trip for interiors. And, you also have to factor in the uncontrollable weather...]

Now comes the hard part: determining value. Just what is it going to be worth to the client to have the images you've produced? And, more importantly, how much does he value you and what you bring to the table? Are you just a bargain, a deal, a commodity shooter, or are you going to be a valued investment worth a lot more than the MLS shooters? Granted, there is a lot of room for efficiencies that allow you both to come out ahead without breaking the bank or undervaluing yourself, but, all the same, if you are going to offer professional services to another professional, you've got to be treated as such.

[fwiw, a 3% commission on the sale of a $1,000,000 home in Florida is a $30,000 commission. To spend $10,000 on photography in order to close 6 properties like that a year would be a steal...]

Good luck!

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

10/01/2010 05:25:00 AM · #6

Originally posted by tanguera:

I recently talked to an architect who hired a top photographer here to shoot one of those homes, and it was a 3 day affair, and cost $16K.

Ok, I'm changing my answer to $16k. ;-)

tanguera

Nikon D750

10/01/2010 05:34:30 AM · #7

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by tanguera:
I recently talked to an architect who hired a top photographer here to shoot one of those homes, and it was a 3 day affair, and cost $16K.

Ok, I'm changing my answer to $16k. ;-)

I know!!! I think the reflection in my eyes actually changed to dollar signs when he said that

Beetle

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

10/01/2010 06:14:34 AM · #8

I recently did two of those for free, in return for a "model" release.
I wanted to have some real estate photos in my portfolio just in case I decided to try and make some money that way (moot point now that I just started a full time job).

I think both lots of photos turned out great. One of them was a plain and basic house, the other one a stunning apartment with a killer view of the city and more (200+ degrees worth of killer views, actually). The rent on that place is AUD 750.00 per WEEK !

I loved doing the photos just for the privilege of seeing that apartment/view, but it was a little disappointing that I didn't get a single "thank you" from either one *sigh*

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/01/2010 10:23:48 AM · #9

Originally posted by tanguera:

You should PM Bear_Music, who used to do that for a living, although your rates sounds incredibly low. You're a seasoned photographer, and a mini mansion is going to take you a good 2 hours minimum to cover. In addition, remember that magic hour is usually the best time to do exteriors, and that some interiors are going to require lighting. Which means you have to schlep lighting with you. I recently talked to an architect who hired a top photographer here to shoot one of those homes, and it was a 3 day affair, and cost $16K.

Just to give you an idea :-)

But you should definitely ask about his budget.

I didn't do "Real Estate Photography", I did Architectural Photography. It's like comparing SuperCuts with Vidal Sassoon or something. RE photography, as practiced by MLS photographers, is drive-by shooting, whilst serious architectural photography is complex and time-consuming. One would assume that your friend is interested in the latter, not the former, since he's willing to fly you down and put you up for the duration of the jobs. We actually DID do photography like this, photographing high-end houses for sales brochures, and it wasn't cheap; we treated them like any other job.

We estimated based on 4 interior shots or 8 exterior shots in a day's shooting, and used a day rate plus expenses as the basis of our estimates. As far as interiors go, most of the time will be in the planning and the setting up, not in the actual shooting, of course. With the exteriors, a lot of the time is in waiting around for the light to be right. Since houses are a 360-degree object, it's not uncommon to need to photograph every single building in the morning, midday, and evening; that eats up a lot of time.

Skip gave you good advice. My approach here would be to ask your friend about budget and work from there, as drew suggested.

R.

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

10/01/2010 12:21:04 PM · #10

TY everyone for your input. I will definitely ask my friend what his budget is, and we can go from there. I am not trying to make this my primary occupation, but if it turned into that I would be happy about it.
I do have lighting already, tripods, etc. I realize that I may find I need something better an that would be an expense to keep in mind when pricing out the jobs.
Since I don't currently have any RL shots in my portfolio, I could offer to do the first one at a 'reduced' fee and tell him that after he sees the quality we can discuss future fees.

JulietNN

Canon EOS-7D

10/01/2010 12:50:12 PM · #11

This may help you somewhat. It would seem that HDR is being used failry effectively in the houses in Big Bear. They certainly stand out more than the normal shots

//socallistings.marketlinx.com/SearchDetail/Scripts/PrtBuyFulPhotos/PrtBuyFulPhotos.asp?emailGUID=e2b7a9dd-b95e-457e-b1d5-4c00399c3064&AgentId=F207014912

page 32 might even be Topazed, not sure.

BUT to normal people this really looks amazing and warm compared to some others so it is a thought

Message edited by author 2010-10-01 12:52:28.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

10/01/2010 01:31:02 PM · #12

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by tanguera:
You should PM Bear_Music, who used to do that for a living...

I didn't do "Real Estate Photography", I did Architectural Photography. It's like comparing SuperCuts with Vidal Sassoon or something.

LOL, Dis'd!

A little off the top, ok Vidal? :P

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/01/2010 01:45:22 PM · #13

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by tanguera:
You should PM Bear_Music, who used to do that for a living...

I didn't do "Real Estate Photography", I did Architectural Photography. It's like comparing SuperCuts with Vidal Sassoon or something.

LOL, Dis'd!

A little off the top, ok Vidal? :P

I've seen yer stuff, it's not "Real estate Photography" either. The genre is *defined* by what you see in MLS listings; it's a whole subculture of drive-by, rock-bottom-price, volume photographers. When you get organized, you can make decent money at it, but it's not what you and I do.

So no disrespect intended. In fact, I'm not even dissing actual RE photographers; they have a job to do, a market niche to fill, and all power to 'em :-)

R.

ETA: I get my hair cut by a 12-buck, one-chair guy named "Tim"...

Message edited by author 2010-10-01 13:49:32.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/25/2010 07:39:46 AM · #14

i don't know where you are with this, but i finally tracked down one of my favorite examples of outstanding architectural photography. the photographer is doug thompson,

MelonMusketeer's nephew. i'm quite sure he's getting more than $150 a house ;-)

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/25/2010 07:54:14 AM · #15

Originally posted by Skip:

i don't know where you are with this, but i finally tracked down one of my favorite examples of outstanding architectural photography. the photographer is doug thompson, MelonMusketeer's nephew. i'm quite sure he's getting more than $150 a house ;-)

That goes beyond "real estate photography" in my sense of the term. That's 'architectural photography" and he's doing a heck of a job, too :-)

R.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/25/2010 08:37:27 AM · #16

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by Skip:
i don't know where you are with this, but i finally tracked down one of my favorite examples of outstanding architectural photography. the photographer is doug thompson, MelonMusketeer's nephew. i'm quite sure he's getting more than $150 a house ;-)

That goes beyond "real estate photography" in my sense of the term. That's 'architectural photography" and he's doing a heck of a job, too :-)

R.

yep, it's all in what you're really selling and how you want to sell it. i don't think anyone looking for a half-mil house is going to get excited over a postage stamp sized bw that an agent paid $25 to have someone drive-by shoot it.

alohadave

Pentax K-5

Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4.0 ED AL AF

10/25/2010 08:52:33 AM · #17

If you want some solid advice, go to //photographyforrealestate.net/

It's got lots of tips and articles on RE photography. There is also a Flickr group associated with it with example pictures and plenty of discussion.

10/25/2010 09:53:28 AM · #18

Originally posted by Skip:

Thanks for sharing the link. That is some outstanding work - and I agree with Robt. that it surpasses real estate photography and really shows the architecture.