What is the 'irreparable difference' that the real estate industry overlooks by neglecting property photos? [A professional property photographer's perspective]

As an architectural photographer who has interacted directly with numerous real estate agencies and countless property sales representatives, I have analyzed the reasons behind the problem I personally perceive: that 'real estate agencies neglect property photos'.

If anyone in the industry reading this has a different opinion, please let me know! I look forward to hearing from you.

Let's get started!

Property photography is a chore

Yes, there are many cases where people assume that 'property photography' is just a 'chore' for newcomers or incompetent staff. In reality, people working in the real estate industry are, without exaggeration, incredibly busy.

They are constantly running around, chasing customer inquiries and property checks from morning until night, and when they return to the office, they are caught in a relentless loop of replying to inquiries, creating advertisements, preparing documents, attending internal meetings, and suddenly being urged by accounting to submit receipts...

It is not hard to imagine what priority 'photography' takes in such a situation. In the industry, there has long been a lingering feeling that 'photos are fine as long as they show something,' and that impression still persists today.

Is relying on property photos second-rate or third-rate?

You should win with your sales skills alone. Therefore, relying on photos is second-rate.

There are actually veteran sales representatives who think this way. Of course, their spirit and skills are truly worthy of respect, but times have changed. Now that people search for properties online and compare them based solely on photos, 'first contact = photos' has become a dimension separate from sales ability.

In other words, there is a possibility that you are not being chosen based on photos before you can even showcase your good sales pitch.

I think the results will change significantly depending on whether you can realize that.

In the first place, they have never seen professional photos

This is something several people have actually told me: 'I don't really understand the difference between photos taken by a professional and photos I took myself with a smartphone.'

This is a bit sad, but I understand.

The 'quality' of a photo is something you only understand after comparing them. Therefore, companies that have requested a professional for their properties even once are often surprised by the difference.

'Oh, can it look this good?'
'Is this the same room?'

I have received reactions like this many times before.

It is difficult to prove the value of photos with numbers

"How much will the response increase with photos?"

It is difficult to answer this question perfectly. That is why it is hard to budget for it within a company. I understand this very well. Unlike advertising, it does not produce clear conversion numbers, and it does not necessarily lead to immediate responses.

However, what I can say for sure is that "properties posted with photos that look more attractive than those of competitors have a higher probability of being viewed." And that prevents the risk of "not even being considered as a property option."

In other words, if the photos are bad, you won't even be able to "stand at the starting line."

Photo quality is a barometer of "company trust"

This is the answer to "we cannot allocate a budget because it is hard to quantify."

The quality of photos is directly linked to trust in the company.

For example, if photos are dark, distorted, blurry, or show a messy room... not only does the impression of the property itself suffer, but there is also a risk that people will subconsciously wonder, "Is this real estate agency okay?"

Conversely, what if the photos are bright, well-composed, and properly edited?
Just that alone starts to create the impression that "this company is professional," "they seem to manage information carefully," or "it might be okay to leave things to these people."

Property photos are as important as a real estate company's "business card" or the "face of its website."
Even if it is outsourced, the message that you are "genuinely committed to your customers" seeps through the photos precisely because you have hired a professional. Building that kind of trust is the main reason for maintaining quality at a certain level or higher.

Left behind before you know it: the era of serious polarization

What I must say first is that even though many in the industry as a whole neglect property photos, there are actually people who understand their importance and effectiveness and hire me for photography and editing.

This polarization is quite serious.

And those who have already realized the power of photos say things like this:

• "Inquiries surged after I switched to professional photos."

• "As soon as I posted the photos, I got an inquiry and it led directly to a contract."

• "I was complimented by a client who said, 'The photos here were very easy to see.'"

• "The time spent on the property listing page has increased."

And so on.

And, this is actually something I hear often: outsourcing photography to a professional has the secondary effect of 'conveying your seriousness to the client.'

"If they put this much effort into it, maybe they are trustworthy."
"If they put this much effort into the photos, maybe they do other things properly too."

That is the kind of impression they get.

Outsourcing is usually seen as 'leaving it to someone else,' but when it comes to photography, it is the exact opposite. It is strange, isn't it? There is no reason not to take advantage of this benefit.

Now is the time to try using photos as a weapon

In this day and age, it is clear that inquiries are swayed by a single photo.

Moreover, thankfully, there are many cases where even just photo editing—not even the shooting itself—can be effective.
Even with smartphone photos you already have on hand, it is common for the impression to change completely just by having a professional carefully retouch them.

If you are interested, please feel free to consult with me. I also accept inquiries via LINE.
Since I accept requests on a per-property basis, I think it is a great idea to try it out with just one property first.

Click here for details on having me edit your photos ↓

Summary

Those who find value in property photos and those who do not. That gap is currently widening.

But conversely, it can be said that real estate companies and sales representatives who put effort into their photos are in a 'blue ocean' where they can achieve many results with little effort.

It is not too late to start now.
Try it once and experience the power of the weapon that is property photography.

Thank you for reading until the end!
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Click here if you want to consult via LINE ↓
Please rest assured that I will never aggressively push sales on you without you even sending a message first.
Actually, I almost only use it for consultations and sending photos. See you later!