Did you know that homes sell 32% faster when real estate agents use professional real estate photographers for their listing photos?
When an individual is thinking about buying a new home, one of the first things they do is look at online real estate sites. While they certainly take listing descriptions and other information into account, the real estate photographs are really key in how they form their first impression.
Becoming a real estate photographer can be a reasonable side business that can eventually grow into your full-time income. How much do real estate photographers make per house, though?
Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Table of Contents
How Much Do Real Estate Photographers Make Per House?
A professional real estate photographer will typically charge somewhere between $110 and $300 for a standard shoot. That being said, you can certainly find new photographers that have lower rates and more experienced photographers that make quite a bit more per house.
A standard shoot would consist of 25-50 photos and would involve only a minimal driving distance. If a client requests more photos or the travel time is much longer, then the per house rate will be more expensive.
The Factors That Impact Real Estate Photographer Rates
While the above-listed price gives you a sense of how much money real estate photographers make per home, there are a lot of different factors that will influence how much these photographers make. Let’s take a look at some of the main variables that impact the price per house.
Travel Time
When you think about the actual cost of driving to different houses for real estate shoots, it can really start to add up. The cost of travel time includes gas, wear and tear on your vehicle and the cost of your time.
Driving distance can be a tax deduction you claim, which can help to offset the cost. In fact, depending on what type of car you drive, you might actually earn a little bit of money for every mile that you drive. However, you will need to track your miles carefully in order to use them toward a tax deduction at the end of the year.
Equipment
Buying too much gear is a great way to make a real estate photography business unprofitable. At the same time, however, is essential to have certain equipment to make sure that the real estate photography shoot goes smoothly.
Post-Processing
It can end up taking more time to process photos than it actually does to take the photos. Some real estate photographers get very involved in postprocessing. This can include a number of time-consuming edits that can significantly change the way that the photographs look.
If you are considering starting a business as a real estate photographer, you will need to consider how much time you will reasonably need to edit photos. Otherwise, you can end up not earning nearly as much money per hour as you might hope or need.
A standard real estate photography package should offer at least some basic editing services. However, it isn’t uncommon for photographers to charge for more advanced editing.
Turnaround and Timing
In this hectic market, timing is everything. When a real estate agent hires a real estate photographer, they are expecting to receive the photos back quickly. There also isn’t much in the way of advanced notice for real estate photographers because people typically want their homes listed ASAP once they have made the decision to do so.
This means that the most successful real estate photographers have flexible schedules and are willing to fit shoots in when they come up. While this might not seem like a big deal at first, it can be a bother when you have other plans that you end up dropping because of a last-minute shoot.
It is common for real estate agents to expect to receive photos back in no more than 48 hours. In some locations, the standard might be 24 hours.
Your Local Market
Lastly, one of the most important factors that determine how much real estate photographers make her house is the market they are working in. A real estate photographer in San Jose, California, is definitely going to be charging more than a real estate photographer in rural Kansas. Whether you are based out of one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. or a low cost of living area, you’ll want to check out the competition to get a sense of rates in your area.
That being said, you do not want to undervalue your services just because you don’t live in a big fancy metro area. Having high-quality, professional real estate photos can increase the sale price of a home and help houses sell faster. Your services help people reach the ends they are working towards, so you don’t want to give away your service for next to nothing just because you’re in a rural market.
The Property
Many real estate photographers have different prices for houses over and under a certain number of square feet. As you might imagine, photos for a multi-million dollar luxury home are going to be more time-consuming than photos for a cute 1,200-foot house.
(Are you wondering if luxury apartments are worth the steep cost? Take a look at this article to learn more.)
How to Become a Real Estate Photographer
There are a lot of different types of photography careers, but becoming a real estate photographer is one that is very accessible to people who are looking to start a business of their own. There is always demand for real estate photography, though how much demand there is will certainly be related to the real estate market.
Study Photography
The first step will be to learn the ins and outs of photography. You’ll need to learn about composition, lighting, and camera equipment. You can use resources online to learn these skills or you can take classes at a local college or university. It’s worth noting that you don’t need to have a degree to be a real estate photographer, you just need the talent and the skills to produce results.
You’ll also want to take some time to learn more about the real estate industry in general as well as your local market. Take a look at this article to learn about the difference between an apartment and a unit.)
Buy Your Equipment
You could go crazy buying equipment for your real estate photography business. However, to start off you will want a camera, camera lens, tripods, and lighting equipment.
Get to Know Your Camera and Practice
Once you have purchased your camera and equipment, it’s time to get to know them. You’ll want to know your camera like the back of your hand. This will ensure that you are taking photographs as efficiently as possible as well as helping to minimize mistakes when you are out on a shoot.
Learn Your Editing Software
Getting to know your editing software is the next step. There is a wide range of skills you can learn from basic to advanced, and you’ll want to use the resources available online to learn what is possible when it comes to editing photographs.
Build a Portfolio
Now it’s time to put your best work together in a portfolio. This is how you can demonstrate to your potential clients what you are capable of for their homes or clients. There are a number of sites that let you create portfolios for free online very easily.
Get Clients
Once you have built your portfolio, you can start looking for clients. You’ll want to market your portfolio real estate agent, brokers, and property managers. Ask for a reference after you finish the job to help make it easier to get clients in the future.
Is Real Estate Photography Right for You?
There are a wealth of opportunities in the world of real estate for making money. Real estate photography can be a great side hustle or full-time job for people who have photography skills and are willing to educate themselves about the real estate industry.
Of course, there is research that you will want to do before beginning any type of business. Answering the question “how much to real estate photographers make per house?” is an important initial question to answer in order to determine whether or not this will work out financially for you.
If you are looking for more information on everything to do is real estate, Room Impact is your go-to resource. If you’re interested in learning about how much it costs to run an apartment complex, check out this article.
