Survey also asks photography pros to rate real estate agents’ “professionalism”
A new study of real estate photographers released by HomeJab found that homeowners selling their homes are often not prepared for a photoshoot ordered by their real estate agent.
HomeJab, which provides real estate agents on-demand professional real estate photography and other visual production services nationwide, asked more than 300 professional photographers, "How often are homeowners not prepared for a shoot?"
More than half of the professional real estate photographers said that most of the time – half to more than half – homeowners are unprepared.
“Agents may be assuming their sellers know what they need to do to have their home ready for a photoshoot," said Joe Jesuele, founder and CEO of HomeJab. “But photography occurs very early in the listing process, and sellers may not realize what professional photographers need to make the right impressions,” Jesuele added.
According to Jon Biddle, a 10-year real estate photography veteran from Philadelphia, PA who shoots more than 100 properties a year, many homeowners forget to declutter their homes, putting away personal items on counters – cell phones, purses, drinking glasses, liquor and more. “That can detract attention away from what is important,” Biddle said. “Sellers often have to spend 20 minutes or more putting away personal items,” Biddle added, “and agents could do more to make sure they’re ready.”
The HomeJab survey also turned the tables on real estate agents by asking photographers, "How professional is the typical real estate agent who hires you?" on a scale of 1-10, 10 being highly professional. Overall, photographers gave an average rating of 7.6, indicating agents who hire them are very professional.
Flavio Villacorta, a professional real estate photographer who serves Washington, D.C., shared that he/she finds that real estate agents who invest in professional photography – as well as 3D tours and aerial footage – have high professional standards in everything they do. “Most agents who only use professionally shot photos for their listings are typically the best agents in the marketplace,” Villacorta said.
With the explosion in the popularity of using aerial photography to market homes for sale over the last several years, the HomeJab study asked professional real estate photographers if they have been harassed by someone when flying a drone to shoot aerial footage of a listing.
The HomeJab survey found that one-in-three photographers experienced harassment when flying a drone. The research also revealed that just 15% of photographers surveyed said they had never flown a drone.
Future Tech Trends
Finally, the survey asked professional real estate photographers to pick two technologies related to their business that they are “most excited about.”
The findings:
The vast majority of photographers said “drones,” topping the list with 68%.
360-degree cameras came in at the #2 spot with 54%.
Automated editing technology was #3 with 35%.
New mobile phones cameras (e.g., iPhone 13) were #4 with 18%.
NFTs (blockchain) was ranked #5 with 17%.
“The surprise is the strong interest in NFTs,” said HomeJab’s Jesuele. “Five years ago, NFTs didn’t even exist. Now one-in-six photographers pick it as a Top 5
technology. NFTs are starting to make their way into all areas of creative arts, including a growing interest among professional real estate photographers, and that's exciting."
The HomeJab Professional Real Estate Photographer Survey collected responses from 310 professional real estate photographers nationwide. Fifty percent of the photographers surveyed shoot more than 100 property listings annually. Nearly one-in-three photographers surveyed shoot more than 200 property listings annually, with 40% of the participants being professional photographers for at least six years.
The photographers polled represent all areas of the country: 22% from the Northeast, 25% from the Southeast, 17% from the Midwest, 19% from the Southwest, 7% from the Northwest, and 10% from other locations.
A summary report from HomeJab is available here.
About HomeJab
HomeJab is America’s most popular and reliable on-demand professional real estate photography and video service for real estate pros. Lightning-fast high-end visual production offerings also include immersive 3D interactive tours, floor plan creation, affordable virtual staging, and turnkey aerial services. Its efficient one-stop-shop for real estate listings at HomeJab.com features affordable and customizable shoots that create the most engaging visual content for faster home sales and to enrich the listing agent’s personal brand. HomeJab is available in every major US market in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Toronto. Learn more at HomeJab.com.
