How To Choose A Real Estate Photographer In San Jose
A photo of a beautiful living area, with timber polished floors and a modern chandelier. A real estate photographer in San Jose can showcase your property’s charm and warmth.
Want to sell your property fast and over your asking price? Give yourself your best chance at achieving that by hiring an excellent real estate photographer in San Jose. Follow these tips to find a professional photographer who’ll act as a true partner in marketing your property to leads.
1. Quality of Portfolio
Look through the real estate photographer’s online portfolio and examine whether they are at high quality standards. As a bare minimum requirement, the photos should look well-lit, at a high resolution and framed appropriately. Ask yourself whether the portfolio photos:
Help you to visualize the layout of each space
Look well-staged and clutter-free
Appear as though they are at the correct proportions – misuse of wide angled lenses or the wrong perspective can make photos look strange
Feature the correct lighting in indoors and outdoors shots – not over-exposed, not dark
Make each place look appealing and attractive to buy, own and live in or rent out.
You may wish to use other real estate photography services such as 3D Matterport virtual tours, video walkthroughs, floor plans, virtual staging or aerial photography. Ask whether your real estate photographer in San Jose offers any services you may be interested in, before you engage them.
Aerial photos can give potential buyers a sense of your neighborhood, which could be a selling point. Ask your real estate photographer in San Jose whether they offer aerial photography services.
2. Ask For Referrals From Friends & Family
Word-of-mouth referrals from a trusted party carry weight. If your friends or family members have had a great experience with a real estate photographer in San Jose, ask for their contact details. But as always, carry out your due diligence. Check whether this great experience was recent and always look at their portfolio. Ask questions about the photographer’s communication style, turn-around times, responsiveness and general approach to customer service. Does the photographer offer all the specialty services you need, for example, aerial videography or virtual staging?
3. Reasonable & Transparent Pricing
You might be tempted to go for the cheapest service. However, if your real estate photographer doesn’t produce the results you need, it’s a wasted investment. Your home could come across as a fixer-upper. Mediocre photos means your property may take longer to sell and turn off potential leads who are more willing to pay the asking price. Investing in a high quality service doesn’t come at a rock bottom price, but the return on investment is worth it.
Nor does paying for the most expensive real estate photographer guarantee quality. Be prepared to pay reasonable prices, but do your checks on the photographer’s portfolio, reviews and word-of-mouth. And trust your instincts when you contact them. Ask them for a full breakdown of their costs. A good photographer will be upfront about pricing and not factor in hidden add-ons.
A professional real estate photographer in San Jose can make interiors such as this kitchen looking amazing. Excellent photos attract more leads and can help your property to sell much faster.
4. Duration of Photo Shoot
It’s highly unlikely that a photographer will take beautiful photos of your home in 10 or 15 minutes. Beware of a photographer that guarantees results in no time. However, a photo shoot needn’t take several hours either – unless you’re selling off a luxury apartment block with amenities such as a gym, swimming pool and park. Or you’ve asked your professional photographer to incorporate several extra services into the package.
Your real estate photographer in San Jose should be able to give you a realistic timeframe. Often there are set-up times involved depending on the lighting. If your property isn’t adequately prepared for the photo shoot, this could take more time. For example, you can produce delays if you haven’t adequately followed the photographer’s pre-shoot instructions and need to fix things on the day. The pre-shoot photography task list could include removing clutter from a room, hiding personal photos, straightening out tables and chairs, making the beds, wiping benches or mopping the floor.
For the best results and to save time on the day, prepare your home ahead of time. Your task list could include putting away clutter, making the beds and cleaning floors and surfaces.
5. Turnaround Times from Your Real Estate Photographer In San Jose
It’s not just about the time involved in a photo shoot. Your photographer will need to edit the images after the photo shoot and the post-production will take time. If a photographer is heavily booked, their turn around times may be slower than general timeframes indicated on their website. An honest photographer will give you the heads up, but do remember to ask.
Ask your photographer about their availability to take photos and when they can send you the edited photos. If your photographer is delivering on a package that includes extra services such as aerial videos and 3D Matterhorn Virtual Tours, ensure you’re very clear about timeframes.
One last tip – make sure your real estate photographer in San Jose is a good communicator. There’s no point to engaging a photographer with a stunning portfolio if they have a low commitment towards customer service. You should get a good idea about their communication style when you’re first putting out feelers and contacting them to ask about their services. Do they return your emails or calls quickly? Do they answer your questions satisfactorily? Do they give you advice about how to prepare your property for a photo shoot, without you having to ask? Like I said earlier, trust your instincts. Your real estate photographer isn’t just a vendor, they’re your partner in helping you to marketing and sell your property, so find one that acts that way.
Slava Blazer Photography has been helping home owners and realtors to sell their properties in San Jose for 12 years. We offer stunning state-of-the-art services in real estate photography and video, with our customer satisfaction shown by our 170+ five star reviews on Yelp and Google. Let us help you showcase your listing today.