CoastalFog:
"They have another photographer who is willing to do the job for $75.00 but wanted someone with a more professional camera to shoot this house" I kid you not that is exactly what she said.


That doesn't surprise me at all. I've heard similar stories, and have never actively pursued this market for those reasons. The New York Times recently published an article in the Real Estate section entitled "Making Every Pixel Count". The first few paragraphs seem to suggest that it's important to hire a professional to take pictures if you want to get top dollar for your home. One agent interviewed says “It’s so important to have photos that are professionally presented, that she uses only pictures taken by professional photographers."

A few paragraphs later the article states: "When real estate agents hire photographers through their companies, they pay the fee, which can range from $100 to a few hundred dollars, depending on the size of a property."

I live in Toronto and I think the NY Times piece inspired a similar article in the Toronto Star. In that article the real estate agent and "professional photographer" who is the subject of the article, says he "charges $40 to $60 for his services."

I almost fell over when I read that and thought it must be a misprint. What a joke! For $40 I might slow down the car as I drive by and take a picture, but that's about it.

I had read both these articles before the agent called me last week, and they confirmed everything I had ever heard about the real estate market. So I stopped the agent early in our conversation and said "I don't want to sound rude, but I've had calls from real estate agents in the past and I've always found that their budgets are very low and completely unrealistic for a professional photo shoot. So if you don't mind I'd like to ask what your budget is for this job."

To my surprise she said they could afford to spend about $1400! Now that I could work with.

So I guess there are some agents who understand what it takes to create professional photos, but I think they are probably the rare exceptions.

Cheers,

Andrew

Sadly this is a song that is familiar in more markets than just real estate...:eek:

Andrew,
Move over i'm coming to Toronto

Might very well depend on how the market is real estate wise as well. Homes are still getting turned over at a fairly fast clip here on the Central Coast of California so agents just don't see the need to spend alot of money on photography, but of course want's a professional job despite the lack of budget or ding to their commission check. Sad!

And i'll be the first to admit this type of work ain't easy either, if they only knew.

Maybe I can get a real estate agent to sell my house and only take a 100 dollar commission hehe. Right!

Cris...

I just read that article from the Toronto Newspaper and this is what i found most humorus of all. This is the last line of the article

"Cooper, who has a certificate from the New York Institute of Photography, charges $40 to $60 for his services in the GTA. Email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 905-655-5315."

Well there you have it. Another NYIP Success Story

Cris...

Excellent work! Nicely composed, and a great lighting solution.

Alan

Nice job! Love the composition.

Regards,

Dan