Like we’ve said in How To Get Clients, it is essential to wrap your mind around the industry of real estate and what real estate agents are needing out of professional real estate photographers.  Even though real estate agents often work for a brokerage, most of the time agents are still running solo. They are individuals running a small business and are looking to develop strong vendor relationships. Once you win the loyalty of an agent it is likely that they will stick with you over the long haul. This is considering that you’re operating by the 4 C’s. The four C’s are something we developed as a way to remember what agents are looking for from a professional real estate photographer and how to set yourself apart.

Consistency

Real estate agents are looking for something that doesn’t create extra work for them. They’re looking for a professional real estate photographer that will deliver each and every time. For them to have a vendor who is inconsistent could cost them a listing which would result in the loss of thousands of dollars. As a professional real estate photographer being consistent is of the utmost importance. It is consistency in your images, consistency with your availability, consistency with your systems and processes, as well as a variety of other elements within your business that they need. Things like having a consistent scheduling platform, that is easy and streamlined and having a seamless delivery tool will earn you the trust of your clients. As you grow and hire photographers and editors, having consistency in your training will be so essential. The ultimate goal is that each of your clients would not be able to tell the difference between each photographer’s images or the edits that they receive from the editors.

Context

The second C is context. Context is something that is often overlooked. Doing a quick browse through Zillow will show you how little people think about context. Having close-up shots of toilets and pictures where they can not see the open floor plan of the house, or images that make it seem like it is tiny and closed off are prime examples of a lack of context. You want all of your images to be a visual display of the layout of each home. You need to capture the full flow of the house. Showing how the dining room connects with the living space and how the kitchen flows into the TV room assists a future homeowner in getting a sense of being in the space.

Creativity

There are a few standard images that real estate agents are expecting but there is always room for creativity. Each home offers a new set of challenges that will require creative problem-solving. Furniture that will need to be worked around, awkward room spaces or layouts, and there’s always that stubborn pet that thinks they own the house. With each situation, you will have to think outside of the box. Even though many of the images of real estate photography are repeated over and over we have to remember that we are creatives and creativity helps sell houses. We need to express ourselves through our craft. Most agents will appreciate you taking creative liberties to help them sell more houses. We talked about the importance of telling a unique story for each time you do professional real estate photography in our post Creating A Story For Each Listing.

Cuailty

The last C is Cuailty (You see what we did there). Quality should be a no brainer but it needs to be mentioned. You can not cut corners when it comes to professional real estate photography. If you want to be a professional real estate photographer and make real money doing it then you need to be conscious of your image quality. Although we believe in starting with what you have access to, we also believe it is better to figure out a system where you can focus on quality even if it means you make a little less money upfront. If you do not know if you have a good setup for professional real estate photography you should look at our Real Estate Photography Starter Pack.

Conclusion

If you want to make great money doing professional real estate photography, maintain clients and continue to grow your business then you need to think about these four things constantly.

Consistency is great for real estate agents, Context is important to home buyers, Creativity helps you thrive and Cuality is the glue that holds everything together.