Reason #1: Chances are you probably noticed that I wrote 'making' pictures instead of 'taking' pictures.

That is an incredibly important distinction. Most people will take their phones or the camera that's been sitting on a shelf for months or years, take those pictures, and think to themselves, "well, that's good enough."

Because that's what they do.

They take pictures.

That's what they've always done.

They're not professional photographers. That's not what they do best. They are agents or brokers or sellers and that's what they do best. So their level of attention, expertise, and often passion, lies in that area of the transaction.

Professional photographers don't just show up and take that image. They show up and make that image with proper shutter speeds, apertures, lighting options, lenses, multiple exposures, angles, and then there's the post-processing. They control, every step of the way, what that image will look like before they even 'take' it. Heck, even down to the occasional sky replacement!

So that's how they 'make' the images that showcase the properties you're trying to sell in the absolute best, and most attractive, possible way.

And if you're looking for those eye-catching twilight (blue hour) images...woah Nellie...that's a whole other story!

The equivalent would be if a photographer decided they were going to be their own real estate agent. They might have GREAT photos, because that's what they're good at, but they won't have nearly the negotiating lingo to get the best terms or deal for their property, or even the knowledge of the real estate markets that someone who's a professional would. That agent or broker or representative (hopefully) knows the ins and outs of their profession, and that value is irreplaceable.

Or like looking at your friend's iPhone vacation photo of the family at Yosemite versus an Ansel Adams print...

Same idea.

Yeah, your phone takes pretty good pictures, but hire a professional Bend real estate photographer to make your properties sing!

Reason #2: Statistics & Data Don't Lie

Math. Simple math.

First of all, professional real estate photography on your listings means mo' money mo' money mo' money for you! A Wall Street Journal study shows that homes with professional photographs increases the final sale price by almost 4%. That makes up for any fees you'll be paying for professional photography many many times over.

Why? Better pictures equals more views and interest.

According to Zillow, homes with professional photographs are viewed twice as many times as homes without them. Furthermore, listings with professional photographs sell 32% faster, spending only 89 days on the market compared to 123 days for homes without them.

Not to mention the new advances in technology that have allowed for things like drone aerial photography and 360 virtual tours and virtual reality such as Matterport and Zillow 3D Tours.

In fact, Zillow now has an entire department dedicated strictly to promoting listings with 3D virtual tours and teaching their certified photographers how to use them. These virtual walk-throughs have become ever important in an age of health situations in which often times, prospective buyers cannot make it in person to see the home.

Those listings with Zillow 3D tours generate over 2x as many views as listings with just images.

And they're incredibly reasonably priced, oftentimes photographers offering that service as an add-on for under $100.

Reason #3 They Have the Goods - Video Chops, 360 Virtual Tour Knowledge, Software Prowess - And You Probably Don't.

Yeah, you have your phone camera or dusty DSLR, but professional real estate photographers have the latest camera bodies, most appropriate lenses, the proper 360 cameras and software to shoot your virtual walk through tours from Zillow 3D to Matterport, the right video gear and editing skills to put together your video virtual tours, drones to capture aerials, gimbals to keep their cameras steady while they shoot, flashes, lighting rigs, tripods, reflectors yadda yadda yadda!

And they know how to use them (well...hopefully they do...).

We're talking thousands upon thousands of dollars of equipment.

And on top of that, they have invested in all the right computer gear and software they'd need from graphics cards to color calibrated monitors to HDR prowess to Photoshop layer masks for things like sky replacements and blending exposures.

They know what they're doing, and they spend a LOT of time doing it.

And they do it for you.

Because they know if they can help you sell that house, there's a good chance you'll be back!

Reason 4: Time Is Money

This one's super easy. Time is money and as an agent or broker or seller, your time is best spent finding buyers for your properties and working with them through the process. That's where you shine and excel. Your time is not best spent making pictures.

Sure, you can spend the time to learn how to shoot real estate photography properly (and I wholeheartedly encourage it, it's actually super fun!) but that will take literally years to learn and then even if you already knew how, you'd know that that is a process that goes well beyond just showing up and pushing a button.

Between shooting, travel, editing and preparing files for delivery, a typical professional real estate photography shoot can take anywhere between 2-5 hours. And on bigger jobs, often longer. Some commercial jobs could even take weeks. And that's just the images, we're not even talking about the videos, which require even more time in post-processing.

Again, you've got that phone cam, and you take the picture and you share it right away, but I can almost guarantee you that if someone shared a professional picture of the same room in the same house, that one would get more action. After all, it's in the data (refer back up to Reason #2).

Ok, now that you've got a few reasons to go with a pro, are you ready to take that next step and hire your Bend real estate photographer? If so, consider Pro Property Photos by Wasim, who has been shooting real estate for over a decade.