Does having Professional photos get a higher return on your investment property?

[Jody in Darwin]

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Hi all,

I agree with most of what russellpeter said. 'Professionals' photos DO get more enquiries & people through the door (as do blurbs that describe benefits rather than simple, '2 bed, 1 bath' type descriptions). That's all they need to do, we sell the property to prospective tenants from there. It doesn't hurt to have a larger crowd of people arrive at a showing - creates a sense of urgency.

Good photography and description do take some time, thought and talent. I am not a photographer but I DO make an effort to take photos that present the best features of the property & give some sense of the space - my camera cost over $1500 and I take time to lighten the photos up to get a real sense of the room and crop for a pleasant composition back at the office - and believe me this takes time! It doesn't actually bother me to see people who are clearly clueless about light & space posting photos on the internet - less competition for me and the investors I work for (although poor spelling & grammar on a professional site like realestate.com.au gets up my nose). For visual people photos are important and when trawling through websites this is the only thing prospective tenants will see to convince them to click in and read more.

If professional photos bring a $40 increase (as shown by russellpeter) & lease an otherwise $380 property 1 week earlier, then surely spending anything under $300 on PROFESSIONAL photos (i.e. not done by a property manager) is a good investment - particularly as these can be used year after year, unlike sales photos that are used once. If you can get cheaper deals than that with equivalent quality, then you're on a winner.

Cheers
Jody

 

[russellpeter]

Can see the benefit when selling sure.

Jaycee

If you can see the benefit when selling why not renting

if you get more people looking at the ad more at the opens surly you will get a higher rental price. better return higher yield better sell price

 

[jaycee]

Jaycee

If you can see the benefit when selling why not renting

if you get more people looking at the ad more at the opens surly you will get a higher rental price. better return higher yield better sell price

Because I have jad great success from photos taken by people with common sense - all rented within 2 weeks of intial listing (in the case of 2, they were filled while the previous tenant was still there).


When selling a house, I do not beleive that the tenant paying $10-$20 more / week woudl make a difference to a potential buyer (the fact that it is tenanted might, but the $10 extra, a lot of the time, you would be lucky if it was noticed as being $10 over the so called market rent (which remember, is not exactly written in stone)..... A $500k house, renting for %20 / week instead of $95 - how much exttra are you prepared to pay for it beacuae of this russell ? The first answer shich pops into my head is "Nothing ?"

Even with the house, I think the better quality (read the more expensive) the more worthwhile it may be.

As I said, perhaps you sell prestige property, I only own stuff 30% or more UNDER the median price range

 

[Ed Barton]

Jaycee

If you can see the benefit when selling why not renting

if you get more people looking at the ad more at the opens surly you will get a higher rental price. better return higher yield better sell price

why not spend money staging a house for rental inspections?

the answer to your question is - when people buy they use emotion far more than when renting.

the ten bucks pw you MAY get extra by professional photos is not comparable to the thousands extra you MAY get when selling.

if you're renting out a very high end property then it will be worth paying for pics and even doing a small bit of 'staging' to get pics you can use over and over.

 

[russellpeter]

Because I have jad great success from photos taken by people with common sense - all rented within 2 weeks of intial listing (in the case of 2, they were filled while the previous tenant was still there).


When selling a house, I do not beleive that the tenant paying $10-$20 more / week woudl make a difference to a potential buyer (the fact that it is tenanted might, but the $10 extra, a lot of the time, you would be lucky if it was noticed as being $10 over the so called market rent (which remember, is not exactly written in stone)..... A $500k house, renting for %20 / week instead of $95 - how much exttra are you prepared to pay for it beacuae of this russell ? The first answer shich pops into my head is "Nothing ?"

Even with the house, I think the better quality (read the more expensive) the more worthwhile it may be.

As I said, perhaps you sell prestige property, I only own stuff 30% or more UNDER the median price range

No Im BDM dealing with rental properties only (no longer sell) avarage rental price $400 to $450pw

 

[jaycee]

No Im BDM dealing with rental properties only (no longer sell) avarage rental price $400 to $450pw

I should be more careful with my typing shouldn't I.....

When selling a house, I do not beleive that the tenant paying $10-$20 more / week would make a difference to a potential buyer (the fact that it is tenanted might, but the $10 extra, a lot of the time, you would be lucky if it was noticed as being $10 over the so called "market rent" (which remember, is not exactly written in stone)..... )


A $500k house, renting for $520 / week instead of $495 - how much extra are you prepared to pay for it because of this russell ?

The first answer which pops into my head is "Nothing ?"

So I'm not convinvced a) I need to pay $000's for a proffesional photographer just to get market rent, evidencced by the 000's of succesfully tenanted properties in Australia,.

And I find it a long stretch that you suggest $10 extra in rent (which the purchaser may not know is $10 extra s I suggested above), will get you much extra when selling the house either....

Especially in the median market/ sub median market

Sure it coulds work, same as hiring a limousine to pick someone up from their hotel might be more impressive than a taxi, but "necessary", mmm not convinced......

 

[russellpeter]

SO I'm not cponvinvced a) I need to pay $000's for a porffesional photographer hjsut to get market rent, evidencced by the 000's of succesfully tenanted propeorties in Australia

Jaycee



Things are changing and owners are starting to search for agents to manage their property by looking at the photos and script of other properties online and making a decision from realestate.com and the ones that look like http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-rocklea-402772680 this will start to struggle or have to get with the times. now this agent is just lazy see the one photo they have online it came from RP Data never even went to the property. And look at when its available?

I can guarantee that the agent is telling the owner that the price is too high and pushing him to drop the price to get a tenant.


I know if I was marketing this property it would be rented by now and if it wasn’t rented and I had to tell the owner the property is overpriced I would be confident that’s price is the reason it’s not rented.

where at the moment you couldn’t tell if it’s the price that’s the issue because of the photos and script

And now on realestate.com you can search for a property vie Galley view.

At least you have the sense to look at your ad. how many owners just trust the PM

I agree that you will not get that much extra if selling regarding the sale price if it’s a higher return

But is some circumstances it can EG, CBD apartments when you have 50 properties with the same floor plan same body corps but one returns an extra $1000pa
It may not get the extra cash but it will sell first.

what I tell my owners is there property is never going to look as good with a tenants belongings in it compared to theirs.

A property will always present better furnished than unfurnished so if they get professional photos when the owner is still living in the property it will benefit them when they are renting EG higher return, more applications, less time vacant and when they do decide to sell they have a professional photos of their house furnished and presented as they want (not a milk crate with a TV on it like I have seen before)

and if it only returns you an extra 10pw X52 =520 so you are still in front $410pw

It’s a win win for both the agent and the owner

 

[jaycee]

rusell, you dont have to like taking photo's as par to f your job.

But when, as a PM, you present it to a landlord, offering it as part of the series you will provide, I believe you have a responsbility to do a reasonable job of it, otherwise why do so many property mangers offer it ?

1/2 of the complaints have been where the PM took obviously STUPID photo's not where they could have done better with more photography knowledge / better cameras etc...
We're still talking about the basic point & shoot, amke sure ithe subject is in the photo / make sure it is not blurry or crooked etc....

 

[russellpeter]

I agree you do have the responsibility to do the job correctly that’s why I get my photos done by a professional

I don’t mind taking photos and I have a good camera but no matter how much I try I can’t get them to the quality you get from a professional as they sometimes spend 2 hours after they take the photo fixing and editing them and at the end of the day I want the best for my owners and I have set very high standards on my advertizing

I guess I am of the mind set do one thing and do it well

But there is still too many agents out there who don’t care or are overworked to the point where they just take the photos they can find online and say it will do

These are the PM who deal with 200+ properties

So many property managers offer it because they don’t know any better or can’t sell the value most haven’t even tried or are to scared that they will lose the listing if they say I think you should spend $110 on photos

Again trying to do 2 jobs I believe you should have a Pm managing your property and a BDM marketing it

I’m sorry I’m just telling it as it is

And yes you are right there are 1000 of properties that get rented every week/year with good standard photos and they are some good Pm who can take good Photos

But at the end of the day you can still go online and find crap in every suburb

See below, at least the property manager tried in this one

But the PM hasn’t had the training or the right lenses to get the right photos to highlight this properties all you can see is walls but as you say all you need to do is (make sure it is not blurry or crooked etc....)

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-qld-griffin-404176405

I am about to open a rental agency and I will not let my Pm take any photos of any of my properties all will be outsourced.

Please pick a property in a suburb that’s on the first page of realestate.com that’s been taken by a Pm and show me what you think is ok

 

[jaycee]

I agree you do have the responsibility to do the job correctly that’s why I get my photos done by a professional

I don’t mind taking photos and I have a good camera but no matter how much I try I can’t get them to the quality you get from a professional as they sometimes spend 2 hours after they take the photo fixing and editing them and at the end of the day I want the best for my owners and I have set very high standards on my advertizing

I guess I am of the mind set do one thing and do it well

But there is still too many agents out there who don’t care or are overworked to the point where they just take the photos they can find online and say it will do

These are the PM who deal with 200+ properties

So many property managers offer it because they don’t know any better or can’t sell the value most haven’t even tried or are to scared that they will lose the listing if they say I think you should spend $110 on photos

Again trying to do 2 jobs I believe you should have a Pm managing your property and a BDM marketing it

I’m sorry I’m just telling it as it is

And yes you are right there are 1000 of properties that get rented every week/year with good standard photos and they are some good Pm who can take good Photos

But at the end of the day you can still go online and find crap in every suburb

See below, at least the property manager tried in this one

But the PM hasn’t had the training or the right lenses to get the right photos to highlight this properties all you can see is walls but as you say all you need to do is (make sure it is not blurry or crooked etc....)

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-qld-griffin-404176405

I am about to open a rental agency and I will not let my Pm take any photos of any of my properties all will be outsourced.

Please pick a property in a suburb that’s on the first page of realestate.com that’s been taken by a Pm and show me what you think is ok

Good luck with it Russell.

Hope you strike the right balance for you & your customers

 

[Tesla Rules]

...... people leaving personal items everywhere..... when in the market for another IP last year I went to an open home and the child's psychiatric report was hanging on the fridge door with a magnet.....
i think I was the only one who noticed - and no - i did not read past once i realised what i was seeing.... but - yuk!

 

[zimby]

Definitely Professional Photo's.
Poor Lighting puts people off and may not reflect the true representation of the property.
One of the Reasons I chose our Current Property Management, was the quality of their listings.

 

[Angel13]

I just want to know if paying $110 to get a professional photos in your mind is worth doing

I paid $200 and it was worth every cent.

 

[Prop_Perspectiv]

Would you ask your PM to take more photos if you weren't happy with the current ones? I'm really unhappy with the pics of our current IP (listed yesterday) and my partner is even more unhappy (he is a professional photographer). The IP is 9 hours drive away so taking pics himself is not an option.

 

[perthguy]

I just want to know if paying $110 to get a professional photos in your mind is worth doing

My REA took photos for a rental ad on RE.com.au. The photos are great and got me some good tenants in a couple of weeks in a very tough market. Rental was at the top of the market for the type of property.

 

[Domus]

Professional Photos

As a PM, I think the above posts can be summarized as follows.

- Awful photos. Either poor camera or just plain lazy property manager or owner. Most smart phones can take better photos then the point & shoot I was using 10 years ago.
- Average photos. Most people should be able to take an acceptable photos at acceptable angles with todays technology.
Is it good enough to be just average?
-Professionally photographs. Can it get you a higher return?

​

o Perhaps, or perhaps it means that you lease your place faster. If you are in a slow market this is important.

​

o Does it present a better more professional image ? Definitely.
I think this is what we should all strive for.

​

o It can be reused for say up to 5 years (depending on wear & tear and any cosmetic works).

​

o Can I as a PM take professional photos?
I happen to have the equipment, lens & flash to do so. Is it worth my time to do it, No.
I will take you average photos, but if you want great I have to spend 1-2 hour plus to achieve this. A professional photographer can achieve this in half the time.

As a rental property you only need approx. 5 photos (depends on size) this can be done for as little as $65.00 however $ 100 seems to be about average. A $ 100 spend which can be reused for a number of years and may achieve a higher rental and/or quicker leasing seems to be good value.

Now what about priority listings on the website (your property appears at the top of the page) are they worth it?

 

[Josh_G]

A

Now what about priority listings on the website (your property appears at the top of the page) are they worth it?

Trialed this - Lots more enquiries with "feature" listings over standard REA listings.

Obviously if your in a suburb where there aren't a heap of new listings that keep pushing listings down, probably not needed.

 

[Tinkler]

Get Serious

Rent revenue is a serious income stream.
Making the property look its very best in advertising is critical.
A picture is worth a thousand words.....are they going to be fuzzy, dark or crap.....or are they going to be sharp and professional.
If an IP owner wont pay for top class pics, then don't complain about not getting top inspection frequencies.
As for PM's needing to be quality photographers, should they also maintain a tenancy default data base, there own newspaper and own Realesatate.com sized website too?

 

[Hypnotic Cat]

I think taking professional photos is worthwhile just to get people through the door. When I listed my last place for sale I asked the agent to employ a professional. (Even though I've got a $1500 Canon I was too busy and couldn't be bothered taking the shots to save the $250 or whatever the fee was).

Somehow the agent forgot that's what I asked him to do and instead put up a series of photos that looked like someone wearing a blindfold had taken them. They were out of focus, dark, and made the place look dull and dingy when the truth is just the opposite. I was on the phone quick smart to get him to pull the photos until proper shots were taken.

I was very happy with the end result and the final sale price well above my expectations.

 

[mattysavager]

I would pay for professional photos every time.

(in fact I didn't with the only investment i own, but I have experience in the real estate market and know many of the tricks, I also enjoy photography as a hobby, and have a 1.5K camera).

I think the key point that many of you are missing is that you pay for it once, and then re-use the photos each time it comes up for rent. that $200 investment will mean you get 'wow' factor every time for up to 5 years, or until you re-paint the house etc.

In my experience, most people in the world are no good at photography. In paris I asked someone to take a photo of my parter and I in front of the Eiffel Tower. They lined us up with the tower, so we looked like we were just standing in any old park. You could only see the top 1/4 of the tower above our heads. I rejected it and gave the camera to someone else, who did exactly the same thing.

Agents CAN take photos, but the difference between a sales professional taking a photo, and a photography professional taking a photo is stark..

There was a house listed in my suburb recently for around $800K. House was a bit tired, and listed by two agencies. One had used photos supplied by the Owner, as they had their old furniture in there etc. They were dark, and made the rooms look tiny. The other agency had professional photos, and made the same house look like a million dollars.

Matt