Pricing Strategies for Real Estate Photography

During my 5 year career in real estate photography, I studied various methods of pricing real estate photography. Read below to find out which one I use!

Flat rate pricing - One price fits all. Regardless of the size of the house, you've committed to photograph it for a fixed price. This pricing is usually reserved to gain an exclusive arrangement with an agent or real estate firm. PROBLEM: If the agreed upon price isn't high enough, the photographer will be out of business in no time at all.
A percentage of the listing price - the photographer's price for services is calculated as a small percentage (.07% to .09%) of the listing price of the home. This seems to make sense; the REALTORS commission is based on sales price. PROBLEM: Often photographers are asked to photograph the property before the listing price has been established. In the 2022 real estate market, it's not unusual for the price to be increased once on the market.
Square foot pricing - By far the most common pricing model in 2022. It is a simple approach to pricing (the photographer's price per square foot x the home's square footage = the price the REALTOR pays) PROBLEM: the REALTOR comes up holding the short end of the stick. 1) What if the square footage includes areas that aren't going to be photographed (garages, attics, unfinished basements)? 2) Let's talk about the "tale of 2 bedrooms" > bedroom A measures 10' x 15'; bedroom B measures 20' x 30'. The square foot photographer is charging you more to photograph bedroom B !!! 3) With this system, the Realtor is always paying for "whole house" coverage. There's a growing school of thought that TOO MANY listing photos dissuade homebuyers from visiting the listing in person.
Number of delivered photos pricing - takes a little getting used to but saves YOU money! The price is determined by the number of photos delivered NOT square footage of the home. This allows the REALTOR to set their own budget for each listing. The REALTOR can elect less than "whole house" coverage without sacrificing the most attention grabbing photos. BINGO! - This is the pricing model that I use and what separates me from the ever growing number of competitors.

Contact Jim Barber / Impressive Images Photography / 478-737-2244 for your very next listing!