I’ve been thinking a lot lately about value.

How do I properly value my services to create reasonable pricing in the highly-competitive Kansas City real estate market? How do I show real estate agents the value of professional real estate photography?

The easiest way to show ROI is through some numbers! And what I know is this: Professional real estate photography is more valuable now than ever before.

Don’t worry, I’ve got stats to pick up my intensely biased opinion. 

Professional Real Estate Photography Is More Important Than Ever

Lookie here! My friends over at Virtuance compiled 2020’s hottest real estate marketing trends back in March. And guess what marketing tool is seeing the most growth? 

That’s right, professional real estate photography!

According to the Virtuance survey of Realtors, 35% of real estate agents utilized professional photography in 2015. As of 2019, that number is now 88%. 

With so much business and income on the line by how you represent your sellers’ homes, there’s no reason to be taking your own pictures anymore. 

Virtuance

Couldn’t have said it better myself! 

Virtuance then drops the mic for me with the following:

Listings that use professional real estate photography are proven to capture buyer attention faster and hold attention longer than less professional images. With professional real estate images of your listing, you’re likely to get 2x more showings. How happy would that make your sellers? Professional photography doesn’t just help you for a specific listing – it also helps build your brand as an experienced, consistent agent. 

Virtuance

Preach, Virtuance. Preach!

It’s Time To Use Video

Another emerging trend is video. (Guess what, we can do that too.)

Nearly 80% of real estate markets said they plan to or will use listing videos in 2020. Virtuance says you’re 53x more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website. That’s so much!

Real estate video marketing, such as video walkthroughs, create trust, provide value, are mobile-friendly, and help to improve your online exposure. In 2020, you can’t afford to not have video content, honestly. Your competition does, so why don’t you? It makes you look lazy and behind on the trends. 

Home Buyers Have Gone Mobile

Most of your clients are searching for and viewing homes for sale on their phones. This means all of your visual content needs to be optimized for mobile.

A good professional real estate photographer knows this, and will shoot, edit, and deliver content that is mobile-friendly. This means pages will load quickly and adjust to fit all screen sizes and operating systems while maintaining professional image quality. 

With how fleeting the attention spans of potential buyers are these days, you can’t afford to provide a low-quality mobile viewing experience, or they’ll lose interest and move onto the next listing in seconds.

Your professional real estate photography, including 3D tours, aerial photography, and virtual staging – all of it must be optimized for mobile to provide buyers with the dynamic experience they seek. 

Professional Real Estate Photography For 2020 & Beyond

We at Picture KC know the value in our photography, and the agents we work with in the Kansas City area do too. Now that you see the statistics, you know that you can’t afford to try and sell a home without professional imagery. 

We’re on the same team and working toward the same goal: To help you stand out online and sell homes. Get in touch with us today to learn about our packages and process!