FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why invest in professional photos, videos, and tours for your listings?
In today’s competitive and sophisticated real estate market, your photos, videos, and virtual tours are without a doubt your first showing. Quality images are essential for effectively attracting buyers to your listings, and for branding yourself as a professional and successful Realtor.
Full-motion videos and 3D virtual tours take it to the next level. If you are looking to differentiate your listings, and/or to stand out in your competitive profession, take a look at these products, too. Savvy sellers know that people are watching – and being influenced by – video. In fact, 69% of all consumer internet traffic is projected to be video by 2017 (Cisco). A Domain.com study also showed that MLS listings with video generated 400% more inquiries than those without.
What is high dynamic range (HDR)?
How do I schedule a shoot?
An optional online “Request a Shoot” form is available on our website for your convenience. We use this to gather all of the relevant information so that we can be prepared and efficient when we call you to schedule.
What should we do to get the property ready?
What if I need to reschedule or cancel?
Should I attend the shoot? Do I need to stay for the entire shoot?
Our photographers are experienced with selecting angles that enhance the best qualities of a real estate listing. They have photographed hundreds of homes and bring extensive training and experience to the shoot. However, many elements of listing photography are subjective. As the Realtor, you are the expert on the features and attributes of the particular property, and you are familiar with the expectations of your client, the seller.
Being onsite gives you an opportunity to communicate to the photographer any specific preferences you have or shots you have in mind. Otherwise, we’ll use our best professional judgment and will take the photographs that we believe will best market the property.
When we’ve worked with you before, and have a good idea of your preferences, it’s okay with us if you opt not to attend. In this case, we will ensure you’ve provided all access information needed. We will also ask you to indicate the number of photos you wish to purchase based on the square footage of the listing.
IMPORTANT:
Please keep in mind that we do charge (our minimum shoot charge of $185.00) for return trips, so please be sure to communicate any of your preferences.
NOTE REGARDING AMENITIES:
When we are shooting community amenities along with the listing, it is especially important for the Realtor to attend. There is a good deal of subjectivity in what you’d like shot, and there may be amenities that are not visible to the photographer, who may not know the community as well as you do. Plus, some community amenities cannot be accessed without a Realtor. Finally, there are occasions when we arrive at an amenity (like a gym or pool) and there are people there, so we cannot shoot (for legal reasons). If the Realtor is present, he or she may choose to ask the people to leave the shot briefly.
Do you still shoot if the weather is bad?
Post-production techniques also help mitigate the negative impact that rain has on your marketing schedule (and your nerves!). Most of our Realtor clients contact us to schedule a shoot “asap!” and would like to get photos on MLS right away. Typically, your sellers are anxious to get the process moving. From a sales perspective, it’s best to take advantage of that momentum. Post-production techniques allow us to cancel fewer shoots and get you your photos faster.
Here’s our protocol: If the weather is questionable, the photographer will generally call your mobile number about an hour before the shoot. (We wait until this time to get as accurate a read as possible on the radar. South Florida weather is quite unpredictable!) Based on the radar and the circumstances, we will make a call about whether to shoot. We often find if it’s raining hard if we wait a bit, it passes and we can shoot again. You know what they say about South Florida… If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes or drive five blocks!
Please keep in mind that if you wish to cancel or re-schedule, we require you to do so by 5 pm on the business day before the shoot. Canceling or rescheduling after this deadline will incur a $40 (for basic shoots) or $50 (for video packages) cancellation fee. These fees compensate our photographers for reserving their time for your shoot.
What is your turnaround time for photos?
Please note that as a convenience to our Realtor clients and their sellers, our photographers shoot listings on select Saturdays and Sundays. When the photographer shoots on a weekend, the photos are edited with our MONDAY shoots. This means that photos shot on weekends will be guaranteed back to you by Wednesday at the latest (day two of our two business day turnaround promise), and often by Tuesday. (If Monday is a holiday, one additional day is added to this turnaround schedule.)
What is your turnaround time for full-motion walk-through videos?
If you’ve ordered a package that includes a voiceover, it may take up to 5 to 7 business days to complete the final product. This timeline applies if we receive your completed voiceover content form on or before the day of the shoot. (You will receive your video without the voiceover sooner so you can begin your marketing if you wish.)
Is there a person to help me if I have questions about my photos or about how to access or download them?
What do you do in the editing process? will you “photo-shop” out undesirable features, or add items in editing?
We do not “photo-shop” items in or out. Part of our policy is not to alter anything in the photos that is part of what a buyer would purchase. Our affordable prices are based partially on this industry-standard practice and on the labor involved in editing our real estate photography products.
We do sometimes get requests to edit out discolorations, rust stains, dirt or debris, etc. Because this is not something that we do, preparing the listing in advance of the shoot is critical to getting the best results possible. We also sometimes get requests to add green grass where there is none, remove power lines, remove a damaged section of fence, or similar requests. We do not include this as part of our services or pricing.