Tim Downin

I recently photographed a property that I thought was really nice, personally, and I thought that I'd share a comparison. I'd like to use this as an opportunity to show the contrast between a trained eye and an untrained eye when photographing a property. Now this is not to say that I think the realtor's images are "bad," quite the contrary actually, however, there are differences in my edited versions that simply aren't evident in the first pictures that were taken. For display purposes, the first image is the one the realtor took, and the second is my version, after editing. Opinions are welcome. :)

Having been stuck in Florida and not seen a real winter season for the past 15 years (we only moved to the state this past May), it's really nice to be able to finally see views like this again. The third image down I didn't take, but I edited it.

Tim

In beginning to focus on real estate photography as another facet of my professional life, something has come to my attention that I find, quite frankly, a little disturbing.

Having recently purchased a home (after a year or so of looking), and having relocated my family over 3,000 miles across the country, I have become acutely aware of exactly how important photography is to a real estate listing. It is with that knowledge that I find myself completely flabbergasted to hear real estate professionals acting like the quality of the pictures on their listings are really no big deal, and to see in some instances, a complete indifference to whether or not they are even there.

I realize that, to some degree, in my particular situation I likely relied upon listing photographs a little more than the average buyer, however, even when I've been shopping for real estate across town, I've still relied heavily on the listing images to form an initial impression of a property and to decide which properties I was going to devote my valuable time to going to see. I know for a fact that there were a large number of properties that went completely unnoticed, even though they were in my price range and met my search criteria, solely because the pictures made the property look undesirable or there were no pictures at all. I'm fairly certain that some of the properties that were overlooked might have been desirable to us, however, with so many properties on the market, it was simply impossible to look at everything that might have been a possibility (and admittedly, we were looking in a low price range and at a rather narrow cross section of properties).

I guess what I'm hoping for by posting this, is for some discussion about what can be done to change people's attitudes towards using good pictures in their listings, and helping people see the value in doing so.

I realize that some say that if a listing is under a certain price, that it's not important because the price will sell it on it's own, but I would imagine that better exposure could likely lead to a faster sale.

Thoughts?

Hello, I am joining AR to get to know my community more and be able to work with talented and motivated Brokers and agents who want to market their listings with professional images that will really make them stand out from the rest! I primarily work in the Mid Willamette valley including Lebanon, Albany, Corvallis and surrounding areas but will also venture out to other areas with additional travel fees. I pride myself in creating amazing images that really bring attention to the best qualities of the properties I am shooting. So to get the ball rolling and start the new year off right, why not brighten up your old photos from last year and get some new and improved ones, and for all your first of the year listings, lets get em started on the right foot!

Please note that this price is for PHOTOS ONLY. I do not currently provide full virtual tours that are hosted and assembled. I will provide you with stills for your MLS and pans to upload to your own virtual tour account. I am still working on finding a hosting company that is affordable and looks good, if you have any suggestions, I am all ears. My prices will go up when I do full service Virtual Tours.

To make sure you get a product that you are happy with, We will need to have a conversation to create a customized plan for your needs. Each home is different and depending on the size, shape and condition of your property, the results will vary. I highly recommend using a stager and will be happy to refer you to one if needed. My personal favorite is Margaret from CreativeConcepts who offers consultations, staging, and contracting to fix up any areas that need improvement.

I do have references to furnish upon request.

So please keep me in mind for all your real estate photography needs, virtual tours and stills. I do other types of photography as well and you can view my Business website at www.miraculousmemories.org to see examples of my other work. Thanks for your time and enjoy! I look forward to working with you soon!