Any Real Estate Broker/Photographer Out There?

[SYS]

After retiring from a career in higher education and idling away for the past three years, I decided to get a real estate broker license to keep me busy (or continue to be idle, depends ;) ). I plan on combining this part-time pursuit with my interest in photography. Are any of you POTN members brokers/photographers? If so, share some of your thoughts on the business, i.e., networking, advertising, fees, etc.? I just passed the license exam and have an interview set up with a potential sponsor broker tomorrow.

[SeanH]

I'm shooting this stuff as a way to make a few extras bucks. I have been in the RE biz for 19 years as an outside sales rep for a Title Insurance co. My idea was not to try and make a killing, but to just offer a basic tour for cheap. It's worked out pretty well, takes me a hour to shoot, half hour to process. I use a 40D and 2 580's.......one on camera, one off & slaved.

www.thepixelplayer.com


I still use flash, a lot of the new guys do everything HDR. I probably would do some like that, but I haven't found the HDR setting I like yet.

[SYS]

I'm shooting this stuff as a way to make a few extras bucks. I have been in the RE biz for 19 years as an outside sales rep for a Title Insurance co. My idea was not to try and make a killing, but to just offer a basic tour for cheap. It's worked out pretty well, takes me a hour to shoot, half hour to process. I use a 40D and 2 580's.......one on camera, one off & slaved.

www.thepixelplayer.com


I still use flash, a lot of the new guys do everything HDR. I probably would do some like that, but I haven't found the HDR setting I like yet.

Pretty nice website with good looking samples! Thanks for sharing. How (or where) do you advertise your service and who are your typical clients? I'd imagine that a lot of RE photography is really about connection within the RE networking?

[Jannie]

There was a RE guy here a couple of years ago and I think he was working in Palm Springs. His portfolio was wonderful as he got really into the whole architectural photography thing- it did help that they were all photos of beautiful houses.

[ScottKCooper]

Hey, SeanH, did you work with a person doing staging prior to your arrival, or were you lucky enough to have very tidy customers?

[WillMass]

Hey, SeanH, did you work with a person doing staging prior to your arrival, or were you lucky enough to have very tidy customers?

Not being familiar with the industry, I would think the listing agent would probably give the seller a heads up, just like they would for an open house.

[SeanH]

Hey, SeanH, did you work with a person doing staging prior to your arrival, or were you lucky enough to have very tidy customers?

That's kinda 2 fold. #1 I work with good agents that educate their sellers. #2 honestly with the economy the way it is most agents don't hire me for homes that don't show well. I've went back & forth on this issue, at one time I thought about a cheap fee for 20 shots......period, just to pick up some of those homes. Just so they can get some quality shots of the home. But honestly if I do that then I would guess that most would just order that service and I'd be cheating myself out of income.....tough call. This time of the year I hardly do any, nobody is putting their home on the market right now. Jan 1st it will hit the fan!

[ScottKCooper]

Yeah, I need to practice on a few places, and practice image stitching so that when Spring hits, I'm ready for some work in the C-Ville area. That also gives me time to set up my web site, and put together a halfway decent business plan. I'm not going to try to get a business loan, but I know it is important to have a direction / plan. Good topic. I'd love to hear more about the whole process - the call, the planning, the editing - do you ever offer to put together the marketing material (brocures), or do you just hand over your work (and add the good stuff to your website)?

[Concretin Nik]

A great resource for RE specific photography:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/photographyforrealestate/

http://photographyforrealestate.net/

and I'm pretty sure several of the regulars there are also realtors/agents

[ScottKCooper]

Thanks Concretin Nik! I'll have to check those out, and I'm sure SYS, will, or has already.