5 Photography Habits of Successful Real Estate Agents

Being real estate photographers in Columbia, South Carolina, we have the opportunity to work with a lot of amazing real estate agents. When you photograph hundreds of homes, you start to notice what makes the successful agents stand out. Here are the top five habits of successful agents when it comes to marketing their listing.

1. Let The Property Determine Your Marketing – Not The Listing Price – Many agents skipped out on a piece of marketing because they “don’t do drones on anything less than x”. Consider all factors when determining the appropriate marketing levels such as location, price, and the marketing potential for your brand. Just because a home will sell quickly, doesn’t mean you can’t use a gorgeous listing to represent your marketing in the future.
2. Organization Is The Common Denominator – There is an agent that we shoot a new listing for sometimes three to four times a week. Without fail, that agent will make sure the home is cleaned, staged, photo-ready, and vacant by the time we arrive every single time. It is possible to avoid the last-minute scramble.
3. Be The Conductor – Not The Band – One of the most important abilities is being a master of client management. The agent’s attitude and professionalism sets the tone for the entire transaction. Oftentimes we’ve had to work around homeowners, stagers, and cleaning crew. Setting expectations and staying on top of the schedule is what sets many agents apart.
4. Focus On What’s Important – The biggest contribution that an agent can make to their photoshoot is to make sure everything is prepped and ready to go before the photographer arrives. The words that any photographer dreads hearing is “we’re just going to move a few things from room to room”.
5. Now That You’ve Set The Stage – Trust Your Photographer – The best photos we’ve ever taken have always been in a staged vacant home. Having the space and time to work out our compositions lets us figure out the best way to showcase your listing. Once your photographer arrives, give them space to work in a clean and staged home and you’ll always love the results.

When it comes down to what makes a successful real estate agent in the Columbia, SC area, we’ve found that the agents who are organized, trust their team, and set proper expectations always rise to the top. It is possible to avoid the last-minute scramble and those that can set the stage for the photographer will always have great photos come back.