Anyone looking to sell a property can greatly benefit from professional real estate photography. Did you know that home listings with professional-grade photography sell more quickly for more money? 92% of homebuyers use the internet to search for homes on sale. This shows that listing photos are a critical factor in the real estate space. They determine the selling value of a home, whether it sells or not, and how quickly it sells. The same applies to renting a home. Moreover, the benefit of professional photography is not limited to homes priced above $1 million, it applies to homes priced at $100,000 or more, too.

Therefore, high-quality professional real estate photography is an important asset that can contribute to the success of any listing. It’s an expense worth every penny spent. Here are the top 7 benefits to hiring a professional photographer when you are selling your home.

7 Reasons You Should Invest in Professional Real Estate Photography

1. Professional Photography Provides Art Direction

Professional photo shoots are often conducted in the supervision of an art director. You don’t need 100 photos to sell or rent a home. What matters most is having high-quality photos. A professional real estate photo shoot will cover your entire property — from interiors to exteriors.

2. Professional Photography Creates a Favorable Perception

The human brain is conditioned to pass instant judgment, sometimes only subconsciously. The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. When it comes to the look of a property, professional photos can draw in potential buyers.

Here’s an example. You’re searching on Google for “rental homes in Chicago” and you come across some low-quality, blurred pictures of what is described as a beautiful home. Would you be willing to explore more details about the home? Probably not.

As the adage says, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.” Professional photos enable you to show prospective tenants and homebuyers what you have in store for them.

3. Professional Photography is Important for Getting the Right Angles

A professional photographer can bring out the best features of any property. Experienced photographers go all-out to achieve the right angles to provide buyers with a better preview of what they’re going to see. This requires shooting with a monopod or tripod and shooting at different levels with a variety of lightings. The goal is to make each room look equally desirable.

4. Professional Photography Leads to an Impactful Composition

A photo should not just be taken; it should be composed. Before the photo shoot, it’s essential for the photographer to define the subject of the composition and other elements to be included. They’ll suggest how to best fill empty areas, where to create horizontal and vertical lines, and where to direct the attention. When capturing architectural elements and buildings, the photograph should be taken in a way that the homebuyer is able to see all the structural elements. Curves and straight lines can enhance the appeal of a property.

5. Professional Photography Leads to Quicker Sales

Homes with professional photos sell faster. A home with a single photo spends almost 70 days on the market, but a home with 20 photos or more spends 32 days on the market. So, more professional photographs mean quicker sales.

6. Professional Photographs Stir Emotions

Emotions play a big role in a purchase decision, especially when you’re buying a home. There’s no emotion tied to an empty or shabby-looking home. Prospective homebuyers must be able to envision living in the home. A professional photographer along with a staging producer can work together to rearrange the furniture and décor to stir-up emotions of prospective homebuyers. Also, an empty home will never sell as quickly as a staged home.

7. Professional Photographs Boost the Visibility of Your Listing

Google image searches are a major source of traffic on search engines. According to a study conducted on search traffic generated from images, almost 60% of website traffic can come straight from internet users searching for images first. So, if you are planning to sell your house, you need professional photographs to captivate prospective homebuyers while they’re browsing through thousands of results. By adding professional photographs to your listing, you greatly increase the odds of homebuyers noticing your home among those of your neighbors.