Is Real Estate Photography a Good Career in 2024?
Is real estate photography a good career? Well, the short answer is yes, absolutely. Real estate photography is a good career for those that are willing to work hard and hustle, especially in the first year.
If you know you want to get started in real estate photography, then you’ve come to the right place. Check out our Beginners Guide and our Business Resources page to make sure you get started on the right path.
If you want to learn more about why real estate photography is a good career, read on!
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Is Real Estate Photography A Good Career?
Is real estate photography a good career? Well, it’s a good career for anyone that wants to work for themselves and enjoys photography. It’s only growing in demand and becoming more important in the real estate buying process as well.
It also can pay extremely well. Check out our article How Much Does A Real Estate Photographer Make to get a better idea. Although the average is around $50,000 per year, if you’re willing to put the work in you absolutely can make $100,000 or more per year.
If you can push through the first year and start to get some solid repeat clients, you should start to see an upward trend over the next 2 years. In general, you can expect to replace your current income within 3 years and possibly much sooner depending on your market.
So, is real estate photography a good career? Well I might be biased, but I certainly think so. Below you’ll find the biggest reasons why I think it’s a great career to pursue.
Increasing Demand for Content
The ever increasing demand for good quality content in our increasingly digital world is a great thing for real estate photographers. Whether it’s on Zillow or Instagram, visual content is extremely important.
This increasing demand for content offers more and more opportunities for real estate photographers. With 83% of buyers saying that photos played a “very important” role in their purchasing decision, the demand for quality content is clear.
As real estate photographers, we have the ability to create images for both listing websites and social media. It’s not a difficult service to sell either since many possible clients understand the advantages of using quality photography.
Real Estate Photography Sells Homes Faster and For More Money
This study conducted by the real estate giant Redfin outlines just how important real estate photography is to the sales process. Homes sold between $400k – $500k literally sell an average of 21 days faster if they’re professionally photographed.
For a deeper look into that Redfin study and more facts about how important real estate photography is to the sales process, check out this article: 8 Incredible Real Estate Photography Facts
The above photos demonstrate the massive difference between using a professional real estate photographer and choosing to photograph a home yourself. It’s easy to see why professional photography helps sell homes.
Make Your Own Schedule
When I’m asked the question ‘is real estate photography a good career’ one of my favorite ways to explain why the answer is yes is to talk about the freedom of making your own schedule. Being on my own schedule is probably my favorite part of being a real estate photographer.
Creating your own schedule can allow you the freedom to take off days when you need to, spend more time with your family, and have more flexibility overall. It doesn’t offer total freedom from the 9-5, but it does put you in charge of your time.
Of course there will be times where a client needs photos right now and you won’t be thrilled about needing to rush a job. The thing to remember is that you always have the ability to say no. That doesn’t come with a regular 9-5.
Decide Your Own Income Level
There are a number of different ways you can decide your own income level as a real estate photographer. You can get a lot of clients and charge them a lower rate, you can charge a premium rate to a smaller amount of clients, or you can grow your business in many other ways.
The deciding factor is going to be the quality of your work. If you decide that you are content producing average quality real estate photos, then you can go the route of trying to land a lot of clients and photographing as many homes as it take to achieve your desired income.
If you decide that you will take the time to produce exceptional quality images, then you can focus on landing larger clients that need higher end photos. You will be able to charge them more money and decide your income level by raising prices.
Additional Information on is Real Estate Photography a Good Career
So, is real estate photography a good career? I believe the answer is yes. A lot of it is dependent on your and your work ethic, but if you are willing to hustle, real estate photography is a great and profitable career.
If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.
You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
If you’re more interested in other resources that can help your real estate photography business, check out our Business Resources page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do real estate photographers make?
On average, real estate photographers make around $50,00/year. Check out this article for more information: How Much Do Real Estate Photographers Make?
Do real estate photographers make good money?
Yes, real estate photographers can make good money. It can depend on how many clients you have, but in general real estate photographers do make good money.
Is real estate photography in demand?
Absolutely. Real estate photography is very much in demand. The demand for real estate photography is also growing with the continued increased demand for more visual content.
Can you make a living as a real estate photographer?
Yes, you can definitely make a living as a real estate photographer. It will take some time to build your client list, but you can absolutely make a good living.
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