Great question Tammy, generally I hire a professional. However there are times when you cannot get good photos because perhaps a tenant is in there and does not keep it the way you would want. And if it was a wooded lot, I would most likely take them myself as I am good with exterior photography and have a nice camera.

I take all of my own photos.  I feel that by learning how to use a camera correctly...it helps you better understand the property.  If I was going to use one...I would do what Cindy Davis does and build it into the commission on listings or in my case for Auctions...sellers expenses.

I hired the Aerial Photographer and I'm mentoring him in real estate in exchange for aerial photography for every listing....lots, multi's, fixer uppers and nice homes....luxury especially.... but we provide everyone with top notch photography...."the eye buys".... 

It depends on the property, if it is a short sale or distressed probate sale, the photos I take are sufficient.

Most of our lots are just trees, and unless it is a timber tract I think a photo or two suffices. If it's lakefront or has views that is a different story!

I will hire a photographer for listings over $2 Million.

Tammy, I hire a professional most of the time. An exception may be a home lot. I have a camera that takes great photos and can do a pretty good job but trust the professional to do his job.

If the home is loaded with features that a professional photographer can really highlight I will hire a photographer. Sometimes I list a vacant home with beige carpet, white walls etc...... Not much to photograph so I do it myself

I have great equiptment and took classes and it has more than paid for itself.  I will actually hire out to my agents if need be.

I use my professional photographer on every house listing.  I believe that it makes the best presentation of any home regardless of its condition.  For a lot listing, I would use my photography equipment, as it is excellent and I enjoy exterior photo work.

Tammy Lankford - I don't think I'll hire a professional for a wooded lot, though...

Tammy Lankford I do not usually have that distiction! Most of my listing I'd prefer professional photographer - except one last year where the house needed lots of work and seller did not want a professional photographer to 'showcase' the home!

I do photos (professional) for all my listings - except one that was filled with mold and a tear down- I guess I would do professional photos for an agricultural parcel that I talked to the sellers about but haven't listed one.  I think it would need a wide angle lens.  Not sure about a wooded lot

I take a lot of my own photos.  I think I am very good at it.  Only on very high end homes do I hire a phtographer

Tammy Lankford ....great question ...some of my quickest sells and most expensive have been just from my iPhone! I just pick and choose and a lot of times I just go for the professional if I need something different.

It depends on the property and the timing, but more times than not a professional. I do my own videos and community videos,. I don't sell land so can't comment. Guess it would depend, but given our topography and the lack of forests professional photos and aerials would make sense

I don't hire for wooded lots. A property $350+ may get a professional photographer. When I initially went to college I studied photography for the first two years extensively. So, I do the lion share of the photos for our listings. I did hire a pro a couple times, but they didn't sell any faster than mine. 

Tammy,

Our advice is to always use a professional.  They can capture either a view of a tree that will spark someone's imagination and want them to build there!  A

I don't usually list vacant land but I can tell you it would have a better chance of selling in our area with aerial photography. I use a professional photographer for all my listing no matter the price. Given that I advertise professional photos should be taken, it wouldn't be right to short change a seller.

Great question and we struggled with that a bit but decided to use our professional photographer on every listing. It's part of our brand and consistency.

I am my own photographer (professionally trained). I give every home the very best possible.

Tammy, this question is so relevant. 

One of my goals this year is to replace myself with a professional in this category. My Daughter is a professional for families and children but homes are their own specialty. I think I will start with her recommendations to find someone in the Atlanta area that can work with my homes and add them to the budget. 

Great question!  I used to take the photos myself, couple years ago invested in using a professional photographer and WOW what a difference.  I keep telling myself that I will continue to do anything below $150K myself but for what he costs, and the ease of working with him, quality of the photos, I simply keep working with him on all listings price points.  Anything over $150K and I would not even second guess it.  For land?  Not so sure I would.

Best of luck.

We use out own Digtial SLR with custom lenses and lighting. What I will outsource is to Matterport for 3D tours.

Tammy, Listing photos are too important to "do it yourself".  I took some photograhpy classses in college and know my way around a camera but still leave that task to the shutter bugs.  A great option is to hire an experienced student photgrapher that offers "student" rates.  I use a student now for my listing photos, all the while, helping him build his r/e pics portfolio.

Cheers! 

Depends on property condition. Generally I will take the photos of property that is in poor condition. Raw Land as well I will take the photos. All other property regardless of price I use  a professional. Just one of our services.

We take all our own photos and make all our YouTubes.  Yes even on raw land.  A listing is a listing. 

I do professional photography on all my listings, regardless of price point. The $75,000 sellers wants/needs to sell their home as badly as someone with a home 10 times that value. Since I don't do lot sales, I can't say much in this regard, but if I did, it would depend on the lot.

Tammy Lankford - Great question!  It's a combination.  I hire a professional photographer for the MLS and brochure photos and for the property tour link, but I take great photos too and end up having to use part of my own to get up to the maximum allowed on Z, T, R, and other sites that now have 20, 30, 40, even 50 photo slots (pros will not produce that type of volume for us).  For a lot - no professional photos unless it's a lakefront with a multi-million dollar price tag on it and then I'll use a pros to get the special shots.

We have the means to take our own photos, but we do hire someone at a fixed rate in taking photos of homes, inside and out.

Yes, I do take photos of a wooded or cleared lot myself.  Professional photos in my area are so cheap I just let them do it.

Tammy, we won't hire a photographer under $100,000, or maybe even up to the high $100,000s because those properties sell so quickly and we have staff photographers that do a decent job but not the quality we want for most of our listings. We have hired a photographer for vacant land and found it to be very advantageous for the aerial shots he did. If it's a wooded lot, if the land is valuable enough, it is worth it to hire a photographer who can do some aerial shots on a pole (and with a drone when that is available).  The land we hired him for was cleared and wooded; obviously wooded is not as interesting to photograph, but good photography helps a property stand out, even if it's a wooded lot.

I take all of my own pictures. We don't even have a professional real estate photographer in my area. 

Nope, I ALWAYS hire a photographer. If I need to, I build it into my commission structure. It just makes all the difference in whether a listing gets showings!