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Do you want to know how to start a real estate photography business in 2024 and create a booming, money-making agency?

Even though times may be tough with a pandemic that doesn’t seem to go away, there’s money to be made in real estate photography in 2024.

Like the pandemic isn’t enough, starting a new business has never been easy, especially not in today’s digital era.

But the good news is that real estate photography is booming, giving you the perfect opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and start your own real estate photography business.

So, in this post, we’ll show you how to start a real estate photography business in 2024. We’ll also cover what gear and marketing tools you need to get started. 

Alright, let’s get into the nitty-gritty!

How to Start a Real Estate Photography Business

how to start a career in real estate photography business

To start a real estate photography business, you first and foremost need to have the right gear. And once you have the right tools, you can start right away with minimal risk. 

Even better, you can build a thriving real estate photography agency in just a few short days or even hours.

What Do You Need to Get Started? 

To get started as a photographer, you’ll need the following:

It goes without saying that you also need to be a good photographer. And that’s the hardest part to learn and master. 

However, if you’ve put in the time to learn photography, then you’re already half on your way!

Real Estate Photography Business Tools

Real Estate Photo Editing by PhotoUp
Real Estate Photo Editing by PhotoUp

Of course, there’s a lot more to running a business than just taking good pictures. Even great photographers fail if they don’t understand that.

With that said, let’s go through a list of some of the tools you need to quickly start a successful real estate photography business.

1. Start With a Website

Custom Websites by PhotoUp
Custom Websites by PhotoUp

It’s never been easier to get a beautiful, fully functional website up and running. 

You can easily find a website builder with templates built specifically for photographers, where simplicity and high-quality images are valued.

For instance, take a look at PhotoUp’s custom websites when you’re ready to get started creating your website. The platform is user-friendly with many beautiful website templates to choose from.

2. Use Real Estate Photo Editing Services

Use Real Estate Photo Editing Services

You’re going to need to do a lot of real estate photo editing, retouching, and post-processing if you’re going to reach the standard you need for today’s real estate clients. 

Not to mention, as you get busier and busier, you’ll quickly find that shooting 2-3 homes in one day can make for a long night of photo editing.

The good news is that it’s easier than ever to learn photo editing skills or hire a real estate photo editing company

Simply sign up with a company like PhotoUp, where professional editors are ready to take care of all your real estate photography post-processing needs. 

Browse Top Dedicated

Real Estate Photo Editors

Ready-to-hire editors for real estate photo editing, video editing, and more.

All you need to do is upload your photographs, add any specific editing instructions, and they’ll take care of the rest. 

Best of all, your photos are delivered back to you, fully edited, and ready to send to your clients the next day.

It can’t be much easier than that!

3. Hire a Virtual Assistant

PhotoUp virtual assistant services
PhotoUp’s Virtual Assistants

There are lots of tasks that need to get done when you’re running a business. 

For example, you’ll need to deliver images, send invoices, schedule shoots, communicate back and forth with clients, and more. 

But as important as the backend might be, you need to be out there visiting realtors and taking more pictures to grow your business.

So, make use of a virtual assistant to keep your business running. That way, someone is always online, ready to answer clients’ questions and take care of your admin tasks.

The Ultimate All-in-One

Real Estate Photographer Business Platform

Grow a successful real estate photography business with PhotoUp.

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Real Estate Photography Marketing Tools

Today, real estate photographers need to do more than just take great pictures.

There are a number of other skills that make you valuable to realtors and will help you build the kind of business that’s scalable, relevant, and most of all, profitable.

1. Leverage Single Property Websites

PhotoUp single property websites
Single Property Websites by PhotoUp

For starters, standalone or single property websites are the perfect way to help sell a property. 

With just a few clicks and compelling images, you can create an entire website dedicated to marketing a property. 

These property websites are great for luxury listings or making a listing stand out among the pack. 

Besides, they also come with pre-built-in lead capture forms to help you get more leads for your real estate photography business.

2. Transform Empty Spaces With Virtual Staging

Before: Empty Room
Before: Empty Room
After: Virtual Staging by PhotoUp
After: Virtual Staging by PhotoUp

With virtual staging, you can digitally add furniture and decor to your photos to create a perfectly staged room. 

This is especially good for marketing vacant rooms since empty spaces make it difficult for potential buyers to see the property’s full potential.

Virtually staged images can make your real estate photos look like taken straight from an interior magazine.

All you need to do is upload a good-quality photo of the room you want to virtually stage. And then you simply select furniture from a variety of design styles, and you’ll get high-resolution, beautiful marketing images sent back to you in just 12 to 24 hours.

3. Showcase the Property Layout Using Floor Plans

Floor plans by PhotoUp
2D Floor Plan by PhotoUp

Floor plans are an excellent way for prospective buyers to get a better understanding of the layout of a property. 

Learn how to create a sketch that can be easily translated into a 2D or 3D floor plan and added to your listing or uploaded to your property website.

4. Use 3D Tours for Interactive Remote Showings

Let clients feel what it’s like to walk through a property without having to physically be there with the help of a 3D tour. 

As a real estate photographer, you can capture and upload visual data, which is then processed into a 3D tour that’ll blow your realtor clients away.

Companies like Matterport and iGuide are great choices for 3D tour providers with amazing technology, support, and customer service.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there’s a lot more to being a real estate photographer in 2024 than simply photographing properties. 

You need to master the real estate marketing tools that are out there and keep adding value for the Realtors you service. 

By embracing these tools, you can evolve from a real estate photographer to a real estate marketing professional.

Get started with PhotoUp today, and let us help you take your new real estate photography career to the next level!

We hope this post gave you an understanding of how to start a real estate photography business in 2024. If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also want to check out the following resources:

Stina Pettersson

Professional Blogger

Stina is an entrepreneur, digital marketer, and professional blogger who's passionate about real estate photo editing, being outdoors with her pup, and sweaty gym sessions. She loves the written word and has been writing for publications like Forbes and Thrive Global. Originally from Sweden, she's called South Florida her home since 2013.

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