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Do you charge the same whether video or stills required?

Kyle76

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I've got a base price for shooting real estate projects, but it doesn't differentiate between still shots and video. Do you have a different cost depending on the type of footage required? I have a base price with a smaller add-on price for additional projects if they are in close proximity and I can knock them out on the same trip.
 
I don't shoot real estate projects, but it seems you should charge more for video. With photos, it doesn't take long to decide what shots you want to take and move into position to frame them. But a good video takes considerable more planning of the flight(s) and framing during the entire sequence, depending on how complex it is. But I probably wouldn't charge extra for a very simple pull back or flyby which is easy to do.
 
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I have a base charge for Aerial Photography Services and for Terrestrial Photography Services. This charge covers my expertise, showing up prepared with all equipment, airspace clearances, flight plans and insurance. It covers the first 2 hours onsite and taking pictures/capturing video. There’s a discount if you combine these Services.

Still Images have a set cost per image, discounted the more you buy. I send the Client Contact Sheets with image thumbnails and they select the images they want, how many or how few. (Min 10) I Post Process the chosen images and deliver with a Rights License to my commercial DropBox, into a shared folder that only Client has access to. I retain these for 6 months. Clients typically buy 30-50 images, with 42 being the average. Clients decide what they want to spend and get exactly what they want, rather than “hope” they get what they want from a “package deal” that may or may not provide the desired images/video.

Videos have a set cost depending on the Production Value you wish to invest. I have a Basic Video and a Next Level Video. Other Services/Costs are broken out and all billables are a Line Item on the Invoice. Clients can download a Pricing Structure list from the website and use it when planning the property’s marketing budget.
 
Unlike some specialties, e.g. product, or wedding photography, pricing for Real Estate services is all over the place. The reason is simple - professional photographers don't have a corner on the RE photography market yet. But we're getting there quickly. The days of the RWP (Realtor With Phonecam) are coming to a close, while more complex techniques are evolving so quickly, that photographers can't keep up with pricing services that are tied to time and effort/expertise. My current feel, is that each market has different needs and can support different pricing schemes as a result. Realtors pay for photography out of their profits. Profit on a $170,000 property sale is less than the profit on a $1,500,000 property. So, most RE shooters in my area price their services based on the median sale price of the properties they shoot - which also defines what realtors are willing to pay. When I break it down for Brokerage Companies, I use percentage of total (gross) profits as a baseline, where photography services represent between 1.5-3% of their gross. Where the median home price is 300K, that generally supports a package of about $200-300, built in whatever way is popular now. Aerial video is just another part of a potential package. So, bottom line is that we price each job individually, based on services and property size, not images or minutes of video. Realtors in my area want a bottom line up front. I shoot enough properties that we can ballpark their package price and deliver within that figure. Higher end properties often need video, but realtors' expectations vary wildly. A simple aerial reveal that blends into a virtual tour is a lot less expensive to produce than a multi-shot, full-house video with music and voiceovers. Realtors don't care about any of that, so it's our job to show them what we typically provide in a certain price range, then deliver. I shot a home yesterday where the realtor told us she wanted "stills, 360's and drone shots." I looked at the place in Google Maps, then we quoted her a price of $275. We work with her all the time, so I have a good idea what she expects. As anticipated from Google Maps, the home couldn't really benefit from standard aerial stills, so I shot aerial 360's, instead, and worked them into the virtual 360 tour. A few weeks ago, separate realtors asked for video. One wanted slide-rail shots with an aerial reveal thrown in, the other wanted a video walk-through that included an aerial POI circling shot of the home and surrounding acreage, with audio, of course. Two very different prices. Honestly, if you're just starting out, your product range will change over time. So will your pricing. Don't be afraid to ask realtors how much they are used to paying and set that as a starting point from which to develop services that will meet their expectations and your workflow. The most important thing for new RE photographers (and I wanted to type this in all CAPS!!!) is to develop solid relationships with the first realtors you work with. Everything flows from that. The first realtor I ever worked with seven years ago, is the same one I shot for yesterday. She 'sold me' to two other realtors, who, in turn, recommended us to six other realtors, and it went on from there. What our realtors liked then, is the same thing all of our realtors like now - consistent results delivered quickly. We deliver on every shoot in less than 24 hours. In 2013, that was DSLR stills, no HDR. Today, it's HDR and/or flambient stills, HDR 360 stills, aerial HDR stills/360's/video, and stabilized ground-level video. Every few years I re-do our website. Makes no difference. Zero, zip, nada. Realtors are people persons. They listen to other realtors and develop relationships with people - not websites.

Best of luck to you - I hope you enjoy shooting real estate as much as I do!
 

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