Top 7 Benefits of Outsourcing Real Estate Photo Editing
Starting and maintaining your very own real estate photography business requires a lot from you. From the very start, you will need to wear multiple hats that each will demand a lot of brainpower and energy to fulfill.
Don’t get us wrong, the real estate industry is ever growing and very lucrative. With the right set of skills, equipment, and motivation to keep it growing, you can really make a name for yourself.
However, you can’t, or rather shouldn’t, be doing all of it on your own. Your time is valuable, and how much of it you do not spend getting more clients or taking actual photos means less income.
In order to fully maximize your own resources, we highly recommend outsourcing the things that you can delegate to others, especially editing real estate photos. Below, we touch more on the benefits of outsourcing and other industry information.
The Struggle of Growing a Photography Business
Real estate photographs are largely in demand, and starting your own business will definitely keep your days busy and your schedule packed. There are a lot of things you have to do, such as:
- Research and purchase the right set of equipment
- Ensure the equipment is well maintained
- Keep an engaging marketing strategy to continually garner leads
- Negotiate and confirm clients
- Email clients, meet real estate agents, and keep them up to date
- Driving to meetings and photo shoots
- Researching and scouting the property before the shoot itself
- Setting up and fulfilling the photo shoot
- Editing the real estate images
- Delivering the images
- Staying relevant online and maintain a social presence
- Handle finances
- Take care of the paperwork
- And others
These are just the main things that you have to take care of when having your own real estate photography gig. With all of these decisions to make and tasks to fulfill, it can be quite a challenge to find enough time for yourself, for your family and friends, to pursue other hobbies, and to get enough rest in between it all.
In retrospect, taking care of all of this may be able to save you some money, but at what cost and is it worth it? Investing in paid services wherein you can outsource tasks that other people can accomplish just as well is highly recommended. Not only will this take some pressure off your shoulders, but it also frees up some of your time to spend on things that weigh heavier on the priority scale.
One of the first things we suggest you outsource to professionals is photo editing.
Top 7 Benefits Of Outsourcing Real Estate Photo Editing
There can be many personal benefits that outsourcing work will have on you. While the impact can vary from person to person, here are our top 7 benefits to outsourcing real estate image editing services.
Benefit #1: You Get To Focus On Your More Important Tasks
Editing your photographs may sound less demanding but it actually takes up a large chunk of your time. Most especially if you have multiple clients expecting a fast turnaround, it can be extra challenging to churn out quality work each time as this task is done in volumes.
Outsourcing this to professionals ensures that your image will be in the right hands while you get to attend to other high priority responsibilities. You can also use the time otherwise spent on editing to look for more clients or attend to the needs of your current ones, keeping the business flowing smoothly.
Moreover, if photo editing was a large part of your day, you will have more time at the end of it for family, friends, and nurturing your relationships with loved ones.
Benefit #2: You Get Instant Access To Skills And Experience
By taking on the whole editing process by yourself, you will of course need to learn the ins and outs of your chosen software first. You will also need to practice the many tools that continuously get an upgrade or additions. Furthermore, honing your own techniques and tricks can take a lot of time.
Not only will you then be investing your time on editing the images, but you will also need to set aside a chunk of hours for perfecting your skills well enough to stand out from other professional real estate photographers.
While it is highly encouraged to keep practicing and getting better, it is best to reserve that for when you have the extra time – not when you are trying to make deadline after deadline.
Professional photo editors already have the knowledge to maximize a program’s features, know the best techniques, functionalities, and everything there is to know about editing tools. They would also be experienced enough to know how to seamlessly adjust to different styles, so you will not have to worry about having an inconsistent portfolio.
Lastly, having a steady working relationship with editors can also help you in learning more from the people that know best.
Benefit #3: Check Off Tasks Even While You Are Asleep
There are a lot of established photo editing firms that operate around the clock because of the number of team members they have working with them at varying locations and time zones.
No matter what time of day it is and what you may be doing at the time, you can guarantee that your projects are being attended to at any given moment and that your tasks are being checked off even while you get much deserved rest.
This is a great way to “multi-task” and get things done more efficiently.
Benefit #4: You Can Expect Faster Delivery
In relation to the above benefit, you can also expect a much faster turnaround rate if you decide to outsource photo editing. Because of their familiarity with the task, their sharp skills, and their years of experience in editing, they can very well know the programs and tools like the back of their hand.
This typically enables them to work at a much faster rate while still being able to deliver quality work each time. A lot of firms have a turnaround time of only 24 hours, which allows you to report to your clients quickly and keep them satisfied with your overall service.
The delivery time frame will of course depend on the amount of images you will need edited, how much of the photo needs editing, and other factors.
Benefit #5: You Can Get Access To A Whole Ecosystem of Services
Depending on the firm that you decide to outsource, you can get access to more services than just photo editing. Other agencies have a wide spectrum of interconnected services to make your real estate photography business all the more efficient and smooth sailing.
Some of the other services you may be able to acquire for additional fees are:
- Website design and hosting
- Virtual staging
- Virtual renovation
- Sky replacement
- Grass replacement
- Object removal
- Virtual assistants
- Floor plan rendering
- Virtual tours
- 360 images
- And much more
Should you decide to outsource more than just photo editing, you will no longer need to do further research or try out other firms when you can hire one agency for multiple things. This can greatly help in streamlining your communications, billing, and more.
Benefit #6: You Can Receive Objective and Productive Suggestions
Anyone who is serious about their craft will be focused on improving as they go along. This entails being open to objective suggestions and productive comments that are meant to improve one’s work and elevate their projects even further.
By continuously gaining access to professional real estate editors, you receive objective feedback, which can offer a fresh perspective and a newer sense of motivation. They can also share their own innovative and creative techniques on how they managed to improve their own images, shooting styles, delivery time, and more hacks.
Benefit #7: You Get Your Valuable Time Back
Real estate photo editing can take away hours from your day to accomplish. With that out of your way and off your mind, you get back a lot of your time that you can now use for:
- Shooting more properties
- Communicated and confirming more clients
- Taking up classes or workshops to hone your skills
- Working on your marketing strategy
- Spending time with your loved ones
- Continue a passion project that you have been putting off
- Catching up on your reading, writing, or even sleep!
- And so much more, the possibilities are endless!
Top 2 Real Estate Photo Editing Firms To Outsource
If you have gotten this far into the article, chances are you are considering outsourcing some tasks. Below we have our top 2 real estate photo editing firms that we recommend outsourcing to, not only for your editing needs but for a range of services that they can offer your business as well.
#1: Time Off Editing
Time Off Editing offers a range of services that can cater to multiple real estate photography business needs, including:
- Flambient editing
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) editing
- Day to dusk editing
- Virtual staging
- Floor plans in 2D, 3D, black and white, and colored.
- Video editing
A great advantage with Time Off Editing is the fast delivery time. For most of the services listed, you can have your images ready in less than 12 hours!
For virtual staging, you should receive your batch of photos within 48 hours, and for video editing, you can expect your footage within 24 hours.
There is absolutely NO SUBSCRIPTION NEEDED as Time Off Editing offers a flat rate for every piece of content. Moreover, you get unlimited revisions until you are 100% happy with the outcome.
The base prices are as follows:
Basic Photo Editing starts at $0.65 per photo and includes:
- Single Exposure
- Remove Minor Blemishes
- Remove Photographers Reflection
- Color Correction & Enhancement
- Exposure Adjustments
- Brightness & Contrast Adjustments
- Straightening Verticals & Horizontals
- Image Sharpening
- Basic Cord & Clutter Removal
- Dust Spot Removal
- White Balancing Corrections
- Blue Sky Replacement
You can pay additional fees for extra services, with the rate depending on the difficulty level of the task at hand. These include:
- Window Pulls
- Multiple Exposures
- Manual Blending Using Adobe Bridge & Adobe Photoshop
- Desaturate White Walls
- Add Fires In FirePlaces
- TV Screen Replacements
- Color Cast Removal
- Increase Object Color
- Light Balance
Video Editing starts at $70 per video and includes:
- Video Edit Up To 3 Minutes
- Pro Cut & Transitions
- Image Stabilization
- Color Correction
- Sound Adjustment
- Add Music Of Your Choice
- Add Simple Header
- Editing To Be Based On Your Style Preference
- Send Us Up To 40 Input Files
You can pay additional fees for extra services, with the rate depending on the difficulty level of the task at hand. These include:
- Send Us Up To 70 Input Files
- Send Us 70+ Input Files
- Added Highlights & Call Outs
- Motion Tracking
Virtual Staging Images start at $23 per visual and includes:
- Fill Your Space With Stylish Furniture, Allowing Potential Buyers To Visualize Their Future Home
- Design Based On Your Style Preference.
You can pay additional fees for extra services, with the rate depending on the difficulty level of the task at hand. These include:
- Virtual Renovation
- Virtual Restyle
2D Black and White Floor Plans start at $13 per plan and includes:
- A guide to help buyers gain a greater understanding of the home’s layout.
- A Black & White Floor Plan (Without A Site Plan).
You can pay additional fees for extra services, with the rate depending on the difficulty level of the task at hand. These include:
- A Site Plan To Give Home Buyer’s A Clearer Understanding Of The Property Layout.
- 2D Full Color Floor Plan
- 2D Textured Floor Plan
- 3D Full Color Floor Plan
#2: Phixer
Similar to Time Off Editing, Phixer also offers a wide range of services that go far beyond basic enhancement of images. In fact, many huge real estate companies use Phixer to level up their marketing and create stunning images. Sites such as AirBNB, Zillow, and Opendoor are just some of their clients.
Phixer’s software enables it to offer ultra fast turnaround times with the delivery of images as fast as 8 hours! Furthermore, revisions could take as little an hour depending on the difficulty level.
The wide range of services you can enjoy from Phixer are:
- Basic Photo Editing
- Video Editing
- Lawn Replacement
- Decluttering or Photo Manipulations
- Virtual Twilight Editing
- Virtual Staging
Moreover, Phixer has a reliable team of editors based in different parts of the world, which ensures you 24/7 customer support no matter where you are from.
Phixer does not freely publish all of their rates, however, they do offer a free trial of $30 worth of services on your first project. Their pricing scheme for photo editing is as follows:
Basic Photo Retouching
Includes: Color and toning changes, light portrait editing, and image cropping
Price per photo: $2
Pro Photo Retouching
Incudes: Brightening of colors, fixing up and reshaping of figure, background improvement, and HDR effects added
Price per photo: $5
Extra Photo Retouching
Includes: Artistic image post processing, background manipulations, natural swapping of images (if needed), deep color supplement, and shadow adjustment
Price per photo:: $10
Photo Manipulation and Restoration
Includes: Creative or funny photo edit, making digital drawings, natural image montage, comic picture creation
Price per photo: $25
You’re All Set!
Outsourcing tasks can be a very wonderful thing with the benefits certainly outweighing the costs. Start by outsourcing photo editing to professionals and see what other tasks you are able to delegate to ensure you get a proper work-life balance and a more efficient career flow as your real estate photography business progresses.
