If Airbnb Hosts Use Professional Photography, then…
We live in a highly visual world where everyone sees great images and photos online all the time. That is part of the reason why hosts of the TV show “Cash Pad”, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, recommend professional photography as an essential step for short term rental hosts:
As JoJo states in the video above:
“The only way guests are going to see your property is digitally first. So that means your photos have to be just perfect. You have to make sure you’re hitting the right angle. You have to showcase what you have to offer.”
The median income for Airbnb hosts is about $440 per month. This number varies from location to location, and yet even on such low income the experts in Airbnb and short term rentals recommend that hosts should be spending some extra money on great photos if they want to make the most of the space they have:
“Poor photos lead to fewer click throughs, fewer bookings, and less money. Not having a professional to do your photos is a huge missed opportunity for many hosts, especially new hosts.”
– SYMON HE FROM LEARNBNB.COM.
If Airbnb hosts are hiring professional photographers, then how much more important is this marketing tool for real estate agents and homeowners to use high-quality real estate photography in their listing campaigns?
Airbnb hosts are making an extra $5000 to $11,000 a year from a side hustle that they often do in their spare time. A real estate agent in the West Michigan or Grand Rapids area will, from a single sale, will make $5000 at the bottom end and can earn upwards of $60,000 or more at the top end. Given those numbers, why are some real estate agents still reluctant to spend a little extra money, if anything, on professional photography?
Take A Look At Some Numbers:
Airbnb hosts: median income of $5280 per year.
Airbnb hosts: based on a fee of $250 for photography, that is only 4.7% of their annual income from the listing.
If a real estate agent is making $7500 on the sale of a property (assuming a 3% commission on a $250,000 home), then $352 spent on photography would be the equivalent of that same 4.7% an Airbnb owner spent.
In other words, real estate agents who spend less than $350 on photography, when making a $7500 commission on the sale of a home, are investing significantly less into their photography than many Airbnb hosts are doing with their side hustle. Furthermore, the agent is most likely doing this as their primary source of income.