Do You Know What Makes a Good Real Estate Photo?
How Confident Are You in Judging Real Estate Photos?
As a real estate agent in the United States, you rely on listing photos to create that all-important first impression. But here’s the question—do you actually know what makes a real estate photo “good”?
When I was a licensed agent—before transitioning full-time into photography—no one ever taught me how to evaluate listing images. I wasn’t trained to spot the difference between a photo that simply looks okay and one that actually works to market a property. And based on what I see in agent forums across Facebook and Reddit, I don’t think I was the only one.
There’s a common sentiment among real estate photographers that agents often can’t tell the difference between high-quality photos and ones that are just average. Because of that, many default to the lowest-priced option. But is that really because agents don’t care about image quality? Or is it because no one has ever shown them how to judge it?
Most real estate agents have never been given a clear standard for what makes an image effective. You may know you need photos, but you might not know what to look for in them—or what’s possible when the photography is done well.
So I’m genuinely curious: has anyone ever explained what to look for in a professional real estate photo? Has anyone walked you through what makes an image appealing, trustworthy, or clickable to buyers online?
It’s something most agents aren’t taught, but it makes a huge difference in how your listings perform.