Frequently Asked Questions
You probably have a lot of questions. After all, selling a property is not something most people do all that often. Here are some of the questions we deal with on a regular basis, and some answers for you. Of this does not cover your questions, we welcome you to e-mail us with your specific queries.
Does R\E Photography do any staging?
No. We do photography only. If a property is not staged when we arrive, we will either shoot as it is, or come back for a later shoot depending on the Agent’s call. Reshoots may invoke a reschedule fee.
Who owns the rights to the pictures R\E Photography furnishes?
We retain the copyright to the images unless special arraignments are made and additional licensing fees are paid. Our package prices do NOT include anything more than MLS usage licensing, and related social media. The Agent/Client will have the rights to reprint all images furnished in unlimited media (print, web, video, e-mail) to market the property in any manner for one year or until the property closes, whichever comes first. After that period, images must be relicensed or a new shoot ordered. And after a year, you probably need a reshoot anyway.
To be very clear, only the original client is licensed to use the images, and that license is non-transferable. This is not unlike playing songs from Spotify; you can listen to them for your enjoyment, but you cant give the songs to anyone else outside of the license agreement. If the client is a home owner and later decides to hire an agent, that agent would need to re-license the images for them to use them. Agents may not transfer the license of images to another listing agent without relicense fees.
The Agent/Client is not required to link to or acknowledged R/E Media UTAH in any reprints as long as the property is currently active on the MLS, and no watermarking of images will be done by R/E Media UTAH.
If, after a property sells, you would like to continue using an image(s) on your website or promotional materials, well, first off, thank you! Please let me know BEFORE you use it, and I am likely to just say yes… if you like back to this web page. And I would just charge a small token fee for an unlinked or uncredited image. But if you use any image without permission, that is copyright infringement and you will be charged an astronomical amount of money.
What is our reschedule and cancellation policy?
We understand in this fast-paced world, things happen. We would hope that you would give us notice as soon as you were made aware of a problem. But if a cancellation is made less then 24 hours from our appointment time, we will need to charge a $75 dollar cancellation/reschedule fee.
Please note that we expect the property to be photo-ready for the time you set your appointment for. If we must wait longer than 1/2 hour (30 minutes) after that set time at a site for it to be prepared (or to be let into the property), we add a 50% fee; if we must wait an hour or longer, or if the shoot is entirely cancelled, a 100% fee will be assessed. We reserve the exclusive right to kill the shoot after one hour or more of waiting, at our sole digression. Late or cancel/kill fees must be paid in full before new date will be scheduled.
We cannot control the weather. If the weather is inclement, we will continue with all indoor shooting, and reschedule exteriors for the next clear day. There is no penalty for weather delays.
Can you also shoot me a head shot for my website?
Yes, I shoot beautiful head shots, and I am happy to do this for you…. just not during a real estate shoot. Any pictures beyond the scope of real estate photography will not be shot while I am shooting a home. If you need a head shot, I would be happy to schedule a time for that in a studio, not on a location. I do not carry the necessary lighting equipment when shooting a home to also shoot portraits. Charges start at 125 for a single shot, with discounts for 10 or more headshots.
What are your responsibilities for getting a property ready?
Please note that we expect the property to be photo-ready for the time you set your appointment for. If we must wait longer than 1/2 hour (30 minutes) after that set time at a site for it to be prepared (or to be let into the property), we add a 25% fee; if we must wait an hour, 50%; two hours or longer, or if the shoot is entirely canceled, a 100% fee will be assessed. We reserve the exclusive right to kill the shoot after one hour or more of waiting, at our sole digression. Late or cancel/kill fees must be paid in full before new date will be scheduled.
When is payment due?
Invoice is due and payable on receipt, and we invoice on delivery of images. Invoice must be paid in full before any use of images by the client. Any use prior to payment is a copyright violation.
How Are Images Delivered?
Delivery is via a DropBox, Google download or similar image download service link to the email address(es) you supply. All images will be delivered in this format: JPG images MLS size 2000×1600; additional sizes & crops available on request. WE DO NOT DELIVER RAW FILES. Images will be available for download for a maximum of 30 days; requests for downloads after 30 days may incur additional costs, or may not be available at all. PLEASE SAVE YOUR IMAGES AFTER DELIVERY. This delivery and notice via e-mail shall be deemed completion of this contract in full by R\E Photography UTAH. A USB thumb drive can be provided for an additional fee.
You shot my home 3 months ago; can you resend those images?
Possibly. We are NOT an image storage service. We deliver images and hold them online for 30 days. After that, image storage is your responsibility.
If we still have the images, we will charge to repost them.
Can I use these images for AirBnB?
It depends on the package you purchase. We have Vacation Rental pricing, and that is what you much choose when ordering. MLS images may not be used for vacation rentals without an additional license. Getting back to the Spotify analogy, just because you can listen to a song on Spotify on your headphones does not mean that you can use the same song to soundtrack your film; there is an obvious cost difference because of the different use cases.
Why is there a difference in the MLS and Vacation Rental pricing?
Great question!
First, they are two different types of photography, with two different goals. For MLS photography, we tend to shoot rooms; we will make images to sell the home. Mood and attention to detail are not really the goal in this photography.
Rental photography is a lot more about creating a mood building a fantasy. We spend a lot more time perfecting each image to create that mood and a feeling. We shoot details, and we stress over them.
License terms are another area these two types of photography diverge. MLS images can only be used for a year, and even then only in limited places. Rental licensing is much broader in allowances, and much longer in scope.
Finally, rental photography is used for an ongoing commercial operation. It has recurring value to you. Professional photography adds 40% to your bottom line per year according to AirBnB itself. That has value and that value has an increase in cost you.
So, yes, from a cursory view, rental photography costs more than MLS photography. But a direct comparison to MLS photos is not a fair or accurate comparison. Rental photography is an investment in growth, and by that measure, it is a very cost-effective expense.