The numbers don’t lie: studies repeatedly show that real estate listings with professional photos are more successful, attract more potential buyers, and lead to faster sales. For example, Redfin found in a study that listings with high-quality visuals receive 47% more clicks than those without professional photos.
Engel & Völkers came to similar results in its study: Buyers rate real estate agents who rely on professional real estate photography as more convincing.
Other studies found that 95% of prospective buyers spend about 20 seconds on the first image. If the visual representation is appealing, 75% of them read the property description.
Why are images taken with a professional camera of higher quality than those taken with a smartphone? Professional cameras feature larger sensors that capture more light and thus provide superior image quality. Additionally, they come with interchangeable lenses specifically designed for different shooting conditions, such as wide-angle or telephoto photography, without causing distortions. Their higher resolution and advanced manual settings enable more precise shots with greater detail and improved color reproduction.
Our experience also shows that the visual presentation of a property plays a key role in the sales process. Real estate photography can highlight a property’s best features, conceal minor flaws if necessary, and spark the curiosity of potential buyers. But is it enough to simply take photos of a property with your own smartphone, or are professional real estate photos indispensable for successful real estate marketing? In the following section, we compare smartphone shots with professional photos and examine the advantages and disadvantages of both methods.
- Comparison overview: Professional vs. Smartphone
- Focus on quality and detail
- Cost analysis and profitability
- Flexibility and versatile application possibilities
- Effect on potential buyers
- The clear winner: Professional real estate photos
- Conclusion: Invest in the first impression
Comparison overview: Professional vs. Smartphone
| criterion | Professional photos | Smartphone recordings |
| Image quality | High-resolution, detailed, created with modern and high-quality equipment | Limited resolution and details |
| lighting | Optimal illumination | Often inadequate |
| Wide-angle options | Professional wide-angle lenses | Limited, often with distortion |
| Post-processing | Comprehensive (20+ steps) | Minimal or none due to lack of knowledge |
| Additional services | Drone footage, real estate videos, 360° tours, floor plans, virtual staging. | Usually not available |
| Costs | Higher initial costs | Seemingly cost-effective |
| Time spent by the seller | Low, the work is done by experienced photographers | High, a lot of time spent planning and creating the recordings |
| Effect on interested parties | Strongly positive, increased interest, longer stay | Often below average, deterrent effect with poor image quality |
As can be clearly seen in the table above, professional photos are, in almost every aspect, superior to smartphone images when it comes to property sales. Only in terms of cost do self-made images have the advantage since, naturally, a professional and experienced photographer charges more than taking photos with your own phone.
Professional real estate photography offers a higher long-term added value since such images are detailed, perfectly lit, and high-resolution. Specialized agencies like Visualista.ch provide additional services beyond just photography, such as real estate videos, drone footage, and virtual tours – essentially, the complete package for effective real estate marketing.
Ultimately, what matters most the impact on potential buyers. First impressions count, especially when there is a wide selection. Professionally produced images catch the eye and significantly increase the likelihood that prospective buyers will take a closer look at the property.
Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
Focus on quality and detail
Professional cameras have a superior technical setup that is clearly evident in the image quality. With high-resolution sensors and high-performance lenses, they capture even the smallest details that are often lost in smartphone photos. The greater image depth and sharpness enable a particularly realistic depiction of rooms, materials, and surfaces.
Another important aspect is proper lighting. Professional photographers strategically use light to present rooms optimally and create an authentic, inviting atmosphere. In contrast, smartphones largely depend on the available lighting, which often results in uneven and lower-quality outcomes.
Experience and technique are equally crucial when it comes to image composition. By deliberately employing perspectives and proportions, appealing shots are created that showcase the property in the best possible light.
Careful post-processing is another advantage. Professionals can adjust colors, contrasts, and details so that the image perfectly harmonizes with the property’s style. This is often only possible to a limited extent with smartphone editing software.
Advantages of professional equipment:
- Higher Resolution and Sharpness: Professional cameras have larger sensors, resulting in sharper and more contrast-rich images. This allows even the smallest details of a room to be depicted clearly.
- Better performance in low-light conditions: Thanks to larger sensors and high-quality lenses, optimal results can be achieved even in poorly lit rooms. This results in clear, noise-free images that do not depend on artificial light sources.
- Professional wide-angle lenses produce distortion-free images due to their advanced optics and precise engineering. This means that spaces are represented in a natural, proportionally correct manner, without the edge distortions often seen in smartphone wide-angle shots.
- HDR Capability: With professional equipment, HDR images are created by combining multiple exposures into one image. This results in balanced brightness and contrast, even under challenging lighting conditions.
- Better Color Reproduction: Professional cameras capture colors in their natural intensity and depth. This results in lifelike and authentic images that accurately portray the true character of a room.
You can see it with your own eyes: In our lookbook, you can immediately recognize the difference between professional and amateur shots and find out how well properties look when staged by a professional.
Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
Cost analysis and profitability
At first glance, the prices of professional real estate photography may seem higher than those of photos taken with a smartphone. However, these prices reflect the quality and effort needed for an optimal result. Professional photographers bring not only top-notch equipment but also extensive experience in real estate photography and image post-processing.
In contrast, using a smartphone can incur hidden costs that are often underestimated. Frequently, numerous attempts are needed to capture the right shot, which consumes valuable time and still often results in suboptimal outcomes. Later on, it might even be necessary to resort to external services to enhance the images.
Example cost accounting:
| aspect | Professional photos | Smartphone recordings |
| Direct costs | from CHF 299 | CHF 0 |
| Time required | 1 hour | 8+ hours (including editing) |
| Potential increase in value | +15% of the sales price | Minimal |
| ROI | Hoch | Gering |
In the long run, professional real estate photography offers a higher return on investment. High-quality images leave a lasting impression and can accelerate the sales process.
The faster and easier sales, along with the increasing number of potential buyers, more than make up for the initial investment over time. Therefore, if you’re wondering about the cost of real estate photos, you should always keep the long-term benefits in mind.
Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
Flexibility and versatile application possibilities
Basically, there are various ways to use real estate photos. On high-quality real estate portals and websites, professionally produced photographs showcase properties for sale in the best possible light. They highlight the key selling points and ensure that the property stands out from the crowd.
The same applies to real estate magazines and large-format advertising posters. Even in social media marketing, professional photos garner more attention and create an appealing visual presence. They are also well-suited for virtual tours and 360° views, as they guarantee consistent quality from every perspective.
Smartphone images particularly reach their limits when displayed in larger formats – they become blurry and appear grainy. Smartphone photos do not offer the necessary sharpness and detail to make an impact on large-format advertising posters or in glossy magazines. Their resolution and quality rarely meet the standards required to maintain a consistently high impact in professional settings.
Possible uses of professional photos at a glance:
- High-quality real estate portals
- Professional real estate websites
- Glossy real estate magazines
- Large-format advertising posters
- Social-Media-Marketing
- Virtual tours and 360° views
When you choose Visualista.ch as your professional partner for everything related to the marketing of your property, you won’t have to wait long for the photos to be created. You’ll quickly receive an appointment with one of our photographers, and you can expect your images within a maximum of 48 hours. In most cases, the photographs are even ready by the next business day.
What you get with Visualista.ch for your investment is clear: depending on the property, we produce 20 to 40 real estate photos, including both interior and exterior shots. Naturally, the images are meticulously edited to ensure you receive the best possible result.
Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
Effect on potential buyers
Anyone searching for a new property is overwhelmed by the sheer number of available listings. In this context, first impressions matter greatly, as most people take only a few seconds to decide whether to engage further. The quality of real estate photography is crucial in determining whether potential buyers even take a closer look at the listing.
Various studies and statistics confirm the benefits of high-quality images. Prospective buyers spend more time on listings with professional imagery, agents and property owners receive more viewing requests, and properties sell faster.
Figures that prove the effect:
- 95% of people who view a real estate listing spend about 20 seconds on the first photo.
- 76% of prospective buyers read the property description if they find the first picture appealing.
- Properties with professional photos are clicked on 47% more often.
- Professionally staged properties can be sold for approximately CHF 10,800 more.
- Studies show that properties with professional photos can generate up to 15% more revenue than those with amateur photos.
At Visualista.ch, we aim to completely satisfy our customers by offering real estate photography at the highest level. Even our former Visualista clients have been convinced of the high quality of our images. Here are some testimonials they left after working with us:
«Visualista completed our project very swiftly and to our complete satisfaction. They took fantastic photos of our apartment and edited them perfectly, all at an extremely affordable price. I can highly recommend the company. » – Susanne Schmidli
»Ms. Racle took fantastic photos of my house and created a sensational 3D tour. The photos are so beautiful that I’m seriously wondering if I really want to sell. Thank you for the sensational job! I would highly recommend you. » – Andrea Lenzen
«Highly recommended! The photos were delivered on time, and we really liked them. They also took unsolicited photos of the outdoors, etc. We’re absolutely delighted – we’d be happy to do it again and definitely recommend it. » – Zeqir Shabanaj
Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
The clear winner: Professional real estate photos
Outstanding image quality: check; effective property marketing: check; diverse application possibilities: check. In every regard, professional real estate photography comes out on top. Yes, even when it comes to costs – at least in the long run. It is necessary to invest a bit more in high-quality photos. Smartphone shots may seem appealing, but ultimately, they cannot match the added value of professional work.
However, this way of thinking falls short. In the long run, professional images pay off because they attract more visitors, ensure longer dwell times, and can even lead to higher selling prices.
Main advantages of professional photos at a glance:
- Superior image quality and richness of detail: This is how the property attracts everyone’s attention.
- Optimal presentation of each property: All advantages put in the right light.
- Long-term cost efficiency: Invest once and benefit permanently.
- Versatile applications: From social media to advertising posters – the ideal all-round marketing.
- Stronger impact on potential buyers: Emotional appeal that arouses curiosity and creates a bond with the property.
At Visualista.ch, you receive an all-in-one service for visualizing your properties. In addition to real estate photography, drone footage, virtual tours, and real estate videos present your listings in the best possible light. Passion, dedication, and heart and soul are the ingredients we use to visualize your properties—and it really shows.
Overall Winner: Professional Real Estate Photos
Conclusion: Invest in the first impression
Just as in every aspect of life, real estate only has one chance to make a first impression—and in such a fiercely competitive market, that impression must be spot on. Only then will there be prospective buyers, and only then will listings stand out rather than get lost in the crowd.
Here is where the pros at Visualista.ch step in. With photos that immediately catch the eye, videos that evoke deep emotion, and virtual tours that leave a lasting impression—the truth is that anyone can produce something average, but with us, you get nothing short of exceptional.
