Frequently Asked Questions
We’re here to help you get the best out of your listing
Below are answers to our most frequently asked questions. Please let us know if you can’t find what you need.
- 3D Matterport 5
- Aerial Services 3
- Floor Plan Services 5
- Most Common Questions 13
- Photography 12
- Print Services 6
- Property Websites 7
- Scheduling 12
- Video Tour Services 4
- Virtual Services 2
3D Matterport
What is a detached scan?
Detached Scans are our term for when it is necessary to break the thread of 360 scans, which make up your dollhouse, in order to accommodate an ADU, in-law, or additional level not connected by an interior staircase. This added cost is calculated to account for the added housing fees imposed by Matterport for hosting a second space, added time editing in post production, as well as the difficulty in creating a new scan on site.
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
What’s the difference between Professional Floor Plans and Matterport Floor Plans?
At Open Homes Photography we offer a few different types of Floor Plan options in order to meet our clients different needs, budgets, or aesthetic choices.
Our “Professional Floor Plan” service, which is the commonly known drafting service, includes sending out a qualified and highly trained draftsperson to your property to physically take measurements in person using precision measuring tools. This service is completed in accordance with ANSI standards, offering very accurate renderings of the property. These plans also include dimensions (room sizes) and square foot calculations free upon request, as well as fully measured non living spaces (such as closets, decks, etc..) by request.
We also offer a “Matterport Floor Plan” service that can be generated from Matterport scans. Because these are derived from camera scans and not precision measuring tools, they are not based on the same ANSI standards and cannot include square footage, some room dimensions, etc. However, as a low cost add-on to our Matterport service these are a perfect marketing tool to give potential buyers the lay of the land, so to speak. While these plans DO NOT include closets, other storage rooms or non-living spaces, you can add on any additional “detached” space needed to these plans (such as decks, garages, and some other spaces) for $25 per additional scan, by having the Matterport artist specifically scan those areas.
How long are Matterport Scans Live and available to access?
Matterport “Spaces” aka the property listing link or viewer for your listing’s Matterport are kept “live” and online for 6 months. After 6 months we are forced to “archive” in our Matterport account. They do not get deleted and can be activated any time for a fee of $75. This cost is a hard cost for us as part of our Matterport account limitations and simply passed on to the end user. Our goal is not to monetize this fee, so we are more than happy to also transfer your Matterport Listing Space to your own Matterport account for free. As of this writing, Matterport offers accounts that can be created for $120/year and up depending on how many Spaces you would like to keep active.
What does “virtual tour” mean to you?
Many other vendors similar to ours use the term loosely. For some a “virtual tour” is a slide show of still images, for others, it is a website with photos.
For us, it is a 3D matterport scan that will allow you to show the home by swiping from a smartphone or using arrows from the keyboard. The matterport scan can also be viewed using virtual reality glasses. Providing your potential buyer an actual virtual walkthrough!
We offer ALL of these services!
Visit our website for more examples and/or pricing!
Aerial Services
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
Can I get Aerial Stills of a neighborhood?
We no longer offer neighborhood aerial video as part of the services we provide. FAA rules prohibit flying drones over populated areas and areas in which people aren’t aware of and/or participating in the shoot.
Should I reschedule Aerial Stills or Aerial Video if it is cloudy?
Yes, please reach out to us via email to reschedule.
Floor Plan Services
What’s the difference between Professional Floor Plans and Matterport Floor Plans?
At Open Homes Photography we offer a few different types of Floor Plan options in order to meet our clients different needs, budgets, or aesthetic choices.
Our “Professional Floor Plan” service, which is the commonly known drafting service, includes sending out a qualified and highly trained draftsperson to your property to physically take measurements in person using precision measuring tools. This service is completed in accordance with ANSI standards, offering very accurate renderings of the property. These plans also include dimensions (room sizes) and square foot calculations free upon request, as well as fully measured non living spaces (such as closets, decks, etc..) by request.
We also offer a “Matterport Floor Plan” service that can be generated from Matterport scans. Because these are derived from camera scans and not precision measuring tools, they are not based on the same ANSI standards and cannot include square footage, some room dimensions, etc. However, as a low cost add-on to our Matterport service these are a perfect marketing tool to give potential buyers the lay of the land, so to speak. While these plans DO NOT include closets, other storage rooms or non-living spaces, you can add on any additional “detached” space needed to these plans (such as decks, garages, and some other spaces) for $25 per additional scan, by having the Matterport artist specifically scan those areas.
How long does a Floor Plan Drafting appointment take?
You should anticipate approximately 1 hour on-site per 1,000 square feet.
There is a discrepancy between your measurements and the country records. What gives?
Open Homes Photography can not confirm how previous square footage estimates were calculated. However, there are several possible explanations for discrepancies. While assessors and appraisers are supposed to follow ANSI standards, measurement tools and methodologies have varied widely over the years. Simple measurement errors are often to blame, and these mistakes can originate with the home builder, the assessor, or the home appraiser. Communication errors may also be to blame if the wrong information is provided to the county assessor’s office. Typically, builders submit the plans before breaking ground, and while plans frequently change during the building process, revised plans are rarely re-submitted.Measurements provided by Open Homes Photography are approximate and may not be exact. Please do not rely on the accuracy of the floor plan drawing or measurements when determining the price of a property or making decisions regarding buying or selling without independent verification.What is Non-Living Space?
Non-Living Space is any area in the home which is inhabitable. This includes garages, basements, and attics.
How do you measure floor plans?
Our draftspersons follow ANSI standards and use a Bosch laser measure. They round to the nearest half-inch and all measurements are entered into AutoCad on-site.
Most Common Questions
What areas do you cover?
We currently serve the following counties:
- San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Clara
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Solano
- Napa
- Sonoma
- Marin
- San Joaquin
- Sacramento
Although we have a robust Visual Artist team, we may not be able to offer our full suite of services in all areas. For example, we can complete photos and aerial services in San Joaquin and Sacramento county, but we do not have a local draftsperson or videographer in these areas, but we may still be able to accomodate your request. Just ask us!
If you have a listing outside of one of these areas, please feel free to reach out to our team. We can sometimes accomodate appointments with a travel fee (subject to Visual Artist availability).
Outside of our radius? Consider ordering just a website.
Did you know that we can make websites for any property, anywhere in the world? Just order a standalone website service, send us your home’s photos, and we’ll handle the rest. Please note, we will not be able to provide our usual neighborhood photos and description in these cases.
What do we do if it is raining?
Track the weather. Please let us know if you need to reschedule the night before. Same day cancellations incur a $150 cancellation fee.
Blue skies can be added (as a complimentary service) to still photos, but all other services will show gray skies. Learn more here.
Can I book a specific photographer?
Yes, you can but we cannot guarantee availability. We will let you know if they are available at another time/date, or if you’d rather proceed with a different photographer. You can make your request in the “Special Requests” section of the Order Form.
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
When can I get my photos and video?
We deliver photography and most other services to your inbox the day after your shoot by 9:00am (unless appointments are scheduled for Saturday, in which materials will be returned the Monday by 9:00am following the appointment)! More complex services like Video and virtual staging services can take up to 48 hours.
You can also check your Agent Dashboard for completed services.
What locations do you cover?
Open Homes Photography currently covers all of the Bay Area and Wine Country! While we specialize on San Francisco, Silicon Valley, South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Napa and Sonoma counties, we can usually accommodate special circumstances with a small travel fee. Just let us know where and we can give you a quote!
What does “virtual tour” mean to you?
Many other vendors similar to ours use the term loosely. For some a “virtual tour” is a slide show of still images, for others, it is a website with photos.
For us, it is a 3D matterport scan that will allow you to show the home by swiping from a smartphone or using arrows from the keyboard. The matterport scan can also be viewed using virtual reality glasses. Providing your potential buyer an actual virtual walkthrough!
We offer ALL of these services!
Visit our website for more examples and/or pricing!
Can I give the photos I commissioned to a third party (stager, contractor, etc)?
As the purchasing agent, you have the right to use the photos as desired in order to market, sell, and otherwise promote the listing that was photographed (in addition to promoting your own brand). However, you cannot offer the photos to a third party such as a stager, contractor, architect, or designer without first contacting Open Homes. These groups must first purchase license rights before using the photos for their own commercial purposes.
What days of the week do you perform services?
Monday through Sunday. Weekend availability depends on our photographers availability. Availability is limited. Services provided on a Saturday or Sunday will not be available until Monday morning.
I just need a few photos taken. Can you do that and how much is it?
Yes! We offer hourly pricing ($250/hr) if you’re not sure what you need, have a large commercial space, or just don’t need a full standard photoshoot.
If you just need exterior images for pre-marketing or you need a few more photos of that new landscape after we’ve already done the standard shoot, we can offer a supplemental shoot called a “pick up” and they start at $150. We’ll provide up to 1-10 photos, fully color corrected and delivered the next day! Check out our pricing here. However, Pick Ups and Pre Marketing shoots must be ordered in conjunction with standard shoots (at the same time or after). Unfortunately, we cannot offer stand alone pickups at this time unless they are only “go anytime” exterior images only.
Pick-Up Shoots are ideal for a number of situations when just a handful of new photos are needed, such as:
- New staging or re-staging a room
- Better weather
- New paint
- Remodeling
- Pre-market advertising
- New landscaping
Note: Standard shoots cannot be substituted for pick-up shoots. If you need standard photography, please choose from the square footage pricing tiers or contact us for our hourly pricing options.
What are “pick up” shoots?
Pick up shoots are very small, supplemental photo shoots that we provide to save you some coin when you need just a few exterior shots for pre-marketing, or say, the landscaping was redone after your primary shoot has taken place. We want to make sure you get real marketing value with Open Homes Photography, so we’re not going to charge you for a whole new standard shoot when all you need are a few “pick ups” to make your listing perfect. Pick Ups must be ordered in conjunction with standard shoots (at the same time or after) and cannot be substituted for standard photography. However, we do offer a Pre-Marketing shoot that is 1-10 exterior photos and can only be scheduled as a “go anytime” on a specific date. No interiors are included with the Pre-Marketing shoot.
Pick-Up Shoots are ideal for a number of situations when just a handful of new photos are needed, such as:
- New staging or re-staging a room
- Better weather
- New paint
- Remodeling
- Pre-market advertising
- New landscaping
That said, if you don’t need full coverage of a property, we can offer hourly photography (minimum 1 hour) for any sized property, and this will typically start you off at 15- 25 images.
Note: Standard shoots cannot be substituted for pick-up shoots. If you need standard photography, please choose from the square footage pricing tiers or contact us for our hourly pricing options.
How long will my appointment take?
Your appointment is largely dependent on the property size. We typically spend about 45-60 minutes per 1,000 sq ft for Photography and 60-75 minutes per 1,000 sq ft for Video. Aerial photos, aerial video, and 3D Matterport usually take about 45-60 minutes. If you book photos AND another service like video and floor plans, we try to send multiple visual artists to keep our time on site to a minimum.
For example, if you have a 2500 sq ft listing photos to take about 2 hours and 15 minutes. If you booked video for that same listing at the time of photography, expect about 2.5-3 hours for total time on-site.
We also spend roughly 90 minutes of post processing time (color correction, photoshopping, etc) per 1,000 sq ft. This is done after your on-site services, so you don’t need to factor it in to your scheduling.
What is your availability & lead time on photos?
99% of the time we can accommodate any order that can be scheduled 72 hours in advance (except some weekends). Photos are also delivered fully color corrected and processed the next morning after the photoshoot by 9am (unless appointments are scheduled for Saturday, in which materials will be returned the Monday by 9:00am following the appointment). That is to say, if you order on a Monday, and schedule for Thursday, you’ll have your photos waiting in your inbox Friday morning.
We can often accommodate orders on very tight timelines – just shoot us a quick email to inquire.
Want to schedule services? Order now and pick your date and time.
Photography
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
Is there a price difference for commercial property photography?
We regularly photograph industrial and commercial properties, but it really depends on the coverage and number of photos you need, as well as the complexity. Because a commercial space’s complexity varies, we simply charge $250 per hour for commercial properties (including general post production from our creative team). That said, most warehouse type listings can be photographed for $250-$350, but were happy to discuss additional needs!
Do you reuse “Common Areas” and other shared property listing photos?
Yes! In order to make our shoots more efficient and cost-effective, we will often photograph common areas, shared property attributes and facilities like gyms, pools, spas, etc. beforehand, afterward, or from other photography sessions. This helps us deliver consistent, timely, and quality photos and marketing materials for our clients. We provide these extra photos (and others like neighborhood photos) at no extra cost to you for use on Open Homes Photography created materials. However, unless a specific photo shoot for these areas or neighborhoods was ordered with an extended license, Open Homes Photography is free to use these across our platforms and for additional listings.
Can I give the photos I commissioned to a third party (stager, contractor, etc)?
As the purchasing agent, you have the right to use the photos as desired in order to market, sell, and otherwise promote the listing that was photographed (in addition to promoting your own brand). However, you cannot offer the photos to a third party such as a stager, contractor, architect, or designer without first contacting Open Homes. These groups must first purchase license rights before using the photos for their own commercial purposes.
I saw a photo of my listing on your website (or in other marketing and promotional materials).
Open Homes Photography is very proud of the work we do, and we try to show it off! And since we hold the exclusive end-use rights to our photos, we are free to use them for marketing and promotion. That said, we typically try to always include the listing agent in promotions, so hopefully it is a win-win for everyone! See our Terms of Use for more information.
Can I use the neighborhood photos in my own marketing?
Sorry, we do not share or sell our neighborhood photos for personal marketing use, they are only for the websites we create!
How does Virtual Staging of photography work?
Virtual Staging service offers a convenient alternative to staging a room – with the added bonus of never having to move a single piece of furniture.
Explore our expansive online furniture gallery, find the perfect home decor, and our team will provide a masterfully-edited photo full of virtual furniture after just one day of editing.
The cost is $100 per image and will take one additional day to complete once the images are ready!
Here are some before and after images of virtual staging!
Our editing team places the furniture in a way that best fits the room, so they can move the furniture’s angle so that it looks natural by increasing/decreasing the size of the virtual furniture so it looks better in the room. I hope that helps!
How many photos are included in my shoot?
We want to make sure you get the coverage you need and that we do the best job of telling your listing’s story, so we do not have a hard limit on photos (except in some multiunit or TIC cases). Instead, we price based on the listing’s square footage. That said, you can expect to get around 25 per 1,000 square feet.
Do you offer same day appointments?
We can usually offer same day appointments and deliver photos by 9am the next day! However, because our photographers are busy bees, we do not offer same day turnaround on photos.
Can you use my photos for Virtual Staging or Virtual remodeling?
Unfortunately it can be very difficult to include virtual staging into photography from other people or vendors. We use a very sophisticated CGI (Computer Generated Imaging) much like Hollywood does, which means the way that we shoot, capture, and process the photography is very important (color and light consistency is key). We would really love to help you in this situation, but many photos cannot be well re-rendered with new CGI components to sufficient standards. And unfortunately, we don’t often know how well it will work until we’ve put in a few hours of effort.
We are happy to review your photos to see if they are good candidates for virtual staging before ordering, but please note that if you wish to proceed with any virtual staging processing we will not be able to offer refunds if the processed photos don’t appear to your liking. Please keep in mind that we can invest considerable time into manipulating each photo.
I just need a few photos taken. Can you do that and how much is it?
Yes! We offer hourly pricing ($250/hr) if you’re not sure what you need, have a large commercial space, or just don’t need a full standard photoshoot.
If you just need exterior images for pre-marketing or you need a few more photos of that new landscape after we’ve already done the standard shoot, we can offer a supplemental shoot called a “pick up” and they start at $150. We’ll provide up to 1-10 photos, fully color corrected and delivered the next day! Check out our pricing here. However, Pick Ups and Pre Marketing shoots must be ordered in conjunction with standard shoots (at the same time or after). Unfortunately, we cannot offer stand alone pickups at this time unless they are only “go anytime” exterior images only.
Pick-Up Shoots are ideal for a number of situations when just a handful of new photos are needed, such as:
- New staging or re-staging a room
- Better weather
- New paint
- Remodeling
- Pre-market advertising
- New landscaping
Note: Standard shoots cannot be substituted for pick-up shoots. If you need standard photography, please choose from the square footage pricing tiers or contact us for our hourly pricing options.
What are “pick up” shoots?
Pick up shoots are very small, supplemental photo shoots that we provide to save you some coin when you need just a few exterior shots for pre-marketing, or say, the landscaping was redone after your primary shoot has taken place. We want to make sure you get real marketing value with Open Homes Photography, so we’re not going to charge you for a whole new standard shoot when all you need are a few “pick ups” to make your listing perfect. Pick Ups must be ordered in conjunction with standard shoots (at the same time or after) and cannot be substituted for standard photography. However, we do offer a Pre-Marketing shoot that is 1-10 exterior photos and can only be scheduled as a “go anytime” on a specific date. No interiors are included with the Pre-Marketing shoot.
Pick-Up Shoots are ideal for a number of situations when just a handful of new photos are needed, such as:
- New staging or re-staging a room
- Better weather
- New paint
- Remodeling
- Pre-market advertising
- New landscaping
That said, if you don’t need full coverage of a property, we can offer hourly photography (minimum 1 hour) for any sized property, and this will typically start you off at 15- 25 images.
Note: Standard shoots cannot be substituted for pick-up shoots. If you need standard photography, please choose from the square footage pricing tiers or contact us for our hourly pricing options.
Print Services
Where is your printer located?
We use Pyramid Printing located in South San Francisco:
325 Harbor Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080
Office: (650) 871-0290What is a custom brochure layout?
There are two custom brochure layout types:
- A custom layout that we create for you: you can pay us to create your own custom layout. We will keep this layout on file for future use.
- A custom layout you provide: you can provide us with a file, and we will use this for your brochure layout.
How does the print process work?
On the day following the photo shoot, you will receive your first print proof in your email. Your proof will be filled out with the address, a title, and a website URL if you’ve purchased one through us. Please respond to your proof email with the following:
- An updated title (if you don’t like the one provided)
- A URL (if you haven’t already purchased one through us)
- The property price
- Your marketing copy
- Any changes you have to your contact or brokerage information
- Any picture changes (see instructions below)
To make changes to the pictures, please let us know what picture you would like in what lettered position. Use only the picture numbers in the link provided as a reference. Your photo changes should look something similar to this:
A – 34.jpg
B – 09.jpg
C – 52.jpg
Once your changes are sent in, you will receive an email with a revised proof and you can make any additional changes from there until you deem the proof “approved for print”.
One the file is approved, we will send it off to the printer with the quantity and shipping address you provided upon submitting the order. Please make sure to let us know if this address or quantity changes before the order is approved. Always let us know in the beginning of the proofing process when your brochures are needed by so we can both plan accordingly.
What is the print turnaround time?
You will receive a draft of your brochure the morning following the photoshoot. Once approved, the turnaround will depend on the shipping address:
If you’re shipping to San Francisco – you will need to approve by 10am, and you will have them the following day without a RUSH fee. If you approve after 10am, you can still receive them the following day, but there will be a $50 RUSH fee incurred.*
If you’re shipping outside San Francisco – you will need to approve by 10am, and you can have them in two days without a RUSH fee. If you approve after 10am, you can still receive them in two days, but there will be a $50 RUSH fee incurred.*This only applies to orders approved bt 10:00am Monday through Thursday. If you approve your brochure on Friday, shipping times will be different. If you have a question regarding shipping, please shoot us an email.
Other options: you can pick your materials up directly at the printing company (located in South San Francisco) Monday through Friday. You will still need to approve by 10am, and you will have them the following day without a RUSH fee. If you approve after 10am, you can still receive them the following day, but there will be a $50 RUSH fee incurred.
We can also send you a high-resolution, print-ready version that you can have printed at a local printer (such as FedEx/Kinkos).
Can you remove the Open Homes Photography Logo from my brochure?
Yes! But we have a different rate for this. Here’s why:
We offer industry leading design layouts at incredibly competitive prices and can provide incredibly high quality printing on the best card stocks for unreasonably low prices. We’re able do this by branding brochures with our logo for marketing purposes which helps subsidize the cost for you. Basically, we help cover the cost of YOUR brochures by elegantly adding a relatively small logo mark (usually on the back page) to all brochures. We’re happy to discuss more about this process.
Can I use my own photos in a brochure?
Yes! But we have a different rate for these and we’ll need written consent from the photographer. Here’s why:
First, legally we can’t use someone else’s content (like photos) without their permission. We’re happy to provide a photo release form that can be forwarded to the content owner.
Second, we offer industry leading design layouts at incredibly competitive prices. We’re able do this by branding brochures with our logo for marketing purposes which helps subsidize the cost for you. In order to use another provider’s content, we need to deliver unbranded brochures and charge the unsubsidized price. We’re happy to discuss more about this process.
Property Websites
Do you reuse “Common Areas” and other shared property listing photos?
Yes! In order to make our shoots more efficient and cost-effective, we will often photograph common areas, shared property attributes and facilities like gyms, pools, spas, etc. beforehand, afterward, or from other photography sessions. This helps us deliver consistent, timely, and quality photos and marketing materials for our clients. We provide these extra photos (and others like neighborhood photos) at no extra cost to you for use on Open Homes Photography created materials. However, unless a specific photo shoot for these areas or neighborhoods was ordered with an extended license, Open Homes Photography is free to use these across our platforms and for additional listings.
I saw a photo of my listing on your website (or in other marketing and promotional materials).
Open Homes Photography is very proud of the work we do, and we try to show it off! And since we hold the exclusive end-use rights to our photos, we are free to use them for marketing and promotion. That said, we typically try to always include the listing agent in promotions, so hopefully it is a win-win for everyone! See our Terms of Use for more information.
Can I use the neighborhood photos in my own marketing?
Sorry, we do not share or sell our neighborhood photos for personal marketing use, they are only for the websites we create!
Do you track web traffic statistics? Where do I find that?
Yes, absolutely! You can find this link this inside by visiting your Agent Dashboard, clicking into the Website tab, and choosing “Edit Site.” Once that page opens up, look for the link that says “View Stats.”
Can I use your neighborhood photos on my own website?
Our neighborhood photos are just one of many favorite features of Open Homes Photography websites and are only available to website clients.
I just published my website; why doesn’t it show up in Google searches?
There isn’t really an easy answer to this, as it relies on a number of variables. However, when your website is published, we use all the proper SEO (Search Engine Optimization) code and mechanics to make sure your property site is indexed by search engines like Google. We even submit the website to Google to begin the robot indexing process. That being said, Google often ranks pages on a number of variables such as “authority,” which means that brand-new sites may take a while to show up because they have not yet been ranked as an authority on the property content.
It’s also important to think about how people find properties and what the value of a custom property site actually is. Links to your custom property site, called “backlinks,” are very important to Google and other search engines because they increase authority. That being said, people don’t typically search for an address or custom domain in Google – instead, they see the custom property URL on your brochures, listing sites, MLS, “For Sale” signs, and other marketing channels, which means your Google rank may not be as valuable as other ways that people find and search for your site. These links through other channels are often the most effective at getting the word out, and the real value of having a custom property site is isolating your property listing to the viewer and tailoring it to your specific brand.
Can I get a property website if I have my own photos?
YES! We have many customers that use in-house resources, but still want to up their marketing game with our Property Websites. Just order the website and send us a link to the photos and we’ll upload them to your site at no charge.
Note: We may often require a photography consent form from the original photographer to legally use the photos on our platform. Shoot us a note and we can provide more info!
Scheduling
What areas do you cover?
We currently serve the following counties:
- San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Clara
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Solano
- Napa
- Sonoma
- Marin
- San Joaquin
- Sacramento
Although we have a robust Visual Artist team, we may not be able to offer our full suite of services in all areas. For example, we can complete photos and aerial services in San Joaquin and Sacramento county, but we do not have a local draftsperson or videographer in these areas, but we may still be able to accomodate your request. Just ask us!
If you have a listing outside of one of these areas, please feel free to reach out to our team. We can sometimes accomodate appointments with a travel fee (subject to Visual Artist availability).
Outside of our radius? Consider ordering just a website.
Did you know that we can make websites for any property, anywhere in the world? Just order a standalone website service, send us your home’s photos, and we’ll handle the rest. Please note, we will not be able to provide our usual neighborhood photos and description in these cases.
What do we do if it is raining?
Track the weather. Please let us know if you need to reschedule the night before. Same day cancellations incur a $150 cancellation fee.
Blue skies can be added (as a complimentary service) to still photos, but all other services will show gray skies. Learn more here.
Can I book a specific photographer?
Yes, you can but we cannot guarantee availability. We will let you know if they are available at another time/date, or if you’d rather proceed with a different photographer. You can make your request in the “Special Requests” section of the Order Form.
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
When can I get my photos and video?
We deliver photography and most other services to your inbox the day after your shoot by 9:00am (unless appointments are scheduled for Saturday, in which materials will be returned the Monday by 9:00am following the appointment)! More complex services like Video and virtual staging services can take up to 48 hours.
You can also check your Agent Dashboard for completed services.
Is there a price difference for commercial property photography?
We regularly photograph industrial and commercial properties, but it really depends on the coverage and number of photos you need, as well as the complexity. Because a commercial space’s complexity varies, we simply charge $250 per hour for commercial properties (including general post production from our creative team). That said, most warehouse type listings can be photographed for $250-$350, but were happy to discuss additional needs!
What locations do you cover?
Open Homes Photography currently covers all of the Bay Area and Wine Country! While we specialize on San Francisco, Silicon Valley, South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Napa and Sonoma counties, we can usually accommodate special circumstances with a small travel fee. Just let us know where and we can give you a quote!
How many photos are included in my shoot?
We want to make sure you get the coverage you need and that we do the best job of telling your listing’s story, so we do not have a hard limit on photos (except in some multiunit or TIC cases). Instead, we price based on the listing’s square footage. That said, you can expect to get around 25 per 1,000 square feet.
Do you offer same day appointments?
We can usually offer same day appointments and deliver photos by 9am the next day! However, because our photographers are busy bees, we do not offer same day turnaround on photos.
What days of the week do you perform services?
Monday through Sunday. Weekend availability depends on our photographers availability. Availability is limited. Services provided on a Saturday or Sunday will not be available until Monday morning.
How long will my appointment take?
Your appointment is largely dependent on the property size. We typically spend about 45-60 minutes per 1,000 sq ft for Photography and 60-75 minutes per 1,000 sq ft for Video. Aerial photos, aerial video, and 3D Matterport usually take about 45-60 minutes. If you book photos AND another service like video and floor plans, we try to send multiple visual artists to keep our time on site to a minimum.
For example, if you have a 2500 sq ft listing photos to take about 2 hours and 15 minutes. If you booked video for that same listing at the time of photography, expect about 2.5-3 hours for total time on-site.
We also spend roughly 90 minutes of post processing time (color correction, photoshopping, etc) per 1,000 sq ft. This is done after your on-site services, so you don’t need to factor it in to your scheduling.
What is your availability & lead time on photos?
99% of the time we can accommodate any order that can be scheduled 72 hours in advance (except some weekends). Photos are also delivered fully color corrected and processed the next morning after the photoshoot by 9am (unless appointments are scheduled for Saturday, in which materials will be returned the Monday by 9:00am following the appointment). That is to say, if you order on a Monday, and schedule for Thursday, you’ll have your photos waiting in your inbox Friday morning.
We can often accommodate orders on very tight timelines – just shoot us a quick email to inquire.
Want to schedule services? Order now and pick your date and time.
Video Tour Services
What if I need to Cancel or Reschedule my appointment?
We know there are a lot of moving parts to getting a listing up, and marketing is typically that last effort to go live, so we are happy to quickly cancel or work with you to reschedule appointments. However, we do need to adhere to some strict guidelines in order to keep our staff productive and not affect our other customers.
Cancellation Fees:
Appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time are subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Note: This is a differs from our past cancellation policy which was only applied if the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled on the day of the appointment.
Twilight shoots are particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee if he or she gives us at least 2 hours notice.
Aerial shoots are also particularly dependent on weather, and if the reason for rescheduling is based on bad weather, the customer can avoid the cancellation fee.
Rescheduling Fees:
OHP allows customers to reschedule an appointment one time at no charge. Additional rescheduling requests may incur a rescheduling fee of $50.
Can I get Aerial Stills of a neighborhood?
We no longer offer neighborhood aerial video as part of the services we provide. FAA rules prohibit flying drones over populated areas and areas in which people aren’t aware of and/or participating in the shoot.
What is a Neighborhood Video Tour? How far do you go?
A Neighborhood Video Tour is an “add-on” feature to a Video shoot. It is typically the same photographer that does both. The cost for this service is an hourly rate since the neighborhood shoots can be pretty open-ended. In other words, the neighborhood portion of the shoot could be 3 locations or 20 locations – it’s really up to you!
What is the turnaround time on video?
Our dedicated production team takes pride in delivering industry leading videos, which means we need 1-2 business days to craft, edit, and color correct property videos. Most videos are polished and finished the following business day, but complexity, size, and work load can occasionally require an extra business day to complete. As always, you’ll receive a “Ready” email once the service is complete and ready to view.
Virtual Services
How does Virtual Staging of photography work?
Virtual Staging service offers a convenient alternative to staging a room – with the added bonus of never having to move a single piece of furniture.
Explore our expansive online furniture gallery, find the perfect home decor, and our team will provide a masterfully-edited photo full of virtual furniture after just one day of editing.
The cost is $100 per image and will take one additional day to complete once the images are ready!
Here are some before and after images of virtual staging!
Our editing team places the furniture in a way that best fits the room, so they can move the furniture’s angle so that it looks natural by increasing/decreasing the size of the virtual furniture so it looks better in the room. I hope that helps!
Can you use my photos for Virtual Staging or Virtual remodeling?
Unfortunately it can be very difficult to include virtual staging into photography from other people or vendors. We use a very sophisticated CGI (Computer Generated Imaging) much like Hollywood does, which means the way that we shoot, capture, and process the photography is very important (color and light consistency is key). We would really love to help you in this situation, but many photos cannot be well re-rendered with new CGI components to sufficient standards. And unfortunately, we don’t often know how well it will work until we’ve put in a few hours of effort.
We are happy to review your photos to see if they are good candidates for virtual staging before ordering, but please note that if you wish to proceed with any virtual staging processing we will not be able to offer refunds if the processed photos don’t appear to your liking. Please keep in mind that we can invest considerable time into manipulating each photo.