When a person decides they want to purchase a home or property, the financing entity usually requires a “Broker’s Price Opinion” or a full appraisal by a licensed appraiser. The “Broker’s Price Opinion” or BPO as it is commonly called is where you come in. Many real estate agents do not have time to go chasing around to take photos of what an agent calls “Comps”. So, they hire someone with a good digital camera or a phone with great photography ability to go out to the addresses they will furnish you with. Most BPO’s require photos of three properties of similar structure and lot size within close proximity that have sold within the last year. The photo person must be able to take good clear photos of those properties, three additional properties of similar size and lot size that are currently listed within a defined geographical area will need to be photographed. Usually six photos is all that is required for a BPO.

How do you find out about where these properties are located. Go to a real estate agency that has a record of selling and buying a lot of properties and ask if they need someone to take photos for their listings of for people asking them to establish a listing value for their property which could include a BPO? Also ask if they farm out the exterior and interior photos for properties being listed. Go to a bank or real estate financing company and find out if they farm out photos for the properties they are planning on financing that will have BPO’s?

There is another aspect when dealing with Real Estate agents, some of them farm out listing brochure compositions for the properties they have listed. The person would be asked to prepare a one or two page brochure to be put in a box outside the property for people driving by the properties. There would be several photos and graphics explaining the home and it usually includes the price but not always.

Another job real estate agents do not like to do themselves is take an agency sign out and dig a hole and put a stake in to mount the “For Sale” sign. Then after the sale they need someone to go get the sign or if the listing has expired the sign needs to be collected.

Sometimes the real estate agent themselves pay for these services or in some cases the agency pays for multiple agents. Keep in mind there may be a large number of agents in an agency but you need to deal with the those too busy to perform these duties.

There is usually a tight time frame to get the photos, they may need them within a matter of hours or two or three days. If you are asked to take interior photos for a listing or brochure you would generally have to coordinate with the occupant if the property is occupied as to when you can perform those duties.

if you like photography you will love the jobs associated with the loan and real estate business. I audited real estate appraisals for several years for properties in all fifty states.