Real Estate Photography Packages Explained: What Agents Actually Need by Home Type

What is in each package?

Prices are fixed for each home-size band, and a package always costs less than booking the same services one at a time. The full table by size is on the pricing page.

What does a condo or townhome need?

Essential, in most cases. A condo's layout is simple and the photo count is naturally lower. Twenty-five photos covers the unit, the view, and the building.

What sells a condo is often outside the unit: the pool, the gym, the lobby, the walk to the beach. Add amenity photos ($95) so buyers see what the HOA fee pays for. The floor plan matters more than agents expect here, because buyers are checking whether their furniture fits.

Aerials depend on the building. Over a dense complex, a drone shows the location and the distance to the coast more than the unit itself, and some addresses sit in restricted airspace. Check the San Diego drone airspace guide first.

What does a typical single-family home need?

Essential for smaller homes, Signature once the home has a layout to explain. A three-bedroom under about 2,000 sq ft shows well in 25 photos with aerials and a floor plan.

Move to Signature when any of these are true:

• The home is over roughly 2,000 sq ft, or has two stories, an ADU, or an unusual flow
• Buyers are likely to be relocating or shopping from out of the area
• The listing is priced where buyers expect a walkthrough
• Square footage is likely to be questioned and you want it measured to the ANSI standard

Signature's 3D tour lets a buyer walk the home before they visit, and its two virtual twilight photos give you a dusk lead image without a second trip. If you want more photos without changing packages, you can upgrade Essential from 25 to 40 for the price difference.

What does a luxury listing need?

Luxury, and often more. At the top of the market in La Jolla, Del Mar, or Rancho Santa Fe, buyers expect to see the property at its best hour, from the air, and in context.

• 60 photos so every room, every outdoor space, and the details are covered
• An on-location twilight shoot. A real dusk exterior is the strongest lead photo you can post
• Aerial video to show the lot, the view, and the approach
• Amenity photos of the club, the beach, or the village nearby
• iGUIDE Premium for the walkthrough and a measured floor plan

Our guide to marketing coastal and luxury listings covers when each of these earns its place.

What does a vacant home need?

The package that fits its size, plus virtual staging. Empty rooms photograph smaller and colder than they are, and buyers struggle to judge scale without furniture.

Virtual staging is $35 per photo for the first 5 and $25 after that. Stage the living room, the primary bedroom, and the kitchen or dining area first. In California, staged photos must be disclosed and the unstaged original kept available. Our guide to virtual staging in California explains the rules.

A 3D tour is worth more on a vacant home than a furnished one. With nothing to look at, buyers focus on layout, and a walkthrough with a floor plan answers that directly.

What can I upgrade, and what should I skip?

Every package is a starting point. At booking you can pick a larger size for anything it includes and pay only the difference:

• Photos: 25 → 40 → 60
• Drone photos: 5 → 10 → 15
• Floor plan: 2D → 3D
• 3D tour: iGUIDE Standard → Premium
• Aerial video: 30 → 60 seconds

What to skip: don't buy 60 photos of a 900 sq ft condo. Buyers stop scrolling, and repeated angles make a home feel smaller. Don't order aerials where the airspace won't allow them. And don't stage every room of a vacant home when three or four key rooms do the job.

If you're not sure, enter the address when you book. We look at the home's size, how close it is to the coast, and what you tell us about it, then recommend a package you can change.

Frequently asked questions

Which package do most agents choose?

Signature is the most common for single-family homes, because it adds the 3D tour and a measured floor plan. Essential is the usual pick for condos and smaller homes.

Can I change what is in a package?

Yes. You can upgrade the size of anything it includes, add services like virtual staging or amenity photos, or build your own shoot from individual services.

Is a package cheaper than ordering services separately?

Yes. Each package costs less than booking the same services one at a time, even after the automatic multi-service discount.

Do packages include drone photos for every address?

Where the airspace allows. If your address is restricted, we tell you at booking and can swap in more photos, virtual staging, or virtual twilight instead.

How fast is delivery?

Photos, 3D tours, and floor plans are delivered the next day. Aerial video takes one to two days.