5.0 from 150+ Google reviews Austin, TX and Central Texas
Get a quote (512) 859-6430
Book a shoot

Real Estate Photography FAQs

The questions Austin agents actually ask us, answered straight. If yours is not here, call and ask.

Book a shoot Call (512) 859-6430
How much does real estate photography cost in Austin?
Packages start at $200 for 25 MLS photos, 3 drone photos, a floor plan schematic and a marketing kit. The mid tier is $450 and adds a 3D tour and a walkthrough video. The full package is $975 and adds a 60 second premium listing video, four virtual twilight and staging images, and community photos. Individual services can be booked without a package. See the full pricing page.
Do prices scale with square footage?
Not across the board. Packages are priced for homes up to about 2,500 square feet and larger homes are quoted individually. Single photo sets and 3D tours are sized to the home, from 20 to 40 photos and tours up to 4,000 square feet. Land and commercial are quoted per property.
Can I book a single service instead of a package?
Yes. Every service can be booked on its own. Packages exist because most listings need the same combination and it is cheaper bundled, not because there is any rule. See all ten services.
How fast do I get my photos back?
Standard delivery is the next business day. Shoots finished in the morning are usually edited and delivered by the following morning, so you can have a listing live within 24 hours of the camera coming out. Rush delivery is available if you are against an MLS deadline.
How long does a shoot take?
About an hour on site for a standard home. Larger properties run 90 minutes to two hours. If you have booked drone, a 3D scan, a floor plan or video, all of it happens in the same visit, so there is only one appointment to coordinate with the seller.
What areas around Austin do you serve?
Austin plus fifteen Central Texas cities: Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, Leander, Lakeway, Westlake, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, Buda, Kyle, Bastrop, Del Valle, Hutto and Manor. Travel is included in every package. See all service areas.
Do you charge for travel?
Not within our service cities. Travel to the cities we list is generally included in every package. If you are not sure whether an address is covered, enter it in our booking form and any trip fee is calculated automatically before you confirm. Shooting somewhere further out? Get in touch and we will talk it through.
Are your drone pilots licensed?
Yes. Every aerial shoot is flown by an FAA Part 107 certified remote pilot, which is the license required to fly commercially in the United States. We check airspace before every flight and request LAANC authorization for the controlled airspace around Austin Bergstrom where it is needed.
What is the difference between a Matterport tour and a Zillow 3D Home tour?
A Matterport tour is a full dollhouse model with measurement tools, hosted on its own link you can put anywhere including the MLS and your own site. A Zillow 3D Home tour lives inside the Zillow listing and earns the 3D badge in Zillow search results. They are captured on different equipment in separate scans, so one cannot be converted into the other. Plenty of agents book both.
Does the home need to be staged before you shoot?
It does not have to be professionally staged, but it should be clean, decluttered and lit. We send a short prep checklist when you book. If a room is empty or the furniture is not helping, virtual staging is a much cheaper alternative to bringing in physical furniture.
What should the seller do before you arrive?
Blinds open, lights on, cars off the driveway, trash cans out of shot, counters and bathroom surfaces cleared, and pet bowls and litter boxes put away. Ten minutes of tidying before we arrive is worth more to the finished gallery than anything we can do in editing afterward.
Do I need to be at the property to let you in?
No. We have Supra lockbox access, so for a listing on a Supra box we can let ourselves in at the booked time and you do not have to meet us there. If the property uses a different lockbox or a code, add the access details when you book. Sellers are welcome to be home, but most agents never need to be.
Do I own the photos?
You get a full license to use the images to market the property: MLS, Zillow, your own site, print and social. We keep the copyright, which is standard across the industry, and we may use a frame or two in our own portfolio. If a listing is sensitive, tell us and we will keep it out.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Interiors are unaffected, so most shoots go ahead. Skies get replaced in editing where an exterior needs it. If wind or weather makes the drone portion unsafe, we shoot everything else, return for the aerials at no extra charge, and you are not billed for aerials you did not get.
Do you offer a guarantee?
A one week money back guarantee on every package. If the gallery is not what you needed, tell us within a week and we will make it right or refund it. We would much rather fix it than refund it, so tell us what is wrong first.
Who is responsible for my shoot?
The ZABE team. Whoever holds the camera on the day, every gallery is reviewed using our ZABE Standard before delivery, which is why the quality does not drift from listing to listing and why a problem goes straight to someone who can fix it.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Usually a couple of days is plenty, and weekends are normally shoot days for us. Luxury listings that need a separate twilight visit are worth booking a week out, because that second appointment is at a fixed time and the weather has a vote in it.
Can I book outside business hours?
Yes. Our booking portal is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can book a shoot whenever it suits you. Shoot times depend on availability and the light the property needs, and our team replies to calls and messages during normal business hours.

Still stuck?

If the answer you need is not here, call us. You will reach a real member of the ZABE team, and we will tell you straight whether we are the right fit.

Still Have A Question?

These pages go into more detail, or just call us. You will always reach a real member of the ZABE team.

Kitchen and breakfast area in West Austin with sage green walls, white cabinetry and a live edge table
Real Estate PhotographyMLS ready stills, shot and edited to sell the room.

The Property Types We Shoot

Most questions on this page apply whichever of these you are listing.

Primary bedroom in South Austin with a vaulted ceiling and a bench at the foot of the bed Residential Listings Downtown Austin condo living room with floor to ceiling glass and a view over the city Condos and Townhomes Open kitchen and dining space in a Westlake home with a stone island and full height glazing Luxury Homes New build kitchen in South Austin with wood cabinetry and a green tile splashback New Construction Retail storefront in West Austin with a stone facade, awnings and parking in front Commercial Property Aerial view of a four story apartment community with its parking court and landscaping Apartments and Multifamily Ranch house set back on open acreage outside Lockhart with fenced pasture to the tree line Ranch and Land Short term rental kitchen in South Austin with a white island and bar stools Short Term Rentals Attendees at an Austin real estate networking evening Events

The Cities We Cover Around Austin

One of the questions we get most is simply whether we will come out that far. These sixteen cities are the standing answer, and travel to any of them is included in the price.

Shooting somewhere that is not on this list? Enter the address in our booking form and any trip fee is calculated for you before you confirm, or get in touch if you are unsure.

Get started

Ready To Book?

Booking takes less than two minutes. If you would rather ask a question first, call us or send a message and we will come back within a couple of hours on business days.

Book a shoot Call (512) 859-6430

Prefer to talk it through first? Send us a message and we will come back to you within a couple of hours on business days.