What You’re Paying For

When you hire me, you are purchasing a license to use the photos, not the copyright itself.

I retain the copyright as the creator, and you receive full marketing rights to use the images for your listing.

This protects the integrity of the work while giving you all the freedom you need to market the property.

What You Can Do With the Photos

You have full permission to use the photos for:

• The MLS

• Real estate websites (Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, etc.)

• Social media posts and ads

• Your website and personal marketing

• Flyers, brochures, postcards, and digital ads

• Sending the photos to the homeowner

• Sharing the listing with potential buyers

• Promoting your work as the listing agent

As long as the usage is tied to the specific property you hired me to photograph, you’re covered.

What You Cannot Do

The license is non-transferable. This is a standard industry practice — almost every real estate photographer uses this rule to protect the work and ensure fairness.

Here’s what is not allowed:

• Another agent using the photos. If the listing changes agents, the new agent must purchase their own license if they want to use the images. This keeps pricing fair and avoids unauthorized commercial use.

• Builders, contractors, and stagers using the images. The photos cannot be used to promote construction work, staging portfolios, contractor websites, or any other business not related to the sale of that specific home.If someone wants to use the images commercially, they can purchase a separate license.

• Using the same photos for a future listing. If the property is listed again in the future (for sale or rent), a new license is required because it is considered a new commercial use.

• Removing watermarks or altering the images. You are welcome to crop for MLS sizing, but heavy edits, filters, or removing any identifying marks without permission is not allowed.

Why the License Cannot Be Transferred

A real estate photo is a commercial product. When someone other than the hiring agent uses it to promote their business, it becomes a new commercial use.

A non-transferable license:

• ensures fair compensation

• protects you from liability

• protects the photographer’s copyright

• keeps the pricing structure balanced

Can Homeowners Keep the Photos?

Yes.

Homeowners can keep the images for personal memories.

They just cannot use them for commercial purposes.

What If the Builder Wants the Images?

They can purchase a commercial license. Pricing depends on how the images will be used — portfolio, website, large ads, etc. This keeps everything fair and transparent.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I own the photos after I pay?

You own the license to use the photos for the property. The copyright stays with the photographer.

• Can I give the photos to another agent?

No. The license is tied to the person who hired me. A new agent would need their own license.

• Can my stager, contractor, or builder use the photos?

Not without a separate commercial license. They are using the images to promote their own business, which is a different use.

• Why do photographers keep the copyright?

This is standard across all photography fields. The photographer owns the creative work and grants usage rights to clients. It protects both the photographer and the client and avoids legal confusion.

• Do expired listings need a new license?

If you relist the property at a later date, yes — relisting is considered a new use.

• Can I crop or resize images?

Yes, simple adjustments for MLS or social media are fine. Heavy edits or filters are not allowed.

In Simple Terms:

You get all the rights you need to market the property professionally and without stress.

Anyone outside the listing (another agent, builder, contractor, stager, designer, or new listing in the future) just needs their own license. Easy and clean.