Last summer I received a call from a client with an announcement that would be published a few days later in the local weekly newspapers: we are joining forces with another real estate agency.
Although our collaboration had been running smoothly and to full satisfaction for over eight years, after the merger of the two agencies there was no longer any work for me as a freelance professional. The new organization has more work than I, as a freelancer, can and want to take on. A larger agency sells more homes than smaller ones. Working for them would have too much impact on my available time: I enjoy serving different clients so I can maintain variety in my work. This is separate from the financial consideration of spreading my income across several relationships rather than concentrating most of it with a single client.
After starting in 2014 and photographing for property managers, real estate agents, and private landlords, I met this agent through the realtor who sold our own house in 2017. Since then, I have provided 360-degree and interior photography for the homes they brought to market. And since 2020, I have also created NEN2580 measurement reports and floor plans for these properties. That way, sellers only need one person to visit them for both photography and measuring.
Over the past eight years, I have learned a great deal. I gained experience with a wide range of interiors: from sleek, bright, and modern to dark, crowded, and outdated. Each time, I aim to provide the agent with the best possible material, and that mindset is greatly appreciated.
Besides the variety of interiors, I enjoy that every home has a different owner. I visit, I talk with these people, and that creates a pleasant dynamic in my work. I never have the exact same conversation; there is overlap, but also a unique story each time. That’s what makes working with people never boring.
Through the diversity of interiors and the unique character of people, I learned to adapt my approach. This experience helps me strive for greater consistency and efficiency on location. I use that every day in each new assignment.
In the period 2014–2017, I earned most of my income from work for real estate agents. During that time, I served 8–12 agents in the Hilversum, Apeldoorn, Amersfoort, and Almere regions. I earned a living and gained extensive experience in the housing market.
Toward the end of that period, I realized I needed more variety: something other than living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, gardens, or balconies. Between 2017 and 2025, I consistently worked on building relationships in other industries. Photography for hospitality interiors, project photography for contractors and furniture makers, as well as product and portrait photography. I increasingly developed a taste for this variety, and slowly but surely a service offering emerged that aligns with the needs of small and medium-sized local businesses.
There are still a few agents and landlords who occasionally need my services. When their regular supplier cannot deliver (on time), I am happy to help where I can. A day like that briefly brings me back to the time when I did this work daily. I still enjoy doing it.
Feel free to get in touch. Let’s explore the possibilities of enriching your sales presentations with photography, floor plans, 360-degree images, or property videos.
