If you're a property manager, hiring an outsourced or cheaper artist for 3D rendering may be tempting.
Freelancers who offer 3D rendering services and overseas freelancers usually offer 3D rendering for your property at a significantly lower price. They might even offer a faster turnaround time compared to a professional company in the US.
These services sound promising, but they come with a lot of risks if you're not careful. As a property manager, there are several reasons it may be best for you to choose a professional artist over a cheaper artist.
Quality
You need the quality of any 3D rendering you have done to be top-notch to attract your tenants. Unclear prints or missing details can be a cause for concern for your potential clients. It's up to you to limit these risks to maximize the potential of your properties.
Larger scale 3D rendering projects are incredibly complicated. Though computers today are certainly more powerful than they were years ago, it takes a lot to produce a sophisticated and promising 3D render of an entire building.
Even for smaller projects, you need quality floor plans and interior plans to feel confident with what your selling and for your client to feel comfortable with what they are spending money on.
There is always the chance that the cheap artist you hire will underdeliver when it comes to their work quality.
Some artists can promise more than they can deliver. Even if you hire from a freelancer site, there are reviews on many of these sites that indicate workers will oversell their skills or develop fake profiles to draw employers like you in.
There are many ways an artist can undercut you.
Cheap rendering vs professional rendering
Equipment
Artists need the proper equipment for a good rendering.
The truth is, the equipment required for high quality and high definition 3D render is expensive. Also, you have to make sure your hired artists have the skills to use that expensive equipment properly for your real-estate project.
Artists who offer cheap 3D rendering may not have the best equipment to get the job done. According to bizon-tech.com, the cheapest possible build for a 3D modeling and rendering computer is $3000.
In the tech world, as in many other industries, you get what you pay for. If you have someone who offers a lower price, the chances are they may be offering a lower quality service because of their equipment.
Fake Profiles and Portfolios
On sites like Fiverr, it is possible to see the profiles of your freelancers. You can find out about their previous work through their portfolios.
While there are undoubtedly honest workers out there, freelancer sites have had reports of fake profiles. Profiles that showcase a portfolio with projects the freelancer didn't complete. Some profiles are entirely fake and are there to waste your time.
Profiles are also an issue when it comes to sites with workers from overseas. Some of these sites don't have a real way of identifying the freelancer in the profile. It's easy for a scammer to build up a profile that promises more than they can do. Dealing with this issue is another waste of your time.
With overseas workers, other issues with time include possibly navigating language barriers and working out how to convert the payment to the local currency.
These are all issues that are made simpler but selecting a more local professional artist.
No Vetting Process
Another problem with fast matching sites is that these sites often lack a vetting process unless you purchase the premium service. This means that so long as a freelancer can fill up a website profile, they can begin to take on work.
That means virtually anyone with any quality of work may be able to take on your project. With a low barrier or entry, you might find yourself with an incompetent artist.
If this is the case, you'll find yourself only wasting time and taking longer on the renders. If you don't like the 3D rendering quality, you will either have to hire another artist or spend time going over the artist's edits.
In either case, you're waiting for usable 3D renders while your business suffers, and your time wasted.
Price
The money you could save on a cheaper artist may be the most attractive part about hiring one.
In this area, you should consider the amount you are willing to spend for a high-quality render and consider the size and scale of the render you need.
Keep in mind that although a render might seem cheaper with a freelance artist, you could end up spending more money than you initially thought if you're not careful.
If the artists charges you for the original 3D renders and these come out badly, you may want another round of edits and higher quality adjustments. There's a chance that you'll be charged again for these edits because the artists have to go back and do them again.
If that cycle keeps going, your "cheaper" artist can end up being even more expensive than what more likely would have come out better had you gone with a professional.
With 3D rendering services, remember that you usually get what you pay for. Though a professional artist might seem like more money upfront, the advantages are quality assurance and peace of mind. Your customers will appreciate the added effort you went through to get the best quality available. High quality 3D renders give your buyers that same confidence and peace of mind.