Next time, see what a local camera shop would charge to rent some equipment so you can do the shoot yourself. It'll probably be less than $75 to rent the gear for a day. It takes a lot of experience to be a good photographer, so you're paying for their time and expertise, not their equipment. Modern cameras do a lot of the work for you, so you might be happy doing it yourself. On the other hand, for something like a wedding I would hire a pro if there's room in the budget.

Why doesn't your wife learn how to do it, then?

What do you mean charged? You negotiate rate beforehand. No one wants to shoot your real estate shit, so you pay more. If it’s too high, hire someone that has no experience that won’t survive on their rates. Good lord, people.