Helpful Tidbits of Information for Real Estate Professionals

Aug 27 / Nick Teel

Emmy Awards Feature: Homes of Emmy Nominees and Winners!

As we count down to all the glitz and red carpet glamour of the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards(airing this Sunday...for which, without a doubt, I'll be stationed in front of the TV, popcorn in hand 🙂 ), we thought it would be fun to take a glimpse into the former homes of current and past Primetime Emmy Nominees and Winners! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

This is a former home of Cher's. Cher was an Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for "Cher: The Farewell Tour Live" in 2003. She was also nominated four times for "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" from 1971-1974. At the time of this photograph, it was listed by Jorge Uribe of Sotheby's International Realty. Click on the photograph for more of Cher's home!

Former home of Meryl Streep, Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries for "Angels in America" in 2003. At the time of this photograph, the home was listed by Jan Hashey of Prudential Douglas Elliman. Click the photograph to view more of this home!

A former home of Richard Gere's, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special in 1993. At the time of this photograph, the home was listed by Debbie Korb of Sotheby's International Realty. Click on the photograph to view more of Richard Gere's former home!

Aug 13 / Nick Teel

5 ‘Hot’ Pools on the Market

The unbearable August heat has us dreaming of cool, refreshing pools...so we thought we'd share 5 of the hottest pools we've come across on the market recently! They're in no particular order, they're all looking equally heavenly to us 🙂 Enjoy!

5 of the Hottest Pools on the Market

This is so amazing, it doesn't even look real! This home in Boca Raton, FL, is listed for $9,900,000 by Misti Bell of Coldwell Banker. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

WOW...this gives many resorts a run for their money! This Jupiter, FL, home is listed for $15,500,000 by Lynn Feuerman of the Corcoran Group. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

Stunning pool and outdoor living area in Alpharetta, Georgia. This home is listed for $5,600,000 by Annemarie Russo of Harry Norman Realtors. There are more great shots of the pool area of this home...click the photograph to see more.

Gorgeous pool in Cape Coral, Florida (love the slide!). This home is listed for $3,145,000 by Richard Schwandt of John R Wood Realtors. Click the photograph to view more great shots of this listing.

This lovely pool looks like it goes on forever! This home in Boca Raton, FL, is listed for $2,295,000 by Nancy Ghen of Coldwell Banker. Click the photograph for to view more of this listing.

Let us know which was your favorite!

Zillow and Shine (Yahoo) also posted great articles featuring top pools...check them out below! http://www.zillow.com/blog/10-amazing-swimming-pools/2010/07/29/?scid=emm-081010AugBuzz-10amazingpools http://shine.yahoo.com/event/haven/the-worlds-most-spectacular-pools-2217827/#photoViewer=10

Aug 6 / Nick Teel

Good Article: “5 Tips to Photographing Houses”

We came across a great article that the Digital Photography School Web site had posted on photographing houses and wanted to share it...they give 5 tips on how to best photograph a house and provide some good photo examples as well. One tip we wanted to point out from their post that we thought was really good (and that most people probably wouldn't think to be true), is their tip that shooting on a cloudy day will give you the best lighting for a house. This can be very true, in particular for interior shots. There are ways to add a blue sky to the exterior photos after the fact, so don't let the grey sky deter you. Here's the article: http://digital-photography-school.com/5-tips-for-photographing-houses?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29

Jul 9 / Nick Teel

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Luxury Listing Feature

This week we will be taking a tour through the homes of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Luxury Edition. One would think that great photography would come with the territory but as our ‘Wall of Shame’ features the bad (…and oh yes, the very ugly…), you will see differently. On the opposite end of the spectrum, our ‘Wall of Fame’ features some of the most stunning photography that you will find for higher end properties. The 'Wall of Fame' captures the essence of the meaning of Luxury. Take note of what great photography can do to enhance your higher end listings and make certain you do not wind up on our 'Luxury Wall of Shame.'

A little side note… on the weeks we’re not featuring the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, we’ll be providing photography tips designed to help you stay off of the Wall of Shame!

NOT SO LUXURIOUS WALL OF SHAME

For the next stop on the tour of this $2.1 million New York home, here is the cement room?... Well..., I'm not really sure what this is? Is it a tunnel system? Is it even part of the home? For a Luxury Listing, not sure if I want to spend $2 Million for what appears to be a home that replicates the same architecture as the New York Subway System. Next time, maybe pull back and show what it is that you're shooting.

There's a lot wrong with this photo. Where to start...? First off, either the camera is being held crooked or this kitchen is slightly unsound, foundationally speaking. Where does the floor end and the oven begin? Couldn't they have removed the clutter; it kind of ruins the beautiful range that I think they are trying to feature. This Alabama home is listed at $3,899,900.

I don't get the point of this photograph. If you have this wonderful water front property with stunning views why would you shoot this dining room with the blinds closed. It doesn't really showcase the home in it's best light. Also, look out for the 1980's Christmas tree Ornament for a chandelier. I don't know if this really helps showcase what probably is a great $2.1 million Virginia home.

Now it’s your turn to sound off! Tell us which of these (top, center, or bottom) you feel is the worst and why!

WALL OF LUXURY!

How would you like to cozy up to a cup of coffee in the Breakfast Area of this property? This New York luxury listing was listed at $3.5 Million by Andrew Anderson of Prudential Douglas Elliman. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

You get a stunning view of the John Hancock Building in this Chicago properties Master Suite. This listing is listed at $3.6Mil by Margaret Baczkowski of Atproperties. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

How about entertaining a few guests with this view? The beautiful view is from a Chicago home listed by Maureen Moran of Prudential Rubloff for $3,165,000. Now, that's what I call a luxuirous view! Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

Let us know what you think! Which of these (top, center, or bottom) do you think is the best and why?

Jun 25 / Nick Teel

The YouTube Hype Examined: How does it get your listing in front of more buyers?

Posting real estate videos to YouTube has become a hot topic in real estate marketing. We've been asked on numerous occasions, "Will putting my listing on YouTube really get me in front of more buyers?" The answer is yes, but not for the reasons many agents think. Are the majority of homebuyers are pulling up YouTube and searching real estate listings at the start of their search? Probably not just yet. The vast majority of YouTube users are more likely to be going to the popular video sharing site to check out clips of their favorite shows or of people sharing their most embarrassing moments. At this point, the average home buyer is probably not going directly onto the YouTube site to search specifically for real estate listings. But that doesn’t mean they're not seeing your YouTube video. In fact, YouTube reaches 9.2 million people a month who have researched real estate information online (MRI, 2009 Doublebase). How does that work you might ask? 75% of searches for 'homes for sale' are conducted on Google (Hitwise, 12 weeks ending, 10/10/2009). And what shows up higher in Google search results every day? Yep, you guessed it, YouTube videos! YouTube is actually owned by Google. Therefore, the benefits of putting your listings on YouTube largely reside in the enhanced search engine exposure it provides. Being that YouTube is a free service that could put you in front of potentially thousands of buyers seeking homes in your area, we’d give this service a big thumbs up and highly recommend it as part of your real estate marketing. This post was originally featured in the April News Editorial section of our RE Marketing Revolution eNewsletter

Jun 1 / Nick Teel

Photography Tip: Our Friend the Sun

We left you last month with a tip to refresh your properties' exterior shots for the change of the season. Now that the sunny weather has finally hit it is time to start reshooting some photographs. With that in mind, Today we are going to answer a question that our photographers receive almost more than any other, “What time of day is best for taking photographs?” It’s a good question and there continue to be many debates as to what time of the day is actually best; when the sun is angled behind the home, the sun is angled behind the photographers back or the sun is directly above the property? Many believe that shooting photography with the sun directly over head produces the best lighting, leaving no shadows on the exterior property, whatsoever. However, this type of setting produces what I would refer to as flat lighting. Basically, everything is illuminated and what you see is what you get. If you shoot with the sun behind the home, the complete front is cast in shadows and you are shooting directly into the sun, causing flare and sun spots. In our photography endeavors we have found that with the sun angled behind the photographer, your results present some of the best lighting for the home. If you are shooting with the light at your back, shadows are limited but even more importantly, you are dealing with angled light that creates more texture and depth to the photograph. Now that you know this, how do you know where the sun is going to be shining for your property? It's as simple as checking out this Google Maps supported Sun Calculator. This helpful tool not only gives you the sunrise and sunset times but by typing in your address you can see the position of the sun's rays, by time of day, as it pertains to your property . You can also plan ahead and submit any time or day to this tool's calculations. If you have an iPhone, you can buy an app that does the same thing, the Helios Sun Calculator. It has a lot of features, very little you will need for our purposes here and then a lot of features that I barely understand. The nice thing about this app, it's portable on your phone and the app itself won't break your bank. Go out and start retaking your exterior spring refreshers. Don't forget to check where the sun is located to procure the best light. Let us know what you think and if you have any opinion on the matter of what time of day is best.

May 12 / Nick Teel

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

With this series we take a look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of real estate photography. Our ‘Wall of Shame’ features the bad (…and oh yes, the very ugly…) photos that some agents are using for their listings. On the opposite end of the spectrum, our ‘Wall of Fame’ features some of the most stunning photography agents are currently using to market their listings.

WALL OF SHAME

Showcasing beautiful hardwood floors is great...zooming in on damaged, dirty (and maybe even a little moldy) hardwood floors is not so great. This is a $950,000 listing in California.

Showcasing beautiful hardwood floors is great...zooming in on a damaged, dirty (and maybe even a little moldy) hardwood floor is not so great. This is a $950,000 listing in California.

We couldn't just do a little light staging before taking this one? I mean, at the very least, putting the toilet seat down so it doesn't look so 'freshly used'??...but maybe also putting that new roll of toilet paper on that's just sitting there and temporarily hiding the hundreds of products they have lying around to avoid highlighting the lack of space/storage? This is a $389,900 listing in New Hampshire.

Hmmm...not sure why we're on the floor here... it's not helping to give any additional perspective or view of the space...in fact, the space is blockec by the wall and the table we're behind. Though we are eye-level with the little kitty who seems to want inside :) This is a $649,900 listing in North Carolina

Hmmm...not sure why we're on the floor here... it's not helping to give any additional perspective or view of the space...this view just puts the focus on the hall table. And also not so sure that previewing the property at this level is the most natural feeling...this was taken so low, we're eye-level with the little kitty who seems to want inside 🙂 This is a $649,900 listing in North Carolina

Now it's your turn to sound off! Tell us which of these (top, center, or bottom) you feel is the worst and why!

WALL OF FAME

Amazing views beautifully showcased in this Chicago condo. This home is listed for $999,000 by Robert Anderson of Baird & Warner. Please click the photograph to view more stunning photographs of this listing.

This living room showcases both floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful stone fireplace. This Minnesota home is listed for $475,000 by Tony Trout of Edina Realty. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

The great room of this Georgia home has been beautifully photographed, really emphasizing the large space and the great amount of light brought in by those lovely windows. This home is listed for $875,000 by Randy Gottschalk of Coldwell Banker Atlanta. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

Tell us what you think! Let us know which of these (top, center, or bottom) you think is the best and why!

Apr 24 / Nick Teel

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

With this series we take a look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of real estate photography. Our ‘Wall of Shame’ features the bad (…and oh yes, the very ugly…) photos that some agents are using for their listings. On the opposite end of the spectrum, our ‘Wall of Fame’ features some of the most stunning photography agents are currently using to market their listings.

A little side note… on the weeks we’re not featuring the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, we’ll be providing photography tips designed to help you stay off of the Wall of Shame!

WALL OF SHAME

Oh my-- a triple threat-- crooked, over exposed, and taken in a way that makes a small room look tiny. Yikes! I think I probably would have re-taken this or just not posted it at all... it's not doing much to help market the home. This is a $719,000 listing in California

LOL! I just get such a kick out of 'thumb shots'... can't resist posting them to the Wall of Shame...it's the classic bad photo 🙂 This is a $290,000 listing in Washington

Cute dogs... but I doubt they'll make a 'splash' with potential buyers expecting to actually see pictures of a house!! ;) This is a $765,000 lisitng in Nevada.

Cute dogs... but I doubt they'll make a 'splash' with potential buyers expecting to actually see pictures of a house!! 😉 And that's not to mention that the date on the photograph is 2008... and we found this online recently! This is a $765,000 lisitng in Nevada.

Sound off! Tell us which of these (top, center, or bottom) you think is the worst and why!

WALL OF FAME

This bedroom is beautifully photographed, really highlighting that AMAZING view! This Florida home is listed for $495,900 by Judy Hansen of Coldwell Banker. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

A gorgeous Wisconsin condo listed for $419,900 by Mary Hickey Zander of Coldwell Banker. Click the photograph to view more of this listing.

WOW...talk about a million dollar view (and one that was beautifully photographed)! This New York home is listed for $1.25 million by Andrew Anderson of Prudential Douglas Elliman. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

Let us know what you think! Which of these (top, center, or bottom) do you think is the best and why?

Apr 9 / Nick Teel

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Bathroom Feature

After seeing photo after photo of real estate agents (and others) caught front and center in the mirrors of their bathroom photos, we thought a Wall of Shame/Wall of Fame Bathroom feature was in order!! The question with this week's Wall of Shame is this: How can a buyer focus on the actual bathroom itself with people in the mirror (when the focus then becomes the fact that this is a photo of someone taking a photo)? I guess on the plus side, it takes away from the number of other problems with the photographs (poor composition making the rooms look even smaller than they are, etc). I get that bathroom spaces are often small and can be difficult to shoot (though 2 of the 3 examples shown here are actuallyof decent sized bathrooms), but there are ways around getting caught in the mirror...check out our Photography Tip from 11-20-09 on shooting small spaces for some helpful tips and tricks to avoid becoming the center focus of your bathroom photos!

WALL OF SHAME

Love that he doesn't even try to hide...it's as though the mirror isn't even there! This is a $199,950 listing in Ohio

Really? You couldn't just ask them to move for a second? This is an $850,000 listing in Missouri

LOL! Maybe leaning will help? Not so much! This is a $749,000 listing in Pennsylvania

Sound off! Tell us which of these you think is the worst and why. We'd also love to hear your thoughts on posting photos like this to market your listings--how bad do you think it is (or maybe you don't think it's bad...either way, we want to hear it!)?

WALL OF FAME

This Minnesota home is listed for $399,900 by Lisa Erickson of Edina Realty. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

This Wisconsin home is listed by Barb Whealon of Coldwell Banker. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

This Wisconsin home is listed for $1,169,000 by Barb Whealon of Coldwell Banker. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

This New York home is listed for $1,475,000 by Douglas Albert of The Corcoran Group. Please click the photograph to view more of this listing.

Sound off! Tell us which of these you think is the best and why!

Apr 2 / Nick Teel

Photography Tip

The sun is shining (well, at least it is in the Chicagoland area :)), the grass is getting greener, the temps are getting warmer... Spring is HERE!! Woo hoo!! Our photography tip this week is pretty simple-- when spring is in the air, use it to your advantage! Updating your winter exterior photos with fresh spring exteriors breathes new life into your listing with all those great spring colors. Beyond just looking nicer, if a potential buyer starts their search in the spring and they're seeing mounds of snow in your exterior photo, but birds singing and trees budding out their windows, the listing might give off a vibe that it's been sitting for awhile...even if it has, you probably don't want your marketing to offer that as a first impression. For those who prefer to take their own photos, one quick tip when shooting your spring exterior (though this is really true for any time of year)....always shoot with the sun at your back! If the sun is behind the house instead of behind your back, you'll have a shadow over the front of the house, which will take away from that bright, spring feeling you're going for. A great example of how going from winter to spring with your photos can breathe new life into your property marketing! 57-T1184622-Snow_RB

The VHT Blog

Emmy Awards Feature: Homes of Emmy Nominees and Winners!

5 ‘Hot’ Pools on the Market

Good Article: “5 Tips to Photographing Houses”

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Luxury Listing Feature

The YouTube Hype Examined: How does it get your listing in front of more buyers?

Photography Tip: Our Friend the Sun

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Bathroom Feature

Photography Tip

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