Been online to browse for a home lately? If so, you’ve probably seen hundreds of photos of fuzzy rooms, dark corners, and many more that seem to be focusing on the furniture (and unfortunately sometimes the garbage, clothes and clutter), rather than the house itself. You may have even seen some posted of the family pet (see below).
Below are actual photos currently being used to market listings on multiple listing services across the country.
Rather than the above listing photos being the exception, they are rapidly becoming the norm. It is understandable that some real estate agents cannot afford to purchase professional photography to market their listings. It is also understandable that an agent may not take the greatest photos – after all they are not trained in photography, they are trained to sell real estate. But to continue posting low quality photos doesn’t just reflect badly on the brokerage firm, the agent and the listing, it also reflects poorly on the professionalism of the industry as a whole.
To assist brokerage firms and agents in attracting more buyers and in taking control of their brand image, there are now free real estate photography workshops offered nationwide. VHT, Inc, one of the industry’s leading visual marketing companies, is letting their secrets out of the bag. They have recently launched a new series of workshops and webinars offered free of charge that are designed to give agents the inside scoop on how they can improve their photography skills and the presentation of their listings.
“We started our ‘Behind the Lens’ workshops and webinars because we fully understand that not every agent has the budget for professional photography. As a full-service consultative marketing partner, we still want to share our expertise in marketing listings with those agents. Do-it-yourself photos won’t meet the standards of true professional photography, but with the right training, they can greatly increase the effectiveness of your property marketing,” said Brian Balduf, Founder of VHT, Inc.
Great photos are not just essential for maintaining a good brand image, they also play a big role in determining the perceived value of a property. Studies have shown that professional photography, for example, can increase the perceived value of a property by over 12%.
For information on Behind the Lens Workshops in your area, please email VHT at BehindtheLens@VHT.com
HelloTxt was founded in Italy in 2007 with the aim of making life easier for people who belong to multiple social networks.
Now, you can post your status once and have it appear automatically on all of your networks, allowing you to keep all of your friends up to date with ease. It also lets you read your friends’ updates from main microblogging and social networks all at once.
You can update your status on the website, by email, or even from your mobile phone. You can also embed photos and video right into your status updates. HelloTxt post your status updates to more than 40 social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkinIn, MySpace, and many more.
To learn more or to register go to: http://hellotxt.com/
Google has improved its real estate search capabilities on Google Maps, a feature that lets people search for sale and rental property listings on its mapping service.
The tool enables you to upload listings into Google’s database and allows buyers to link directly to property and rental listings. It allows people to search on houses in the market, as well as nearby schools, restaurants, and public transportation.
For example, if you search “homes for sale in New York City” in Google Maps, you will see markers that signify the property listings in the area. Markers on Google Maps now show the ten most relevant listings with pins. A potential buyer can find out more details about the property, as well as link back to your personal real estate site.
Get the biggest bang by adding your photography and video to your Google map listing.
Real estate website Zillow.com announced it broke multiple records for site traffic and user activity in the first six months of 2009.
An average of 8.3 million unique users visited Zillow each month during this period, which is an increase of 67 percent year-over-year. Another success for the company includes more than 535,000 people have downloaded the Zillow iPhone App since its launch in late April, more than any other real estate-related app.
“In addition to seeking real estate listings and data, potential buyers and sellers are voracious for information and are asking questions in Zillow Advice, and getting answers from real estate professionals in their communities.” said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow’s chief operating officer.
Reference: RISMEDIA, July 6, 2009. To view the full article: http://rismedia.com/2009-07-05/zillowcom-traffic-grows-67-year-over-year-in-first-half-2009/
Visit the VHT Media Marketplace to get your content distributed to Zillow
• Forty-three percent of the online community now uses social networking sites, up from 27% a year ago
• More than half of social networkers log on at least once a day, and the majority log on several times a day.
• About 19% of those age 55 and over visit these sites, up from just 6% a year ago. Women are more likely than men to use social networking sites (48% versus 38%)
• The most popular site is Facebook, used by 78% of online households, followed by MySpace (42%), LinkedIn (17%) and Twitter (10%).
Research done by The Consumer Internet Barometer. To view the full article go to: http://rismedia.com/2009-06-21/social-networks-explode-in-popularity/#ixzz0KhhtaEGs&D
To give you greater control over what people find when they search for your name, Google begun to show Google profile results at the bottom of name search pages. You can include your name, portrait, contact info, relevant links and any other tidbits you care to share
Google also added links so it’s easy to search for the same name on MySpace, Facebook, Classmates and LinkedIn.
Don’t have a Google profile? In just a few minutes, you can create a public profile that represents you and that appears when people search for your name on Google. Check out www.google.com/profiles to learn more.
With the $790 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that gives first-time homebuyers a $8000 tax credit, along with lower interest rates and falling prices,potential buyers are sure to see the value of entering the market. As the professional, you can help them understand the depth of this opportunity. And that means being up to speed yourself.
Know The Ins And Outs
Be knowledgeable about all the details of the plan, including timelines and criteria
Go to Them
Market yourself to first-time home buyers now, and make sure they know you can help them benefit from the new legislation. Remember, buyers who’ve previously owned a home are not automatically excluded so past clients could be prime candidates.
Dispel the Myths
Make it clear that there are loans available with manageable down payment options for qualified buyers.
RISMEDIA, April 25, 2009
Full the full article, go here
Curb appeal remains the standard. A Michigan State University study estimated that good landscaping adds 6 percent to 11 percent to the eventual sales price of a home.
Ways to Spruce Up Your Listing’s Curb Appeal
- Make it green.
- Trim trees and shrubbery. Overgrown branches hide a home’s good looks.
- Mulch everything. Mulch gives flowerbeds visual appeal.
- Edge the flowerbeds so everything look neat.
- Powerwash the siding, sidewalks and patios to get rid of all the winter grunge.
- Plant a garden to brighten up the look.
- Ensure both the front door and storm door are in good condition
Daily Real Estate News | April 6, 2009
“Green”-savvy agents are in demand, according to a consumer survey conducted by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Based on responses from 2,300 consumers, found that 51 percent of survey respondents “believe in the importance of working with a green-certified real estate agent”.
Most respondents reported that they themselves engaged in some type of “green” acts in the past six months.
How to go green?
NAR’s Green Res
ource Council offers a new Green Designation program. The green program, offered by adds to a growing field of environmentally focused training programs, are available for real estate agents and brokers.
The National Association of Home Builders in January launched a Certified Green Professional designation, and announced that so far about 800 builders, remodelers and other industry professionals has received the designation.
By Inman News, Thursday, November 6, 2008.
When real estate sales are slow, smart marketing is particularly important. Here are ideas from Chicago based brokerages:
Offer tours of the office: Jack Persin, president of Ryan Hill Realty tours elementary school children through his offices, showing them how homes are bought and sold. The tour introduces his business to parents and teachers as well as children.
Make showing houses an art. Associates at Sudler Sothebys International Realty, offered local artists free space to display their work on the walls of empty homes for sale. The “art shows” attracted more than 200 people, who also received flyer about homes for sale.
Do well by doing good. Baird & Warner sponsored a winter coat drive at all its offices and also invited the public to drop off coats at open houses.
Source: Chicago Tribune, Mary Ellen Podmolik (11/21/2008)
