Why does it make a difference?  It’s all in the teamwork.  The realtor knows what clients like and can give some direction to the photographer as to ‘hot spots’.  The photographer, in turn, knows what his equipment will do and how to use it to the best advantage.

I have sat and watched how real estate companies have ‘teams’ of sales professionals, it is wise to consider a photographer as an extension of that team.  I have heard of realtors becoming frustrated trying to coordinate a shoot time.  That is not teamwork, Realtyphotography.ca guarantees we will be able to provide at least 4 possible shoot times within that day or the next day.  Why do we make this guarantee?  We know how important it is to you, the realtor, to get that property listed.  We understand that the sooner you have the pictures the sooner that property can start to interest clients and then sell.

We would like to think that the realtors that we work with consider us part of their team and as such they depend on us as much as we depend on them.  Teamwork has long been proven to be the most efficient use of resources possible.

So remember when you list a home, are you really doing your client a favour by taking pictures with your iPhone?  Or is it wiser to make one call and have a professional handle your needs?

While taking the image itself is not really anymore difficult, the post production is quite a bit more involved.  While the majority of the work is done by computer, the final result is all dependent upon what the human eye sees.

I have only just begun playing with this as it is not something that the camera itself does.  HDR has come about through countless hours of some poor computer programmer sitting and designing this program for the photographer.  Is it cheap, no.  Is it effective, yes.  Thanks you to all those programmers you have made my life easier!

What is the benefit to a realtor or homeowner?  The selling power of the home is enhanced by these crisp, bright and vibrant pictures.  In color they are eye catching, in print they are powerful in their presence.

This is not a process that can be done with an iPhone or a point and shoot type digital camera.  There are a great number of settings that require altering at the time of the picture taking.   This is why realtyphotography.ca has chosen to start providing all HDR images to our clients.

Real estate photography has become the darling of the fashion, portrait and glamour photography worlds; it has now jumped the line and is now being used by real estate photographers.  For me, making the $1600.00 investment is an investment in my clients.  Those that demand more of an image, they demand an image with character.  Welcome to the world of HDR Photography, welcome to realtyphotography.ca.

Now, I know that the Alberta market has its fair share of 100K+ earners so this number quickly becomes a loss of $2500.00 per year.  It means that it is costing you DOUBLE what realtyphotography.ca charges for a full shoot!  Now keep in mind that this is based on only selling 20 homes per year!

Why is it so cost effective to use a realty photographer instead of doing the pictures yourself?  Consider these advantages:

• Ease of scheduling appointments for the shoot-we go when it is good for both the realtor and the host home
• Experience-we have worked the angles, have the eye so to speak to make rooms look their best and in their best light
• We have computer software that takes the digital image and enhances its quality far beyond a ‘point and shoot’ digital or an iPhone
• We offer a fast return on the images-generally speaking images are emailed back to the agent within 48 hours of the session
• We understand that opportunities present themselves at the most inopportune times so we have a flexible reschedule policy
• We offer only the most professional service and presentation to your clients- we know that our image reflects on you so we dress appropriately and are always courteous to your clients

So, as you can see, your time is worth money, we are merely trying to affect an increase on your earnings and as well improve your time management.

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Realty photography though is not one of those applications.  Though many realtors use slideshows I would ask you to think about this.  Is the idea of having pictures of the property not to allow the potential client to ‘picture’ themselves in the home?  If this is how you feel then remember that it takes an average of 11 seconds for the average person to transpose themselves into an image.  The average slideshow offers an average 5 second image.

We want the people to take the image and mentally start to place their furniture in the room, to see their family watching television or playing games in the recreation room.  If the client is made to click to the next picture you are allowing them to take a tour at their own pace, allowing them to place things that are important to them.  While this process may take a few brief minutes longer, does it not make sense for us to allow that time.

This can also be a good indicator to you the Realtor as to how interested the client really is in that property before you go ahead and start to arrange showings.  The question is: Is it not better to invest a few extra minutes at a laptop for the client to get an unrushed look at a property, rather than wasting an hour or more to do a showing?

With as much research being done on the internet prior to contacting an agent, let your pictures move along with the pace of the client.  Let them look carefully and imagine possibilities that the property may extend to them in way of making changes.  Let them take the time to see what is really there so that when they do ask for a showing, they already have established their home within their minds eye.

This is where a staging company like Revealing Assets (http://www.revealingassets.ca) can come in and save the day.  Not only are they able to give your house a rapid updating but they also are able to provide the seller a huge return on investment!  Yes, it’s true, spend a little money to make a lot more.  Revealing Assets offers a wide variety of packages.

What Realty Photography recommends prior to an on-site shoot is that you prepare your home as if you were expecting company.  As we try to do most of our Realty Photography during daylight hours, adjusting your lighting is not a major issue as the photographer will do this.  What Realty Photography does suggest is a lack of clutter…this is to say for example, 2 magazines tastefully placed on a coffee table is far better than a newspaper with flyers coming out of it.

We at Realty Photography also suggest that yards be freshly cut or sidewalks be freshly shovelled.  Garden tools in clear sight are also not advised.  Ensure that any weeds between the sidewalk are removed and ideally that there are no dead plants in the shot.

How important is the quality of your Realty Photography?  Absolutely huge!  This gives you the opportunity to clip a small piece of your home to show others that are on the market.  It is proven that the eye is drawn to a clean uncluttered image as opposed to an image with too many things to see at once.

Realty Photography is a tangent of the photography skill which allows a person to make contact with a home, possibly 1000’s of miles apart and look at it as soon as they can when they come to the new city.  Let Realty Photography help you to help yourself.

So, what can real estate photography do to improve your chances of catching someone’s eye?  Well, while you may feel that the fact that the yard looks like it has been lived in, to a new owner, they may not want those little things to finish or rebuild, so this would result in a waste of time for both parties.  Real Estate Photography provides you with the most current image of your home to present it for sale.

Our experienced photographers will also be happy to listen to your stories of the house and from that interest provide highlights on certain areas.  While we do no mask anything in our photography, we will be truthful and provide the image as we see it.

Real Estate Photography will allow you to show only the best…what makes the best pictures of your exterior?  In summer a nice tidy back yard, with fresh cut grass, a patio in good condition and unique features like a child’s playhouse that is in good condition.  Remember that a camera can see garbage cans that are by the back door, or landscaping that has been neglected…show your best, the few hours it takes to apply a coat of paint can in fact add 10,000 to your asking price.

Real Estate Photography also plays a major factor in what is referred to ‘curb appeal’ .  This is that first ‘WOW’ when the clients drive up.  The will want to see a very similar presentation of the image that they saw in the agents office.  They will not forgive major changes there.  One key to resolving this is to very simply show all your pride in your home and make it appear BETTER that the Real Estate Photography images.  A welcoming entry way in with bright flowers that do coordinate with your colors scheme.  Mature trees are always a nice touch.

In conclusion, if your home is in New York, and you have just been transferred to the growing center of Denver,CO  the real estate photographs work wonders.

So remember, Real Estate Photography is the approach in so many home sales, let us give you our best.

Realty Photography can help you with this.  Realty Photography will offer you by email a compact guide to how to make your home that little bit more appealing.  Contained in this guide are little tips that often get forgotten about, but that will allow your buyer to see the home as his of hers.

What Realty Photography recommends prior to an on-site shoot is that you prepare your home as if you were expecting company.  As we try to do most of our Realty Photography during daylight hours, adjusting your lighting is not a major issue as the photographer will do this.  What Realty Photography does suggest is a lack of clutter…this is to say for example, 2 magazines tastefully placed on a coffee table is far better than a newspaper with flyers coming out of it.

We at Realty Photography also suggest that yards be freshly cut or sidewalks be freshly shovelled.  Garden tools in clear sight are also not advised.  Ensure that any weeds between the sidewalk are removed and ideally that there are no dead plants in the shot.

How important is the quality of your Realty Photography?  Absolutely huge!  This gives you the opportunity to clip a small piece of your home to show others that are on the market.  It is proven that the eye is drawn to  a clean uncluttered image as opposed to an image with too many things to see at once.

Realty Photography is a tangent of the photography skill which allows a person to make contact with a home , possibly 1000’s of miles apart and look at it as soon as they can when they come to the new city.  Let Realty Photography help you to help yourself.

I’m not discounting the fact that the real estate market has changed significantly over the past couple years.  Not only are clients looking at homes online long before they ever contact a Realtor, but houses are staying on the market for a long time with location photography you can sell your listing quicker and easier.  Staging a home is as important to you as it is to your photographer.

It is difficult to put out the marketing dollar when you won’t see the return until the house sells.  However, it  behoves  the Realtor in this market to talk to their clients – many are willing to pay for advertising if it means their home will sell quicker – this is where staging comes in – it will show the home to its full potential.

Generally you find that there are 20% of realtors making 80% of the sales – these Realtors get it.  They want the most for their clients so they hire home stagers and get professional realty photographs done.  Why, because they leave the professionals to do what they are good at, while they go sell more homes.   Combining home staging with interior photography is a winning match.

For those Realtors that are still not sure if professional help is worthwhile, a marketing guru I know recently stated the obvious but often forgotten:

• A home is a product – PERIOD.
• Ensure the package is ATTRACTIVE.
• Make certain you are using the CORRECT MEDIA to promote your product.
• Market to the RIGHT  TARGET audience.

If you have any questions on this article, feel free to contact me.

Photograph by a Professional Photographer	Photograph taken by a Realtor

There is no doubt in my mind that this is true ~true in the same way that I can sell my own home.  The question is, how successful will either of us be?   I’ll admit that I know some home owners who have sold their own home, and some realtors who take amazing photographs – in both cases they are exceptions to the rule.

We all build expertise and gain experience in our occupations.  When I need a website built, I will go to an expert the same way I go to the dentist, and accountant.  I expect these people to have the most up-to-date knowledge, technology and experience

Property photography is more than owning a good camera.  Do you know how to ensure the lighting is inviting, capture the entire room versus bits of it?  Can you edit the photography so the garbage can is removed from the driveway?  Are your photographs optimized for print, web, and MLS?   If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then you should hire a real estate photographer.  They can ensure that your property puts its best face forward.

There have been many recent articles on buyer trends – did you know that 80% of new home buyers look on the Internet before they ever contact a realtor?  This means two things, one if you have poor photographs they will not look twice at your property and secondly it damages your reputation.

Buyers are becoming more and more technically savvy and judging you and your property in 8 seconds or less.  How many potential buyers are you losing?  A recent study quoted potentially hundreds of buyers will turn a property down based on visual presentation online.

That brings me to an interesting point.  I’m often hired to take photographs of spectacular properties – I’m talking $750,000 to over 3 million.  These properties are relatively easy to shot as they are generally incredibly well kept – they have great lighting, views, the landscaping is immaculate, etc.

When it comes to homes under $350,000 Realtors will spend less on marketing and the first thing to go are the professional pictures.  I’ve been told that the marketing dollars are wasted.  I beg to differ – generally there are more homes under $350,000 than the high end homes.

So I will ask – “what should one do when there is a lot of competition within a market?”  Posed that way, Realtors will tell you that they need a competitive edge.  That would be my point – it is even more important to spend a few dollars on properties that have a lot of competition and have that home shine.

Professional photographs are just one of the many tools in the Realtors marketing tool box.  Watch for my next article on where virtual tours are going…..

Thanks for taking interest in this article.  If you have any questions, contact me.

Virtual tours have been all the rage in real estate for the past few years.  I’ll admit I’ve done them, but I have not been overly impressed with the results.  Why you may ask?

Well truth be known, virtual tours distort the property.  They are taken at a static 360 degrees, “stitched” together and then we use a program to simulate  motion.  I’m not sure about you, but I often don’t stand in the middle of a room and spin in a circle.

There really is no need to do a virtual tour if you have video capability.  Videos are much more impressive as you can walk the client through the property – it is almost as good as going to the property in person.

Technology expertise, or the ability to hire the expertise, should always be in the Realtors tool box.  It is incredibly important to stay on top of the trends so you will always have the competitive edge.

Video’s can be placed directly on your website – but hosted on free platforms like U-Tube.  Did you know that U-Tube has over 1 billion visitors a day?  While I realize that Realtors generally market close to home –it makes sense to widen your net, especially in  today’s market.  By using video you can market to potentially millions of people at no extra cost to your business.  In addition, video increases your search engine optimization – which means your video listing can be placed in front of the buyers eyes in Google, MSN, Yahoo and Bing.  In layman’s terms your property will rank on the first page of the major search engines for people looking for property in the Edmonton area.

Another major issue is that most virtual tours depend on Flash players.  If your potential clients are viewing the site with their Iphone, Ipod or Ipad – all they are going to see is a blue cube.  You may think that it’s not a big deal ~ however the Apple user population is expanding at 6.5 million a quarter. Do you think you may have clients or potential clients using an I-touch?  I think you do.

Mobile browsing has had a major impact on the technology that Realtors should be using in 2010 – move away from Flash, move away from virtual tours – embrace video it will do nothing but good for your realty business.

It is terribly important to ensure that you have movie quality video equipment.  As with still pictures, video is a reflection of you.  If the video is shoddy – people will think you are shoddy.  For a few bucks, get your real estate photographer to shoot your video – they already have the expertise and equipment to do so.

If you have any questions on this article, feel free to contact me.