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4 Tips That Will Help You Sell More Listings

1/24/2019

Getting to the top of the real estate market is a goal of every real estate agent looking to make it big in the industry. Along the way, there are many challenges that need to be overcome. Here are 4 tips that will help you sell more listings every month and get ahead of the competition this year!

#1 Activity Drives Results :

The more calls you make and the more follow ups you do, the better your sales results will be. Create a game plan and calculate exactly how much time you allocate to activities that are actually generating sales. One of the best ways to do this is set aside a set time to call your leads. I recommend 830-11am or 3-5:30pm that way you catch people when they aren’t crammed for time.

#2 Post Consistently On Social Media :

Even though most people won’t necessarily convert to a sale from one of your social media posts, it shows your network that you are an ACTIVE Agent and it will help you a lot on the long term. It is very important to show not sell. Be the eyes, ears, and brains for your market. If you are trying to sell people, they will see through it and never trust you. Agents advertise everywhere so by helping out for FREE and being that knowledgeable person you will stand out from the rest. Nobody knows you exist until the consumer sees you, remember that.

#3 Use High Quality Photos:

HDR photos allow for more dynamic range of color and light making your pictures look professional. Your iPhone is a great camera for taking pictures of your friends and family, not your home. You don’t want your clients or prospects thinking you took your pictures from your phone. Customers will engage more with high quality images.

#4 Make Sure To Be In Constant Contact & Communication:

You should answer every text and email right away, ideally within minutes. Go above and beyond for your clients, ignoring the importance of a follow up will kill your business. Also, sending them pre-listing emails to make sure they are the first to get a heads up when the listing is out is a great way to show your clients that you are quick and reliable.

By implementing these tips you will not only increase your listing sales, you will also stand-out from the competition and position yourself to crush 2019!

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How to get a home ready for photos

5/21/2018

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In order for the best photos, homes need to be ready to be showcased, like a model home. Here are steps to take before the photographer shows up to ensure having the greatest product in the end.

Interior

General

Clean the home: vacuum carpets, mop wood doors and tiles, wipe counters, etc. Remove small rugs (by doorway, kitchen sink that may clutter the door).
Remove unnecessary items and clutter that don’t add to the ambiance of the room: toys, books, etc.
Work out equipment, laundry basket, pet items, food, etc.
Remove any photographs/items that show personal information or faces.
Try to use bulbs of the same temperature for even lighting in photos throughout the home.
Open all blinds and curtains for natural light.
Turn off all televisions, computers, and fans.
Straighten furniture and fluff/rearrange pillows and blankets.

Kitchen

Remove everything from countertops aside from centerpieces or one appliance such as a Keurig.
Remove trashcan and all dishes.

Bedroom

Make beds, press linens.
Remove clutter and personal items such are chargers, remotes, magazines, and photos.

Bathroom

Clean shower, sink, and toilet.
Put toilet seat down.
Remove all bottles, toothbrushes, hair curlers, etc.

Exterior

Park car(s) in garage or away from home, not in the driveway or front of home.
Close the garage door and all other doors.
Sweep driveway, trim shrubs and hedges, remove noticeable dirt/cobwebs/dead plants.
Straighten outdoor furniture and appliances.
Remove toys, hoses, tools, etc.
Hide trash/recycle in garage or out of sight of photographs.

It is important to remember that it is not the photographer’s responsibility to clean or declutter the home to prep for photos. The home should look like a “model home.” This means it is depersonalized (no family photos) and has no clutter or mess. Model homes highlight the foundation and structure of the home, not excessive decoration and materials.

We hope this post helped and we look forward to photographing your model home!

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Using a third party to edit our photos; cheating or efficient?

5/15/2018

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With any professional photography service, the photos take time to edit in post. For real estate photography, this process can be extensive considering the high volume of photos multiple exposures to light every area of a room. So when a listing needs to go live sometimes just hours after photos are taken, it isn’t always realistic to edit (and edit well) so quickly alone.

When we first toyed with the idea of using third party edits, we sent in a few test photos to some companies that had free trials. All of the companies vary with turnaround time, price, and quality of edit. We ended up choosing Box Brownie, who have decent prices, a 24 hour turn around time, and great quality edits. Using Box Brownie has been fantastic for time management and content, but there are a few cons to using a third party system. Here are a list of pros and cons that come with going this route for editing:

Cons:

It costs money
It’s no surprise that third party editing sites cost money. They usually charge by the photo, which adds up quick with thirty to forty pictures. If you decide to use a third party edit, it’s a ripple effect that will also mean an increase how much you charge for photos (to continue making a profit).

You don’t always get what you want
What you may have envisioned while photographing doesn’t always match the final product. Trusting a complete stranger to take your work and make a ‘good’ product is completely subjective. Using a third party means having an open mind while also being as specific as possible about your needs.

People get tired
When you go to the grocery store and check out with a rude attendant or don’t do too hot in an interview, it’s usually because the person is at the end of a long and tiring day. The same goes for editors. As photographers and editors know, if you spend hours staring at a screen editing, everything eventually turns into on big blur. This goes with the above statement about not getting what you want; a tired (or inexperienced) editor may not turnover the phenomenal product you were hoping for.

Pros:

It saves SO much time
Wide shots, close ups, exterior, different angles, multiple exposures - it’s natural to walk out of a real-estate shoot with 200 photos. In the editing room, shuffling through, organizing, editing, and fine tuning all of these photos can often mean hours of work added onto the hours of shooting itself. A typical shoot day can mean up to two hours of shooting and four or five hours of editing, which is partially a full work day. Now without editing our photos, we can do two to three shoots in a day, instead of just one shoot and editing over two days. With third party editing, organizing and sending the photos in might only take 30 minutes. It’s a major time and money saver.

Edits look great
Though it is important to keep an open mind with these edits as said earlier, most of the time the edits turn out great. Box Brownie does an amazing job of enhancing colors, brightening and enhancing floors and countertops, and work wonders with multiple exposed images. It does exactly what we need, saves us time and looks exceptional.

Edits get to you in a timely manner
Sending photos to this party sites doesn’t mean sitting around for days waiting for the final product. Box Brownie, for instance, guarantees the edits within 24 hours. More often than not, they’re even ready within hours of submitting.

In sum, using a third party to edit photos is NOT cheating. It was a bit nerve-racking to take this step, because having someone do our work for us felt like cheating. There are things to look out for when using them, but so far they have been nothing but beneficial for the company’s time and money. With the hours saved, it allows for multiple shoots a day and time and energy can be spent on other important tasks.
Third party editing sites were created to be helpful and save time for photographers, not for photographers to cheat. They are well worth the time and money, and so far have been totally efficient for our company.

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4 Tips That Will Help You Sell More Listings

How to get a home ready for photos

Using a third party to edit our photos; cheating or efficient?

by Holly Beaupre

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