Bold Colors - Go B&W.

Paint stores will make any color or shade of paint you want.  Just give them a one inch square sample and they'll mix the paint to make an exact match.  Everybody can have room colors that they want.

The only problem is that when it comes time to sell a home, potential buyers may not have the same taste in color schemes.  Bold colors may be nice to live in - but they're not for everyone.

New Project: 956 Gorham Ct.

 

I had the pleasure of photographing 956 Gorham Ct. earlier this week, courtesy of Kurt Negaard of RE/MAX Commonwealth.   We managed to capture many fine photos and I’m sure they’ll help drive Kurt’s marketing program.   

The selection of images in this on-line brochure should give you a quick overview of the home. 

BUILD YOUR BRAND

“The five key elements for building a brand are (and have been) name-tags, business cards, car graphics, your appearance and a website.”

-  Leroy Houser, Realtor and GRI Instructor.  

And for listing agents, add to that the photos that are used to market the listing! 

Just as business cards represent the agent, so do the listing photos.   Think about it. 

In today’s world the majority of folks surf the web looking for homes.   The quality of the listing photos speaks volumes as to the professionalism,and dedication of the listing agent.   In many cases those photos are the first interaction the buyers have with an agent.    If I’m looking for a new home chances are I have one to sell.  Why would I call an agent who posts poor quality listing photos?

Realtors should understand that the listing photos are providing two important functions:  1) to encourage buyers to come see the home in person; and  2) to say to the world, “I’m a Realtor, I’m professional in all I do, and I’m better than most.”

High quality listing photos should be posted for each listing – regardless of the asking price.  What kind of message does an agent send if they hire a photographer to photograph a listing with an asking price of $500,000+ but photographs the house with a $200,000+ asking price themselves?   To build a credible brand there needs to be consistency.

Truth be told, few Realtors have the skills or the equipment to make high quality real estate photos.  To build a brand that reflects their bio information and sales presentations they need to think about the role photography plays in portraying who they are.

Listing photos need to be seen as a way to build a brand, just as business cards, etc.  After all, they’ll be seen more often than the other stuff. 

The Number 1 Photo Tip

There's a lot - and I mean a LOT - information on the web as to how to take great photographs.  Many of them will expound on what they consider the "Number 1 Tip" on photography.  I suppose the writer assumes that you've already read the instruction manual that came with the camera and you know how to do the things they suggest.

Well, here's my "Number 1 Tip", READ THE MANUAL before you do anything else.

Sometimes A Photo Needs A little Help

 

Sometimes a photo needs a little help.   Take the photo shown above, for example.  

A feature of the home being photographed is a large built-in wood stove – pretty obvious, huh.    The problem is that it looks cold and messy. That morning after look.  It’s hard to imagine this shot having the positive effect on a potential buyer that the agent wanted.  This is where a little post-production Photoshop work helps out. 

Vertical Lines Need To Be Straight!

In many ways this is a fairly good photo.  What spoils it is the 'converging verticals'.  Look at the vertical lines - especially at the sides - they make the room look wider at the top than at the bottom of the photo.

I've bogged a couple of times in the past about this issue:  Got Converging Verticals; &  Getting It Straight!

You'll agree, I'm sure, something just doesn't look right when the verticals are not straight up and down as they should be.  Look at the photo below, it's the same photo after the vertical lines have been adjusted.  See how 'natural' it looks compared to the original?

HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY

Models, actors, real estate agents, business people, high school seniors, musicians, to name a few, all need head shots from time-to-time. The photographer's job is to create an image that will meet the needs of their client - while making them look good!  But looking good in a photograph is not only the photographer's responsibility. The client needs to help things along.  Here's some of the things to do to make sure your head shot session  is a success:

Twilight Photography

Edinburgh, Scotland

Ok, so most homes are not as dramatic as a castle in Scotland.  However, they can look pretty dramatic themselves if photographed at twilight.  The idea is to shoot during the 15, or 20 minutes between sunset and full dark.  The sky takes on a darker blue color and contrasts nicely with the warm incandescent lights from windows.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the owners to turn on all of the lights for the shot above but that's what you'd get your client's to do for maximum impact.  With all of the lights on you can create a sense of coming home to a warm and inviting home.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 5: Wrapup

This week I've covered some of the fundamental changes you can make to your real estate photography that will have a positive impact on your marketing program.  A quick recap then: clean away the clutter; light the room so that it's even lit and looks inviting; make sure the the vertical lines are in fact vertical; and present enough photos to showcase all of the home's features.

The first four parts of this series I told you what to DO, so I'm going to cover a few of the 'DON'Ts' in this part.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 4: Quality & Quantity

When it comes to real estate photography we want images that are appealing and inviting to the potential buyer. The first three parts of this series discussed what we need to do to get good shots.  In this part we'll deal with the  presentation of those great images.

First of all, let's agree that the reason you're taking photos in the first place is because they are an important part of your marketing plan.  There's really two marketing plans being addressed here: the first is obviously the one you've prepared for your client with the objective of getting a quick, and profitable sale.  The second, ongoing and long-term plan, is the one you have to market yourself!  That's right.  How you market your listings are a reflection of you.  The folks that look at those MLS listings may well be future clients. Don't you want them to take heed of how well your marketing your current listings?