Real Estate Video Stats

• Listings that include a video receive over 400% percent more inquiries than those without. (Small Biz Trends)
• 85% of buyers and sellers prefer to work with an agent who uses video. (Inman, NAR)
• Professionals who use video grow their revenue 49% faster than those that don’t. (Aberdeen Group)
• Video receive over 400% more engagement than any other medium of marketing in real estate. (Virtuets)
• 81% of real estate agents and marketers who use videos say video has helped them generate leads. (Wyzowl)
• 84% of real estate agents and marketers who use video has helped them increase traffic to their website. (Wyzowl)
• Video Facebook posts have a 135% greater organic reach than photo posts. (Social Bakers)
• Video marketing gets 66% more qualified leads per year. (Aberdeen Group)
• Social media video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined. (Small Biz Trends)
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video. This is compared to only 10% retention for text. (Forbes)
• 52% of Marketers say that video has the highest ROI of any type of content. (Sydnacast)
• Video is consumers’ #1 favorite type of content to see from brands on social media. (Animoto)
• Video ads are the #1 way that consumers found out about a new brand/product before purchasing on social media. (Animoto)
• 59% of purchase decision makers prefer to learn about new services and products through video. (Vidyard)
• Mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year. (Invisia)
• 76.5% of marketers and small business owners that have used video marketing, say that it had a direct impact on their business. (Small Biz Trends)
• In 2020, there will be almost 1,000,000 minutes of video per second streaming online. (Cisco)
• 93% of businesses say they’ve gotten a new customer thanks to a video on social media. (Animoto)
• 46% of viewers take some sort of action after viewing a video ad. (Online Publishers Association)
• 54% of consumers want to see more internet videos from professionals, businesses, and brands. (Hubspot)

So what does this mean for real estate agents? 

Marketers are not the only ones taking advantage of online video. These same real estate video stats apply to real estate agents who are using listing videos and content videos, too! These trends are continuing to grow year-over-year and are expected to rise. Video is a ridiculously easy way to increase sales and generate real estate leads, online.

But most real estate agents don’t have the time or technical know-how to put together their own real estate listing videos. In fact, studies have shown that lack of time and video editing experience are the biggest problems keeping real estate agents away from video.

Automatically Created Listing Videos

For real estate agents lacking time and video resources, Single Property Sites automatically creates real estate listing videos for users. Beautiful listing videos are automatically populated from already existing MLS data. These videos are designed to impress sellers and to sell listings more quickly. They are easily integrated into Single Property Websites, Youtube, Facebook, or anywhere else online.

Best of all, agents can set up Single Property Sites for free. Real estate agents can use it for listing appointments for free.

The post 20 Real Estate Video Stats: Why every agent needs videos by the end of 2019! appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

With 50% of buyers finding their homes online and a sea of online listings, floor plans stand out to buyers. Additionally, they close faster and impress sellers, too! The #1 thing sellers look for in an agent is a great marketing plan, and floor plans are an important piece of that plan.

What Counts as a Floor Plan? 

With so many marketing real estate tools online, the lines between products and services are constantly getting blurred. Is it a virtual tour, a 2-D drawing, a 3-D rendering or something else, entirely?

Most simply: a real estate floor plan is a 2-D blueprint of a home. It is usually a black-and-white .j-peg image featuring a home’s dimensions and visual spacing.

Floor Plans Beat Out Popular Real Estate Listing Tools 

These simple, black and white .jpeg images are beating out fancy tech across the board. It is surprising to many real estate agents, but the effectiveness and helpfulness of floor plans beat out:

• Virtual Tours
• Drone Photography
• Drone Video
• And even Realtor Contact Info

Many agents are spending hundreds a month on virtual tour software and drone services, but floorplans are actually way more helpful for finding a buyer.

Why Floorplans Matter to Sellers 

Sellers are usually buyers, too. They have been spending countless hours scouring the internet to find their next home. During that time, many sellers have come to form their own opinions on what makes a good listing. The NAR data that applies to buyers applies to sellers also, since they are most often buying another home, too.

But floor plans are rarely ever featured during the marketing portion of listing presentations. This is a missed opportunity for agents to win listings. As we have covered in the past, data shows that the most effective online real estate marketing features stunning photographs, strong property descriptions, and helpful floor plans.

Creating Floor Plans Easily Online 

The good news is, there are tons of easy, cost-effective ways to create floor plans for real estate marketing online. Below, we have gathered the best options at various price points.

SmartDraw  

SmartDraw is the easiest and most cost-effective option. For only 9.99/mo real estate agents can create beautiful 2-D floor plans and even add virtual staging. Smart Draw’s integration with G-Suite and Microsoft Office make it perfectly tailored to fit real estate life.

RoomSketcher 

RoomSketcher creates beautiful 2-D renderings of properties for $49/yr. This floor plan maker is a hidden gem because they offer creation services for agents. Their team will create 2-D floor plans, 3-D floor plans, and virtual tours all-in-one, for agents. It is a huge timesaver.

SketchUp 

SketchUp is by far one of the easiest floor plan tools to learn. It also allows for simple 2D floor plans and for 3D floor plans, too. It’s price point of $399/yr may be off-putting to some agents, but for agents looking for a floor plan tool that is insanely easy to use, this is one to use.

Showcasing Floor Plans Online 

After creating floor plans for real estate marketing, agents can easily show them off with the rest of their marketing materials. Single Property Sites are one of the best ways to showcase floor plans during a listing presentation.

Floor Plans for Real Estate Marketing 

Floor plans are often overlooked as real estate marketing tools. But the data shows that floor plans are actually one of the most effective and helpful features of an online listing. There are plenty of tools available to easily creating floor plans as well as tools for winning listings with them, too.

The post Floor Plans for Real Estate Marketing: Why are so many real estate agents missing out? appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Worse than Goldfish

It all boils down to science. Scientists in Canada have found that most humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Thanks to smartphones and tablets, we can typically only pay attention for 8 seconds or less!

This has been a nightmare for marketers trying to get consumers attention. But they are slowly finding that video is king. The stats don’t lie. Forbes reported that “By 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic.” And, “After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.” That is insane.

This is because video holds our short attention spans in a way that tradition print and photographs cannot. Hubspot reported, “55% of people play close attention when consuming video – more than all other types of content”

Seller Clients

The #1 thing that sellers want from an agent is the ability to market their home. This is why having a killer marketing plan before walking into a listing appointment is critical. It is the top priority for sellers. Statistics show that the best way to market online is through video engagement. Knowing this information and presenting it to soon-to-be clients is key to more conversions. Renderforest recently reported:

• Marketers who use video content get 66% more qualified leads per year.

• 70% of marketing professionals report video converts better than any other mediums.

• Video posts on Facebook have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts.

• The users spend 88% more time on a website with video.

By sharing this knowledge with sellers and then acting on it, agents can position themselves as marketing experts and get more clients.

Brand Awareness and SEO

Video is also a useful way to bump website SEO and increase brand visibility. One of the ways that Google ranks websites is by how helpful or useful it decides a website is. Part of this decision hinges on dwell time. Dwell time is the amount of time a person spends interacting with content. The longer people spend watching video and interacting with the site, the higher Google will rank it. A video is actually 53x more likely to get ranked on page 1 of Google, organically.

As far as brand awareness goes, video reigns because of its sharability. In fact, “Video posts on Facebook have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts.” And, “Social video produces 1200% more shares than text and images combined.” For growing future business, videos are going to be a vital source for the next 5-10 years.

The Hassle: Time and Money

All the stats look great and it easy to see that video is one of the best ways to market real estate. But…it takes a lot of time and/or money to make videos.

I remember sitting in one of my final college courses on video marketing and actually crying. I had never cried in school before, but Final Cut Pro drove me to do it. It took hours upon hours to even make a thirty-second spot that still was nowhere near complete when class started. I hadn’t slept in 48 hours, just trying to figure out audio layers. Plus, the software wasn’t cheap either.

For Realtors who are like me and don’t want to hassle with the learning curve and time commitment of video producing, there is always to option to hire someone else to produce videos. The problem there is the cost. Real estate listing videos can cost anywhere between $1000-$2500 to outsource. That is a chunk of commission.

So is there a way to use real estate listing videos and forgo spending an arm and a leg…or giving up hours of sleep?

Alternative Solutions

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to harness the marketing magic of video without breaking the bank or forgoing sleep:

Automatic Listing Videos

We would be remiss if we didn’t let you know that every time a Single Property Site is created, a free listing video is automagically uploaded to YouTube. The videos pull photos and details about the listing to create a slick listing video. Agents don’t need to do a thing. Here is a recent real estate listing video from a Colorado listing.

DIY Quick Editing: Splice & Quik

If an agent has listing photos or video footage on their phone, they can use Splice (ios) or Quik (android). Both of these apps were created by the GoPro brand. And unlike very complicated programs like Final Cut Pro, they were designed with small business owners and creators in mind. These apps allow agents to edit videos quickly and painlessly on their phones. If an agent is interested in compiling their own real estate listing videos, these are the best apps to use.

Video Stabilizers

For real estate agents wanting to use their smartphone to shoot listing videos, testimonials, or social media clips, stabilizers can make videos look 1000x better. A video stabilizer automatically makes videos look smooth and crisp by taking out any shaky camera effects the phone might pick up. Emulsio (ios) and Deshake (Android) are two great options.

Real Estate Listing Videos

Video is king. There is no way around it. This year 80% of all web traffic will come from video. It is the most effective way to engage leads and impress clients. But real estate agents don’t need to break the bank to harness the power of video. Options like automatically generated videos with all-in-one marketing solutions, easy phone apps for editing, and tools that make a professional looking video are all great workarounds to listing videos that cost thousands.

The post Are Real Estate Listing Videos Really Worth it? appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

The 3 Most Valuable Ingredients

The NAR’s Real Estate in A Digital Age Report interviewed home buyers to find out which web features are most valuable to buyers. The three top digital features included:

• Photos (87%)
• Detailed Information About Properties (85%)
• Floor Plans (52%)

Photo Secrets

By now, every listing agent knows that having a professional photographer is key. For a good laugh, check out these agents who didn’t and ended up with listing photo fails.

But many agents don’t realize how they can get the most out of their photographer. To get Instagram or frame-worthy photos, agents should be sure to ask for:

• a sunset or sunrise photo session
• post-production filters or presets
• wide-angle lenses

Asking for these small tweaks are the secret sauce for over-the-top listing photos.

Description Secrets

Listing descriptions are the cornerstone of any great listing. It is where prospective buyers turn to learn about their potential, new home. But not all descriptions are created equally. To see the worst of the worst, check out the Broke Agent’s description bombs.

There are some tried and true methods to create strong descriptions, though. These include:

Highlighting neighborhood/community features:

This type of information helps buyers picture what their new life might look like and is often not available anywhere else on the internet.

Knowing which type of words to avoid and which to use:

Zillow gathered the data and put together a list of words sure to help or hurt listings. Top words to avoid include “nice,” “potential”, “investment”, “cosmetic,”and “fixer.” These words scream “crappy house” to potential buyers.

If applicable, words that buyers respond positively to include “captivating,” “impeccable,” “stainless,” “granite,” and, “landscaped.”

Word count:

When it comes to writing listing descriptions, more is more. Home buyers are looking to gather as much information as they can about a home online before they contact an agent to see it. Most listing descriptions average 60 words, which is less than an average paragraph. No one would make a major purchasing decision based on less than a paragraph of information.

Taking the time to describe a listing, its features, and community in detail are key to hooking buyers. To bulk up the word count, agents should focus on creating a picture of what it would be like to live at that home. And, they should maximize the home’s best features.

Floor Plans

Floor plans for older properties can be difficult to come by, but they are vital to home buyers. Agents don’t have time to learn CAD software. But, free lightweight software like Home Sweet 3D is perfect for mocking up floorplans. It is quick and free and allows any agent with room dimensions to instantly mock up a floorplan for any listing.

Because online homebuyers value floor plans so much, it worth utilizing this free software.

Interactive features

After building a strong listing foundation with the 3 most valuable ingredients (photos, detailed descriptions, and floor plans), agents should add a dash of creativity.

Looking back at the NAR’s Real Estate in the Digital Age Report, 76% of all home buyers found the home they ultimately purchased online. Additionally, 73% of all buyers used mobile devices or tablets to search for homes. The internet is the #1 place home buyers are shopping for homes.

While the internet has changed the way people shop for homes, it has also created opportunities for buyers to creatively experience homes before stepping foot inside. Interactive features including video and virtual tours are the best features to invest in.

Video

Inman reported that 85% of home sellers want to work with an agent who uses video. That statistic is staggering. But roughly only 10-15% percent of agents are using video as a marketing strategy! That is insane. Most agents don’t use video for two reasons:

1. They don’t know how to create them
2. They don’t want to pay for them

But it is a huge marketing opportunity to miss out on, especially for listing agents. Videos should be a part of any real estate listing marketing plan.

Video Secret: There are services out there that populate listing automatically. This includes Single Property Sites. SPS automatically builds and populates free listing videos for agents when they create their listing websites. Agents can check out a live example, here.

Virtual Tours

Virtual or video tours are becoming a hot marketing tool, too. Jason Fox reported that listings with virtual tours got 87% more views than those that did not. After a strong foundation of photos, a killer description, and a floor plan have been laid. Virtual tours are a powerful tool for moving inventory more quickly. Realtors can check out a review of the best virtual tour software, here.

Virtual Tour Secret: Most agents avoid virtual tours because of the investment and low amount of views. But virtual tours move inventory faster and attracted serious buyers. Check out Inman’s report on why virtual tours are actually creating a good ROI for agents.

Secret Real Estate Listing Marketing Plan

The secret to a successful real estate listing marketing plan includes the 3 most important ingredients: professional photos, detailed descriptions, and floor plans. Adding more creative elements like video and virtual tours can lead to a greater ROI and are often not as difficult to produce as some agents think.

And, for agents looking to bring all their ingredients into one dish, Single Property Sites are a great way to show off every virtual tour, video, photos, floor plans, and detailed descriptions on one, high-quality real estate website.

The post The Secret Sauce Real Estate Listing Marketing Plan appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Bigger Pockets Money Podcast

Close to 200,000 listeners tune in to this weekly podcast. Hosted by authors Brandon Turner and Joshua Dorkin (“How to Invest in Real Estate,” “The Bigger Pockets Guide”), this is not for listeners looking for quick riches.

Instead, Turner and Dorkin delve deep into many topics that they and their guests deal with all the time. For example, one episode shares stories about selling to flippers. In another episode, listeners hear tales of how investors came back from bankruptcy. Each episode also comes with a wealth of show notes for agents looking to download some of the show’s best advice.

The Brian Buffini Show

Everyone loves a true, American story. And that may be the reason Brian’s podcast is ranked #2 in the iTunes business category, is heard in over 160 countries, and features over four million weekly downloads. With those numbers, it may be the top best real estate podcast in the world.

After coming to the U.S. in 1986, Brian worked hard to become one of the country’s top Realtors and start his own company. Brian helps listeners understand the current market and what they can do to make their own dreams into realities. The show also features a ton of great guests, including interviews with real estate agents, motivational speakers, Hollywood, and music personalities.

YES Talk for Real Estate Agents

Agent-coach Kevin Ward took his successful book “The Book of YES: The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Conversation Guide” and converted it into a podcast. Each episode is dedicated to a part of the industry that people continually want information on.

One show may detail how to handle objections. Another will work listeners through the fear of asking for business. It’s a note-taking podcast where episodes can be revisited time and time again. It’s timelessness is what makes it one of the best podcasts for real estate agents.

Harvard Business Review Ideacast

Well, it’s Harvard. You can’t get more legit than that. This weekly podcast focuses on interviews with the top entrepreneurs and managers across the globe.

And while not a true real estate podcast, the program is directed to those who work hard to accomplish their own business dreams. Their goal is to share current information on management, economics, and marketing without selling coaching services or products. In addition to being educational, the podcast is one of the oldest online broadcasts.

The Tom Ferry Podcast Experience

While this podcast has been around for about two years, Tom has been reaching sales heights and coaching other real estate agents for nearly two decades.

In this podcast, he discusses everything related to real estate. One episode might be about making that first million-dollar sale. One week later, he might speak to people considering becoming agents. Ferry offers a well-rounded, topical show that agents can jump in on at any time.

Agent Caffeine

Kelly Mitchell is an agent filled with limitless energy. Her show is just as caffeinated as she is. It has been one of the top real estate podcasts since 2011.

Where other shows focus on the material portion of the market, “Agent Caffeine” examines how real estate and technology intersect. For instance, listeners can peruse episodes on content targeting and SEO marketing. For agents interested in how tech can help them get ahead, this is a great option.

Super Agents Live

This is a podcast for those who don’t have time to listen to others by Brian Buffini and Kevin Ward. That’s because they appear on this ongoing podcast hosted by Toby Salgado — a multi-millionaire entrepreneur himself.

Like “Agent Caffeine,” Toby’s podcast also crosses the line between the physical and virtual real estate worlds. Recent episodes have focused on the iBuyer craze, building online leads, and social media marketing.

Real Estate Coaching Radio

Tim and Julie Harris, coaches and the authors of the upcoming book “Harris Rules: A Real Estate Agent’s Practical, No-BS, Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Rich and Free,” want to get agents selling.

This podcast is a mix of everything. There’s industry news, important advice for Realtors, and interviews with top sellers across the country. No matter if the listener is just starting out or a seasoned pro, Tim and Julie want their audience to learn something.

GSD Mode

GSD is short for “get sh!t done.” What Realtor and coach Joshua Smith wants listeners to gain from the podcast is the motivation to get up and make things happen. Not wait around for the market or circumstances to change.

In each episode, Joshua interviews superstars of the real estate world. He peels away their successes to find out how they got to where they are and what keeps them going. He even veers away from standard real estate topics. Episodes have featured conversations with real estate software developers and experts in cryptocurrency.

Agent Rise/Onion Juice Podcast

Both Onion Juice and Agent Rise are hosted by Neil Mathweg. Onion Juice recently ended it’s run with over 170 episodes and it is still worth a listen. Mathweg mixes humor, with real estate advice and great interviews. His new real estate podcast, Agent Rise with Neil Mathweg is just as good if not better. His conversations often focus on evergreen topics like lead generation, talking to buyers and sellers, and other actionable advice.

The Best Podcasts for Real Estate Agents

The best podcasts for real estate agents are entertaining, inspiring, and educational. They can motivate agents to sell more, close more quickly, and get more leads. The best part is they can be listened to in the car, in the office, or while working out. Though each show offers a slightly different style and topics covered, they are worth a listen to help transform any real estate business.

The post Best Podcasts for Real Estate Agents of 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Media Showcase

The Media Showcase is real estate agents’ one-stop shop for sharing property listing videos, photos, floorplans, drone photography and videography, virtual tours, panoramas, and any other type of listing media imaginable.

Now every piece of media related to a listing is housed under one roof. And, the Media Showcase is embedded in the Single Property Sites agents already love.

The Media Showcase is great for:

• Real Estate Marketing Plans – The NAR reported that 73% of homeowners are more likely to list with a real estate agent who provides video of their home. Showing off video and media is a surefire way to win every listing.
• Making Online Home Shopping Easy – Instead of sending home shoppers down a rabbit hole of different links and sites, all listing content and information is embedded on one, simple site.
• Viral Sharability – Every Single Property Site comes with a simple URL of the listing address (like 1122mainstreet.com). Online sharing has never been easier. Every photo, video, floorplan, drone capture, virtual tour, panorama, open house information, property details, map, and more are all housed in one place.
• Saving Listing Agents Time – Uploading content only takes seconds. Everything is uploaded in one, simple dashboard. And agents only need to use one, simple URL to share on the MLS listings and across their social media channels. It marketing made simple.

Supported Platforms

Supported Platforms Include:

• Matterport
• Youtube
• Real Estate Shows
• Vimeo
• RTV
• Wellcome Mat
• Immoviewer
• Veoh
• Real Tour Vision
• Obeo
• Agent Casts
• Google Video
• Flickr
• GlideTour
• Photobucket
• mydeo
• Viddler
• HelloWorld
• Yahoo Video
• DVLS.tv
• VScreen
• Vidego
• And, any direct link, virtual tour URL, or photo slideshow

See it in Action

To see Single Property Sites and the Media Showcase in action, check out 1122mainstreet.com.

Closing

Single Property Sites is now the premier service for all-in-one real estate marketing. Single Property Sites includes property websites, sign riders, lead capture, print marketing, and social media marketing that agents love. And now, Single Property Sites offers the Media Showcase, too.

The Media Showcase keeps every virtual tour, listing video, photo, drone capture, panorama, and every form of media all on one slick, listing website. The Media Showcase saves agents time, makes real estate marketing easy, is super sharable, and makes home shopping online simple.

Best of all, the Media Showcase is included with the same Single Property Sites price as always (starting at $12/mo).

Have another great idea you want to be added to Single Property Sites? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Single Property Sites Launches Media Showcase appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Drones are helping real estate agents create unforgettable marketing content. But more importantly, drones are helping real estate agents increase their sales. A recent study showed that 83% of homeowners preferred to work with an agent that used drones. The NAR also reported that 73% of homeowners are more likely to list their home with a real estate agent who provides video of their home. But, only 10% of listing agents are offering these types of drone services.

The good news is drone photography is not outrageously priced and using drones can actually increase an agent’s revenue by attracting more sellers.

Agents interested in flying their own drones can check out our Real Estate Drone Guide and our article on what it takes to fly a real estate drone. Those looking to outsource and hire a professional drone pilot can read on to find out about the cost of hiring someone for drone photography and videography in 2019.

Real Estate Drone Photography Costs

To be transparent, the price will vary depending on factors such as the duration of the shoot, the photographer’s experience, equipment, and the competition in the local market. The type of shoot will also affect the price. However, a basic real estate shoot is usually priced from $100 to $250/hr, with most drone photo and video shoots lasting 1-2 hrs.

The location of the listing will also affect the price. More metropolitan areas and cities tend to have slightly higher costs. No matter where you live, the price should never, exceed $350/hr. per listing. If it does, keep shopping.

How to Shop

When shopping for a real estate a drone photography and videography service there are few quick ways to narrow down your candidates.

1. Make sure the drone pilot has insurance. This is usually displayed on the pilot’s website. If they aren’t insured, keep searching.
2. Make sure the drone pilot has their commercial drone 107 license. This is a seven-digit id for the pilot’s FAA training.
3. Make sure their pricing is displayed on their website. If there is a “contact us” form instead of transparent pricing, the company wants to funnel you into their marketing system. Keep searching.
4. Make sure the pilot specializes in residential real estate. Because drone photography is still so new, most drone pilots will grab up any work they can get. Photographing a serene, forest pond is a lot different than photographing a home so that it sells. Be sure to pick someone with real estate experience, that has a portfolio on display.
5. Ask if the pilot charges extra for travel time and if post-production editing and file sharing is included in the price. These extras can rack up costly, hidden fees.
6. Make sure that the photographer signs usage rights over to you since the photos and video will be used commercially.
7. Check the pilot’s privacy policy. Many drone pilots retain rights to share the content they create, either online or over social media. This might be a red flag for some homeowners, who do not want their home used to promote a drone business.
8. Find out if the pilot has a process for alerting neighboring homeowners when they are using drones. This can avoid privacy complaints.

Shopping Tip: Droners is a website committed to connecting drone pilots with the people who need them. Real estate agents can browse drone pilots in their area by price, insurance, equipment, etc.

Closing

Real estate drone photography and videography is in demand. Home sellers prefer listing agents that will market their homes with video and drones. While some real estate agents are considering investing in their own drones, real estate drone photography costs when hiring a professional are typically $100-$250/hr.

And, to show off every drone video, photo, virtual tour, and any other listings media, check out Single Property Sites.

The post Real Estate Drone Photography Costs in 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

Strategic and Colorful Accessories

When staging a home, adding flashes of color can make any listing pop. According to the Pinterest and Pantone gods, Living Coral, BEHR’s Blueprint, and deep, foresty greens are ruling in 2019. Adding these colors into your real estate staging process this year is a must.

Brightly colored accessories do wonders to draw attention to certain areas of a room and can add a vibrant vibe to any space. A few, strategically placed throw pillows in Living Coral, can draw the eye to selling features like bay windows or a cozy fireplace. Creating a little contrast in just the right spots will ensure a room doesn’t come off as dull or lifeless.

Focus On Neutral Colors

On the flip side, neutrals never go out of style and they have never been hotter. Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore are boasting neutrals (Cavern Clay and Metropolitan AF-690) as their 2019 colors of the year. The classic rule of thumb that homes show well with neutral palettes has never been truer. Adding the bright pops of Living Coral, deep blues, and dark greens is important, but the majority of the listing should be classically decked out in neutrals.

The most important room to utilize neutrals in is the bathroom. Color psychology reveals that humans connect neutrals like white and beige with cleanliness and purity. Nothing turns buyers off more quickly than a bathroom they perceive as dirty. Additionally, if there are any holdovers of those bright, garish accent walls from the early 2000s, it’s best to suggest that the homeowner, cover them up with white or taupe.

Minimalism

2019 has kicked off with a major de-clutter trend. Marie Kondo’s Netflix show “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” has become a runaway hit and minimalism is trending. Decluttering has been part of any real estate staging process for decades, but never has it been more necessary.

Aside from having home sellers remove personal photos and niche memorabilia, it is also important to declutter. A good motivator for sellers is to remind them that they will be moving soon, so it is the perfect time to start purging and part with anything unlikely to make the move.

Quick tips for creating a clean, minimalistic space include:

• swapping out large trashcans for smaller sizes that can be concealed within cabinets
• hooks to hang items within work and kitchen spaces
• using storage boxes to fill bookcases with hidden clutter
• tubes like shower rods to conceal messes of cables and cords

If all else fails, door-fronted furniture like Ikea’s Kallax Units are a home seller’s best friend. In order to maximize the apparent size of the rooms, remove as much furniture as possible.

Simple Windows

If a listing’s curtains or drapes look like they were purchased in the ’80s, it’s time for an update. This goes right along with the 2019 minimalism trend. Instead of over-the-top window treatments, curtain rods, and blinds, opt for something fresh, neutral, and open. Beige or white curtains or simple blinds are best. Curtains and blinds should be open and the windows should be clean. If using curtains, select ones that extend all the way from the floor to the ceiling. This is because curtains that only extend to the bottom of the window frame cut visual space in half, creating an awkward, blocky appearance that creates the illusion of a smaller space.

Clean Air

In 2019, biophilia is also having a moment. The relationship between people and nature has never been more prevalent than today. Conversations surrounding sustainability, phone addiction, and natural resources are heating up. These themes are being reflected in decor trends for 2019.

Maximizing natural light, house plants, and accents that are deep, foresty greens are in. A couple strategically placed and well-taken-care-of plants can add an air of freshness and liveliness to a home. Place a few, green plants in high impact areas of the house and open the windows.

To further add to the freshness of a home, be sure to check the scent. Clean citrus scents pair perfectly with the minimalism and biophilia trends of 2019. For open houses, sending a few lemons and orange rinds down the garbage disposer instantly freshens any kitchen. Likewise, storing an open container of oats in the fridge and a few hidden boxes of baking soda around a home clears the air.

Front Entries

When a potential buyer first approaches a home, every effort should be made to wow. After all, first impressions matter. The front entrance of the home should have special attention when prepping. Neutral, minimalism is key. Yard decor should be removed and if there is a front porch, a power washing is in order. Hanging a mirror near the front of the home is also a great idea because it literally forces buyers to picture/see themselves in the home.

Let The Light In

Anyone who has done real estate staging knows that dark homes make for terrible photos and are also are unappealing for showings. But with Biophilia and Minimalism trending, now more than ever, it’s important to let as much light into the home as possible. All of the blinds in the home should be opened and the windows should be clean. If the yard is less than ideal, consider only partially opening the blinds so that light is allowed in while still obscuring the outside view. If the natural light is not that great, it’s still important to turn on all of the lights.

Wrapping Up

With the rise of virtual tours, listing videos, and online home shopping, real estate staging is more important than ever. In addition to the classic staging techniques that Realtors have picked up over the years, each new year offers an opportunity to connect with current home trends. Classic staging techniques like letting light in and decluttering are more important than ever. And minimized decor, soothing neutrals, a pop of color, and a touch of nature will go a long way to resonating with potential home buyers in 2019.

Bonus: For the best place to show off every perfectly staged photo, virtual tour, and listing video in one place, check out Single Property Sites media showcase.

The post 7 Real Estate Staging Tips and Trends for 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.

One of the best things the real estate industry has done in recent years has been to make online listings more interactive. This is thanks to the many technology breakthroughs that have helped push the real estate industry forward. Virtual tours are leading the pack to engage homebuyers online.

What’s a virtual real estate tour?

There are so many definitions for virtual real estate tours. This is because technology is developing so rapidly. Some virtual experiences are more immersive than others. Some consist of a composite of fish eye lens photographs of a listing. Others contain interactive, digital floor plans. Still, others contain drone videography. For our purposes, we will define a virtual tour as the capability for homebuyers to experience a listing in the digital world.

Homebuyers view virtual tours as their own, personal showings.

What used to require a physical presence is now available online. Again, this has been invaluable as more homebuyers relocate with the increase of globalization. It is a great way to snag relocation leads. A virtual tour should act as an online showing of the property being listed. It gives those on the search for a new home a complete look at what they can expect with each property. Below, we are going to be breaking looking at some of the best software for virtual tours in 2019.

iStaging

This is one of the most advanced options currently available for providing a 3D rendering of listings. What makes iStaging unique is that allows agents to add objects in the renderings. It literally allows you to virtually stage a property! You can also add embedded notes or features about each part of the property that populates throughout the virtual tour.

iStaging is also very user-friendly. All it takes is pictures via your smartphone or tablet. Simply upload them into the iStaging platform to build your tour. Another value is that it saves time by mapping floorplans online as it reads data from photographs. The best part is you only need a smartphone camera to get started.

VPIX 360

Serving a total of 17 countries, VPIX 360 enables you to embrace high-quality images and engaging video to provide prospective buyers with digital tours. The company boasts that users spent five times the amount of time viewing listings with their products, and 7 times the amount of shares for their listings.

By providing the opportunity to craft some of the best virtual tours, it’s clear that they continue to innovate and provide other opportunities as well. They are also one of the few companies that integrate both video and photography. VPIX 360 also offers the added bonus of custom side-riders with QR codes for their virtual tours.

VPIX 360 also services many industries. But agents should note, using VIPX 360 requires not only the purchase of their software but also some of their hardware as well. It is a solution best suited for large brokerages and groups.

Matterport

If you ever liked playing The Sims or SimCity, you are going to love Matterport. Their virtual tours are intuitive and fun. Looking at their 3d floorplans is literally like looking a high-res layout of your favorite house in the Sims. It allows you to fly/zoom into each room of your choosing. It is definitely the most fun out of the bunch.

Their metrics boast a 95% increase in leads and its easy to tell why. Matterport’s virtual tours are more comprehensive and fun than anything else on the market. Users literally feel like birds, easily flitting from room to room, zooming out to see the entire floorplan, or zooming in to view the smallest detail of a single room. Virtual notes are incorporated throughout the entire tour to highlight features of each listing. It looks slick and plays well.

Matterport does require the purchase of one of their cameras or hiring one of their pros to scan each listing for you, depending on the agent’s preference. If an agent is serious about adding virtual tours to their listings, this is the one to buy into.

Pano2VR

Just like the VPIX 360, Pano2VR specializes in offering panorama views. It has been optimized to ensure their virtual tours fit with just about any mobile device out there. This includes websites, kiosks, etc.

Pano2VR does not come with all the bells and whistles of brands like iStaging and Matterport. It is stripped down, but it is a good, cost-effective way for beginners to jump in the virtual tour game. They offer simple, panoramic views of one room at a time. It is stripped down, simple, but clean. Just a scrolling view of each room, that allows users to look in every direction.

Pano2VR does not require users to buy into any hardware, either. If you have access to DLSR camera or a simple camera with a tripod, you are good to go.  The software license is for a single computer, so it’s not bad if you use the same computer. However, multiple licenses will end up costing you more money.

Roundme

Roundme is a great middle of the road option. It is not as stripped down as options like Pano2VR, but doesn’t require the effort of the Matterport and iStaging. Roundme plays cleanly offering panoramic, stitched environments but also offers embedded notes and custom branding. Roundme also offers a limited-time demo so one can explore their capability before purchasing it.

Using Roudme’s drag and drop editor makes it easy to update websites and listings. The ease of use alone makes it a great beginner option. You also can create an entire VR portfolio with Roundme.

Bonus Tip: showcase every virtual tour, drone video, photo, video, and listing media in one place.

Single Property Sites is proud to introduce our new Media Showcase. We have seen how virtual tours, drone videos, and new technology are transforming listings. We set out to create one, simple place to show off every drone video, virtual tour, photo, video, and every piece of media for every listing. Our custom listing websites now support all of these features, plus agent information, open house information, and so much more. The best part is getting started is totally free.

The post Top 5 Real Estate Virtual Tours for 2019 appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.