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.

We are breaking down the best real estate drones for 2019. In the past decade, online real estate listings have really stepped up their game. Realtors now have images with higher resolution, more detail, and a stronger overall aesthetic. Drone photography is the next frontier in marketing listings.

By capturing properties at all possible angles, agents can set their listings apart from the rest. Using drone photography is the most cost-efficient, practical way to add professional style aerial images to real estate listings. And with the proliferation of manual drones, it is now affordable for large brokerages and solitary agents alike to utilize this technology.

And thankfully, in 2019, real estate agents won’t need to pay a drone photography firm to take professional-grade aerial photos for them. Drones are now user-friendly and durable enough that agents can afford them and figure how to use them pretty quickly.

What Realtors Should Look For in a Real Estate Drone?

There are many variables when choosing the perfect real estate drone. They are not all created equal. So jumping on Amazon and buying whatever is sale will probably not work in any agents favor. The drone market is full of different products catering to specific needs.

There are drones built for durability, drones built for speed, and drones built for other niche uses. For real estate photography needs, agents need a specific type of photography drone.

While there is some flexibility when seeking out real estate drones, it is important that they specialize in the four following areas:

Real Estate Drones Should Shoot in High Resolution

While it is important to find a well-built drone, remember to confirm the drone’s camera resolution. Most now come with a camera standard, but not all cameras are created equal. Buying a top-tier drone that does not deliver in the camera resolution department will not benefit your real estate photography needs.

Realtors should remember to check the following specs before making a drone purchase:

Resolution (at least 600 hp)
Frame Rate
Megapixel Level
File Type of Photos/Videos (make sure they are compatible with your devices)
Available Shooting Modes (filters, rapid shoot, etc.)

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Transmission Range

Another important feature of drones is the transmission range. That is the distance you can transmit commands from the remote control to the drone.

A drone with weak control range can cause headaches. Just imagine trying to get a good aerial shot of your property, but your real estate drone goes out of range, causing you to lose control, waste battery time, and loose footage.

Real Estate Drones Should Have Sufficient Battery Life

The battery life (or flight time) of your drone is dependent on the strength of its batteries. A good rule of thumb is to seek out a drone with a strong enough battery that, when fully charged, can operate for at least 15 minutes. It is always a good idea to buy a second battery that can be charged and switched out during a photo shoot. This ensures adequate photography time.

Real Estate Drone Should Be Easily Maneuvered and Stable

It is important a real estate drone is not only stable but can be easily maneuvered during a real estate photo shoot. The last thing an agent wants is a real estate drone that shakes, begins to lose altitude, or has a tough time staying level.

The Best Indoor Drone for Real Estate Photography

Altair Aerial AA818 Plus Hornet

The Hornet is pretty amazing. It is under $300 and is designed specifically for photography. The Hornet has a battery life of 15 minutes and 720 hp high-definition camera. It is controlled and synced with any tablet or smartphone. It also has automatic orientation adjustment. This drone is great because it is designed for beginners and is really easy to use.

Get the AA8181 Plus Hornet, here.

Best Drones For Outdoor Real Estate Photography

Yuneec Typhoon H Pro

With a retail price of $1100, the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro offers the types of features you need in a reliable real estate drone.
The Typhoon H Pro has a 4K HD camera that shoots in 12 megapixels. With a range of 1.6km, the battery life provides flight time of up to 25 minutes.

While there are other cameras on the market with higher levels of megapixel resolution, the photos are still high quality, and the video quality is still up to snuff (4k HD).

Beyond the quality of the images shot with the Yuneec, this drone offers some of the best manual piloting available in a photography drone. The high-quality controls of this drone allow for stable flight and easy maneuvering. The Typhoon H pro also comes with sensors that prevent collisions with nearby objects.

Designed for the professional photography market, the Typhoon H Pro is a great option for Realtors looking to use real estate drone photography.

Get the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro, here.

3DR Solo

Coming in at around $500, the 3DR solo offers flexibility when it comes to camera choice. While the drone itself does not include a camera, the device is compatible with several GoPro models (Hero 3, Hero 4), giving you flexibility when it comes to camera quality.

The 3DR solo is highly durable; its built like a little tank. The drone offers multiple flight modes that are perfect for your real estate photography needs.

With an 8km range and a 25 minute flight time, the 3DR gives you what you need to take the best photos for your real estate listings.

Get the 3DR Solo, here.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

With a retail price of $1200, the DJI Phantom 4 is definitely built for the professional market. While pricier, it boasts a variety of modes, a great camera and video capabilities, and long battery life.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro offers 4k video and 20-megapixel resolution, a range of over 7 kilometers, and a flight time/battery life of 30 minutes.

Not only does this drone offer high-quality images with the burst mode feature, but you can also get plenty of “quick shots” for your image gallery.

Other modes include bracket mode, which is very helpful in creating HDR composites.

Get the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, here.

Final Thoughts

As Online real estate listings continue envolve by offering more interactivity, drone photography and videography is a great opportunity to market properties. Real estate drones are great for aerial or angle shots you cannot easily get with a traditional DSLR camera.

Remember it’s all about the right drone for the job. Discounted drones, drones designed for kids, or even more touchy drones built for hobbyists won’t do the trick. For real estate drone photography drones need to be solidly built, with either a built-in camera or compatibility with an action camera such as a GoPro. If you go with the built-in camera option, remember to select a drone that shoots in high-quality resolution.

Your drone should offer a high level of flight stability, easy maneuverability, a high-quality camera, sufficient flight range, and a flight time that can last through your real estate photo shoot.

Need more ways to showcase listings? Single Property Sites offers free accounts for listing websites that can show off all of your drone photography, videos, virtual tours, and more.

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

So it’s worth while getting great  photos! If you can invest in a professional photographer, then you might find this will give you the best results. But of course we can’t all afford high fees – so with today’s camera equipment its possible to do a fairly goof job ourselves.

Here’s 5 quick tips for budding photographers that will help you take more impressive property photos.

1. Take landscape / horizontal photos.

2. Have the right equipment.

3. Remove clutter before you shoot.

4. Take photos in the early morning or early evening of the exterior.

5. Watch your interior lighting too.

Read the full article here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/multimedia/camera-club/how-to-shoot-photos-of-your-home-for-the-real-estate-market/article1822369/

The post How to take great Property Photos appeared first on Real Estate Marketing and Property Marketing Blog by Single Property Sites.