It seems like a new article pops up every day claiming the importance of professional real estate photography and video. We all know by now that the majority of buyers start their home search online. Some reports are starting to surface that up to 98% of buyers use the Internet in their home search!
Through one video, I have secured four new buyer clients.Ken Boerner – REMAX Heritage
I was drawn to this month’s Texas Realtor Magazine because of the headline: Connect With Gen Y.
Being young, I’m initially drawn to the article because I want to see how I think compared to others my age. But more importantly, I like to read articles in Texas Realtor Magazine that gives me content to be able to share with my realtor clients. As a “young gun”, it’s important to me that I explain current trends to my clients and make sure they are aware of what this upcoming generation does online, because ultimately, it’s going to have a big impact on my clients’ businesses (if it hasn’t already).
Rather than lowering my commission, how about we …Texas Realtor Magazine – May 2012
Are you lowing your commission, because you are trying to gain a listing and the seller is interviewing other real estate agents so you need to be competitive? Instead of lowering your commission and losing money, PROVE your commission!
As a Southlake or Keller realtor, you have the choice of how you are going to market your real estate 
properties. That choice could impact how your properties show up in search engines like Google, when buyers are looking up more information about a given property. I was looking up one of the listings I most recently did a video tour of. In the first 5 days of being posted online, the video has been viewed more than 100 times. But what I found more interesting, was what Google showed me when I searched for that property online.
I haven’t been very diligent at sharing photos from my Dwell with Dignity (DwD) shoots so far this year. But it’s time to share with you some absolutely amazing vignettes from the pop-up Thrift Studio that DwD is about ready to open.
If you haven’t heard of Dwell with Dignity, they are a non-profit and their tagline is “inspiring lives with design”. Interior designers volunteer their time to create spaces for those in need. Usually the lucky homeowners are families trying to get off their feet from homelessness. Dwell with Dignity coordinates with various organizations and shows up to a home or apartment and redesigns it with stylish furniture and accessories – giving the families the boost of confidence they need.
I offered to volunteer and provide interior photos of their designs when they are completed because I think it’s important that they have professional photos to post on their website, blog, or any other media outlet that can use them. The more they are able to spread their word, the more volunteers they can reach and produce more work for more families in need.
The Thrift Studio is a pop-up store that they started last year. They receive many donations of wonderful furniture and accessories, but some times the donations aren’t suitable for a family with children. DwD enlists the help of interior designers who go through the warehouse and “shop” for items. The items they end up choosing, are created into a vignette at the Thrift Studio. The pop-up is then open to the public where all of the furniture can be purchased, with all proceeds going to DwD to support the organization.
The crazy thing about the Thrift Studio, is that they don’t feature some garage sale item that you might pick up for a couple of bucks. They have some fancy furniture that you will drool over! And the interior designers go all-out to complete their vignettes, by painting and reupholstering furniture where needed.
Take this chair for example. The Container Store completed a vignette that ended up producing some of my favorite photos. Their orange, white, pink, green and red color scheme was so bold and fun to look at. The chair on the left (go ahead and click the image, I know you want to see it larger!) is the chair The Container Store picked out in the DwD warehouse. They took the chair and painted the legs, reupholstered with new fabric and added a stylish, decorative pillow. The transformation was just amazing!
Here are some more photos from The Container Store’s vignette:
Other designers that have vignettes in the DwD Thrift Studio include:
If you are looking to outfit your home in some of this amazing furniture, I encourage you to check out the Thrift Studio. But you better hurry, because the items will be sold quickly – I assure you! You can get early access by attending the Thrift Studio Shopping Event on April 13, 6PM-9PM, $25 at the door. (Think $25 is expensive? What if I told you there is complimentary valet, a DJ and Bites & Sips sponsored by Meso Maya, Royers Round Top Cafe & Republic Tequila?)
If you can’t make it on April 13, the DwD Thrift Studio will be open April 14th – May 12th, Tuesday – Saturday from 10AM – 5:30PM, Sunday noon- 5:00PM. The shop is located at 1250 Slocum Drive, Suite 550 in the Design Center.
Enjoy some additional photos from the Thrift Studio vignettes, and good luck finding great items if you make it out to support the organization!
There are many ways Southlake and Keller real estate agents can market your property. The one marketing tool that I have a big role in, and quite possibly one of the most important tools in their marketing plan considering the majority of buyers start their home search online, is through the display of real estate photography and video, with virtual tours.
Although YouTube is very important, Google also looks to other video sites on the web to index real estate videos. Help Google find your video by uploading your real estate video tours to multiple video sites.
Unfortunately, not everyone is going to find your real estate video tour online. Like most marketing, you shouldn’t rely on one single method and put your eggs all in one basket. Instead, try marketing to buyers at showings.
Maximizing exposure of your real estate video should be one of your main goals – you need buyers to find and watch the video. A great way of reaching more buyers is to allow your video to be played from within your Virtual Tour links.
Why should I choose you as my realtor? That’s the question sellers are going to ask you when they are looking for the perfect realtor. Are you prepared with an answer?
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