What Should You Highlight About Your Listing During/After COVID?

Virtually overnight, COVID drastically changed the way that most people live, work, and recreate. While some of those changes are sure to trend back to pre-COVID norms, many things are surely here to stay.

Most importantly to the housing market, an increase in remote working is likely permanent. This shift was already on its way, but the pandemic pushed up the timetable of when many workers would have been transitioned to work from home. As a result of this change, how people relate to and use their homes has undergone a major shift.

Market Changes

These changes are expected to add a large number of new buyers into the housing market. With the ability to work from home, commute times are less important. That means that many workers can leave their rentals in the high-priced cities in which they work in order to move into the lower priced areas surrounding them. Research from Zillow indicates that this fact alone is expected to add close to two million new buyers to the housing market. 

In addition to the new buyers, current owners are expected to move at a higher than normal rate. How both of these groups of people see their current homes, and the things that they need in a home, have fundamentally changed. According to Realtor.com, people are looking for more space, more distinction of spaces, larger and better appointed outdoor spaces, and proximity to places where they can recreate away from large crowds. 

What to Highlight

As such, the way that homes for sale are presented in marketing should change as well. Providing high-quality marketing materials is of obvious importance, but what home features are highlighted should be adjusted to fit current market trends. 

Consider staging a spare bedroom or living area as a home office, rather than presenting it as a guest room. With so many people working from home, separate home office space has never been more attractive to buyers, so make sure it is noted.

Make sure that outdoor spaces are shown in detail. Great landscaping is more important than ever, and some simple and inexpensive decorations can go a long way to making a deck, patio, or porch feel much more luxurious. 

It is still important to describe the convenience of the location of the listing, but more time than has been should be dedicated to calling out the type of spaces for which people are currently looking. Homes in suburban areas are of increased demand, so it is helpful to communicate a suburban feel. However, rather than solely focusing on commute times to population centers or shopping, place additional focus in your marketing on proximity to parks, recreation areas, and the like. 

We Can Help 

Things have changed for sure, and many of those changes are here to stay. The good news is that many of them are going to fuel a new demand for housing. These additional factors are sure to have a positive impact on the already strong housing market. However, to make sure that the most is being made of it, some simple changes should be made to how homes are presented to buyers.

American Real Estate Media works with our clients to make sure that the marketing materials they receive are exactly what they need to most effectively market their homes given current housing trends. To see the latest examples of our work and some galleries of our favorite shoots, please take a look at our Facebook page. For additional information on real estate photography, a full list of our services, and to book your next appointment, please visit our website.

Sources:

1. https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/09/25/top-perk-of-remote-work-no-commute

2. https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/improvements-upgrades-to-help-sell-your-home-during-pandemic/

3. https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/urban-versus-suburban-home-demand-coronavirus/

4. https://www.zillow.com/research/telecommute-2-million-buyers-27866/

Museum Matterport Tours

During the pandemic, public access to all types of spaces has been closed or severely restricted to help control the virus’ spread. Nearly every type of public area and private business have been affected by these measures in some way, and museums are no different. The stream of people who would ordinarily learn and recreate in such places are, in many cases, homebound. However, these collections are meant to be enjoyed, and, fortunately, many museums and exhibits have been opened to the public in a very interesting way: virtual tours.

American Real Estate Media provides virtual tours to our clients using a technology called Matterport. This powerful tool generates an interactive 3D tour of a space; viewers can then virtually move through and look around the mapped area. Matterport Virtual Tours are a huge asset when used in real estate advertising, but we are now using this exact same tool to generate virtual tours of museums. 

The resulting detail-rich tours are a great way for museums to share their collections with a public who, in these trying times, are in desperate need of innovative ways to entertain themselves. Educational and engaging, these virtual tours are sure to make a lasting impression on those who take them, and are expected to help renew public interest in museums. As such, both smaller museums and those who have among the largest collections in the world are taking similar steps to showcase their exhibits to the public. Take a look at this tour we recently produced for the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art at the University of Richmond. 

To see the latest examples of our work and some galleries of our favorite shoots, please take a look at our Facebook page. For additional information on real estate photography, a full list of our services, and to book your next appointment, please visit our website.

Do Professional Photos Still Matter?

The current real estate market is hot. Inventory is down, purchases are up, and properties in all conditions are moving fast. In this kind of seller’s market, is it still worth it to invest time and money in professionally taken real estate photography? The simple answer is yes.

Some of the reasons are similar to why it still makes sense for sellers to use a professional real estate agent, rather than going FSBO. When selling a home, it isn’t just about getting it sold. It is about getting it sold correctly, quickly, and for top dollar. Agents can accomplish that more easily than an owner/seller, because they have the know-how and experience that comes with being a dedicated professional.

Professional real estate photography is similarly useful. When the market is moving quickly, it is more important than ever to get your listing in front of as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. When houses are selling within days, is it better to attract a few buyers per day and accept from a sparse but quick set of offers, or is it better to attract a dozen per day and pick the best terms from a crowded multiple offer environment? Compelling real estate photos, video walkthroughs, aerial photos, and professionally made marketing materials are the easiest and most efficient way to drive more buyers per day to your listing. 

With low housing inventory, competition for listings increases, and FSBO becomes more appealing to many sellers. When marketing yourself, a portfolio of listings that are universally represented with high-quality marketing materials will make you stand out. You are more likely to win a seller's business if you can show them that you consistently invest in your marketing and provide the highest quality services to all of your clients. Using professional real estate media helps your future business as much as your current listing.

American Real Estate Media has a team of dedicated photographers, editors, and support staff who provide a quality and value that is unmatched in the industry. In addition to our unbeatable photos, we provide video walkthroughs, Matterport Virtual Tours, drone photo and video, advanced editing, and a suite of managed marketing services. Check out our website for a full breakdown of our services and pricing, and book your appointment today.

Fall Photoshoot Considerations

When scheduling a photoshoot, there are certain considerations that should always be taken by an agent advising a client. It is obviously advantageous for a home to be cleaned and looking nice, for curtains and blinds to be open to allow for natural light, etc. However, with each season, there are additional factors to consider that are unique to that time of year. With autumn coming up, let's take a moment to review a few considerations to make the most of your appointments. 

Fall is one of the greatest times of the year for home decorations: warm color schemes, pumpkin everything, seasonal imagery of leaves and apples, and spooky Halloween decorations. It makes you want to throw on a sweater and grab a mug of cider just thinking about it. However, it is important to make sure that seasonal decorations are kept tasteful and minimal while a home is being photographed. Exterior decorations, especially, should be kept to a minimum. While a spooky graveyard scene in the front yard may attract trick-or-treaters, it is likely to be distracting in photos or video. 

It is always important for sellers to maintain a home through your photography session and the selling process, but it is especially important given the additional outdoor tasks of the fall. A tree that has leaves alight with the colors of autumn is sure to make a yard feel inviting, but bushes that need pruning, mulch that needs topping, and gutters full of leaves are not as welcoming. Fall comes with a lot of home maintenance tasks, and it is important for sellers to stay on top of them as the seasons change.

When scheduling your appointment, it is important to recognize that with autumn comes shorter days. While our photographers will work with you to capture the best possible photos of a property, there are certain considerations that must be taken with regard to the shorter days. During the fall, peak light comes later in the day and light levels fall faster through the afternoon, so slightly longer shadows should be expected from appointments at the end of the daily booking availability.

Along with considering the results of less light hours for your photos, sellers and agents should consider that there is also less light for buyers to use when looking. That means that they can look at less houses per day, so it is even more important to attract them to your listing. One way to drive more traffic is by providing additional, detail-rich marketing material. Virtual tours, drone photos, Matterport Virtual Tours, etc. are great ways to attract buyers. They also serve as resources for buyers to review if, for example, they see your listing at a time of day when the lighting makes the details of the home harder to discern.

To see the latest examples of our work and some galleries of our favorite shoots, please take a look at our Facebook page. For additional information on real estate photography, a full list of our services, and to book your next appointment, please visit our website.