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real estate photography: What you Hear and what you See - 06/30/08 08:23 PM
What you hear is "We decided to take the house off the market over the holidays." What you see is that property being listed with someone else within a week.
As soon as the sign is in the yard, every perceived promise you made at the listing appointment is going to be under the microscope. Homeowners are on realtor.com or your local MLS in a New York minute comparing the marketing done on their own home versus that on the same-floor-plan neighbor's house.
"The house across the street looks much better." "They have a *real* virtual tour, not a slide show like we were given."
It's not all about getting homeowners to sign. That's … (4 comments)

real estate photography: Where's an arborist when you need her? - 10/29/07 09:02 AM
In the Northwest, we're blessed with lots of rain. I love it up here. We have seasons (unlike where I grew up, in SoCal). Landscaping looks mature in no time at all, and it's a pleasure to photograph real estate because of it.
Homeowners put their homes on the market and do all they can to prepare for photos and virtual tours. Perhaps they have the luxury of a gardener!
Then I show up to do the virtual tour and can't do the home justice because the front of the house is behind those beautiful, mature trees. It's almost as though the house … (1 comments)

real estate photography: Slide Show on 1.1 million listing in Vancouver, WA - 06/24/07 11:16 AM
One of our clients prefers RTV slide shows on her listings to virtual tours, and when she put her 1.1 million house on the market, it was with a supersized slide show. Take a peek! http://www.realtourvision.com/tour/RE/tour.view.new.php?utl=RE-2563-RBXSK4-04 Dawn
www.allaboutvirtualtours.com
… (1 comments)

real estate photography: Realtors are not all Photographers. - 06/10/07 03:59 PM
Who do you trust to photograph your listings? Perhaps the agency employs an assistant who takes photos and assembles slide shows for the entire office. (So, you must get in line.) You're relieved not to be required to invest in camera equipment, tripods, flashes, etc ... until you see the photos on MLS!
"It didn't look that dark when you took the listing.""Someone's shoes are on the floor in the entry.""The kitchen looks so tiny.... there's no "clear space" on the counters."Is that someone's thumb in the corner?""The car's in the driveway."Realtors tell me the work begins when they get the listing. Quality … (8 comments)

real estate photography: Virtual Tours and Staging - 06/10/07 10:17 AM
I am particularly sensitive to some things when looking at other company's work. I recently visited a stager's website, looking forward to seeing a professional appearance. Some of the things I look for in a stagers' photography are:
Lighting should be proper.Refrigerators clear of magnets, sports schedules, photos, everything.Walls need to be vertical (not bowed).Garbage cans removed.White balance correct.Rooms need to be *DE*cluttered, not rearranged clutter. There are no people milling about in photos.Craig Schiller, The Staging Adonis (my hero, lol), has always instructed that before-and-after photos should be taken from the same angle so that viewers have an accurate feel. Whether you're … (1 comments)

real estate photography: Virtual Tours Help Narrow Down Choices - 06/09/07 11:00 AM
Homebuyers like viewing virtual tours because they help narrow down choices. They naturally gravitate online to view them and many begin their search at www.realtor.com, because it's the National Association of Realtor's public site.
Try going to www.realtor.com and inputting the city (or specific zip code) and a price range. You'll be asked if you want to see the results "on a map" (a new beta feature) or "in a list." Pretty slick!
If you see something you're interested in, simply press the Send to a Realtor button at the right. She will be happy to send you a link to more photos and a virtual tour (or slide … (2 comments)

real estate photography: Quality Listing Photographs - 05/14/07 01:58 PM
Realtors have a bazillion things to do once they get the listing. They realize the importance of listing with photos, so they rush to get photos on MLS and flyers.
Unless you understand what needs to be done to make a property "show ready," the listing will go on MLS with poorly-taken photos (too dark, or windows which are blown out/overexposed and don't show the view) which do not help the home stand out from other listings. The flagship of your marketing is not the best arena to practice photography. If you haven't got the property equipment (or know how to adjust settings) .. and "eye for the … (5 comments)

real estate photography: ActiveRain Works in Round-About Ways! - 04/22/07 03:40 PM
On March 18 we received a contact through ActiveRain from a lady in Seattle. She and her husband were moving to the Vancouver, WA area .. and she needed a real estate agent.
I gave her the name of a real estate professional who calls us for all of her photography, slide show and virtual tour needs and ...
this couple bought a house using my referral!
It feels so good to be able to "give back" to the ActiveRain community.
Our business has taken OFF .... and I don't have much time to do anything but work, but I wanted to … (1 comments)

 

Dawn Shaffer Life is good!

Battle Ground, WA

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Address: Battle Ground, WA, 98604

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