Today's spotlight is on Ron Stoneman, our VP of Sales. Ron is based here in Nashville and travels as needed to the various cities where we do business. He oversees our team of dedicated regional sales managers and often mentors them through the process of launching new markets.
If you've ever visited a HouseLens meet-and-greet or booth at a trade show, you've probably seen Ron. He makes sure he's always involved, aware, and connected with our clients and what they need.
Realtor Magazine offered a list (compiled by Bankrate.com) of ways that buyers often irritate sellers. It's a great piece for educating clients about how not to create bad will in negotiations. A couple of their tips: don't submit a long list of the property's defects along with your offer, and limit visits to the home once you've signed a contract.
Over on InmanNews, contributor Stephen Fishman shared a cautionary tale about deducting business … (2 comments)
video house tours: Market Closeup: Houston, TX
- 04/09/14 12:52 AM
Early each month, I profile a HouseLens market as part of my Market Closeup series. I think of these posts as a fun chance to show you what's great about the cities where we do business. Click here for a list of the other posts in this series.
Houston, Texas, is one of HouseLens' newest markets, launched in the first quarter of 2014. This Gulf Coast city is one of the largest in the nation, with a metro area of about 6 million people. Read on to learn why people love to live here.
It's hiring. In the … (2 comments)
video house tours: How to Stage a Listing for a Spring Video Shoot
- 04/01/14 12:15 AM
Spring is officially here, and that means selling season is upon us. Here at HouseLens, the nation's largest provider of full-motion video house tours, we're getting ready for a surge in appointments as agents get ready to market all those new listings.
In dealing with agents – especially those who are new to using professional photography or videography – we often hear the question, “What should I do to prepare for my video shoot?” For the most part, our answer is the same one you would hear from any good stager: get rid of the clutter, tidy the house, … (0 comments)
It feels a bit odd, but today I'm introducing myself. I'm Jim Griffin, COO of HouseLens. I also happen to be a licensed real estate agent, which is why I'm part of the ActiveRain community.
I was born and raised right here in Nashville, HouseLens' home market, and I'm really excited about the all the cool things happening in “N-Town” these days. Aside from all our great events, food, and music, we've got some beautiful parks and greenways, which is where I … (0 comments)
If there was ever any doubt that spring is on its way, our schedule this past month should put your mind at rest. Things are obviously stirring in the real estate world as agents get ready for the spring uptick in listing traffic.
We've been to a lot of events this past month, including two major real estate conferences. Last week, we attended the Raleigh Association of Realtors' Raleigh Tech Fair, where agents learned about how to use technology to feed success. We met over 200 agents, and we loved that the cowboy theme gave us an excuse … (0 comments)
video house tours: Video Tips for Mortgage and Title Professionals
- 03/12/14 12:49 AM
Video isn't just for agents: it's also a helpful tool for allied real estate professionals. Last month, I posted about how home inspectors can use video to attract and retain customers. This month, I'm spotlighting mortgage and title professionals. If you work in one of these fields, here are some ways you can use video to grow your business.
Generate referrals. Much of a mortgage or title professional's business comes from referrals, usually through agents who recommend their favorite professionals to buyers or sellers. Or a brokerage may designate a particular title or mortgage company as a preferred vendor. … (7 comments)
video house tours: Market Closeup: Tampa, Florida
- 03/04/14 10:53 PM
Early each month, I profile a HouseLens market as part of my Market Closeup series. I think of these posts as a fun chance to show you what's great about the cities where we do business. Click here for a list of the other posts in this series.
This is the time of year when a location like Tampa, FL, has obvious appeal. While the rest of us shiver through the polar vortex, the folks in Tampa are enjoying sunshine and warmth. But living in this HouseLens market is about more than just the weather. Here are some of … (0 comments)
video house tours: Meet the HouseLens Team: CEO Andrew Crefeld
- 02/26/14 07:28 AM
I thought it would be fun to do some posts that introduce you to our team – partly so you can put names and faces behind our company, and partly just because they're a great group of people to work with. Those of you who are HouseLens customers might recognize some of these folks, especially if you've been with us since our early days.
I'm starting, of course, with CEO Andrew Crefeld. Originally from New Jersey, Andrew earned his B.S. in electrical engineering from Cedarville College, where he also met his wife Andrea. They have now been married for … (0 comments)
Remember those artist training videos I mentioned last month? Our creative director, studio manager, and head trainer stepped into the studio this month to film an intro and try out new background and lighting effects. They got some amazing results. Check out this shot from their work on the intro.
Scam Alert
Realtor Magazine reported just last week that scammers are trying … (0 comments)
video house tours: Market Closeup: Washington, D.C.
- 02/05/14 04:25 AM
Early each month, I profile a HouseLens market as part of my Market Closeup series. I think of these posts as a fun chance to show you what's great about the cities where we do business. Click here for a list of the other posts in this series.
Think Washington, D.C., and you probably think politics, not real estate. But all those federal agencies have workers, and workers need a place to live. That makes the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia area one of HouseLens' most active—markets. Here are a few reasons folks love to live there.
We've grown our sales staff to help meet the demand in our new markets, Charlotte and Tampa, and we're looking to launch several more markets in the first quarter of 2014. If you're in Houston, Orlando, Raleigh, or Virginia Beach, good news: HouseLens is coming your way!
One of our big projects this month was filming several training videos for our artists.
Maintaining the quality of our … (2 comments)
video house tours: Why Video Is the Best Way to Market Listings
- 01/22/14 06:10 AM
While video marketing for real estate listings is a relatively new thing, it's already making a major impact. Our clients – agents who hire us to create walk-through video house tours of their listings – are telling us that video gives them a major competitive edge. They talk about listings selling in days or even just hours, thanks to the power of walk-through video. We're even hearing stories of homes that sell without a single in-person showing. But why does video make such a difference?
Video shows much more than photos do. A standard photo album (even in slideshow … (2 comments)
video house tours: Market Closeup: Fairfield County, CT
- 01/15/14 01:29 AM
Each month, I profile a HouseLens market as part of my Market Closeup series. I think of these posts as a fun chance to show you what's great about the cities where we do business. Click here for a list of the other posts in this series.
The last three months, I've been profiling our newest markets: the areas where HouseLens recently sold licenses. So far, I've covered Atlanta, Dallas, and Philadelphia. This month's market is Fairfield County, Connecticut. Here's why people love living in Fairfield County.
Location, location, location. Fairfield County may seem like a random place … (0 comments)
video house tours: Sophia's Heart: One Heart Touching Many
- 01/08/14 03:52 AM
A few weeks ago, I posted a HouseLens year-in-review that mentioned the Nashville-based charity Sophia's Heart. With the new year ahead of us, I thought this might be a great opportunity to highlight the work they do. I'm sure many of you do some kind of community service, either by giving financially or giving your time, and I'd love for you to consider them as you plan your giving for 2014.
We at HouseLens first learned about Sophia's Heart when we went looking for a way to make our company Christmas party about more than, well, partying. And … (1 comments)
Did you know that this practice dates back thousands of years? Ancient cultures often held oath-taking ceremonies (pledges of loyalty to rulers or promises to fulfill certain duties) as part of traditional new year's festivities.
Today, people make all kinds of new year's resolutions, but most have to do with improvement: improving relationships, health, or even a business.
If you're make new year's resolutions for your business, one great resolution is to incorporate video into your marketing plan. Video … (2 comments)
video house tours: Happy Holidays From HouseLens!
- 12/26/13 06:27 AM
In many ways, the winter holidays—Christmas, Chanukkah, Kwanzaa, and others—are about traditions. We celebrate with traditions that people have followed for centuries, but we also create traditions of our own that pass down within our families.
Our staff all celebrate Christmas, and some of them shared their favorite Christmas traditions and memories this year on our Facebook and Twitter pages. For those who don't follow us on those websites, I thought it would be fun to share their traditions here.
From Jennifer, our Administrator: “Every year, my family has a big Christmas Eve party where we gather together … (0 comments)
video house tours: HouseLens Year in Review 2013
- 12/18/13 04:45 AM
It's about that time: the end of the year is approaching, and we're all looking back over 2013 to make one last assessment before we move forward. As I think back over HouseLens' 2013, I am deeply thankful for the amazing growth and success we've experienced. Much of it is because of folks like you: dedicated agents who put your trust in us every day. We are honored to be part of what you do! HouseLens hit a number of milestones this year. First, we acquired our first angel investment. We also added six markets, all through our licensing program: Fairfield … (0 comments)
video house tours: Staging Winter Listings for Photo and Video Shoots
- 12/11/13 09:48 AM
The official first day of winter is just a week and a half away – but with the weather most of the country has been having, winter is really already here! This tends to be a slow season for our industry, but there are still listings to be had. After all, not everyone can wait until summer to move. This is a season with unique staging challenges, however, so I thought I'd share some tips for prepping winter listings for photo and video shoots. These are gleaned from our expert Creative Director and certified artists, who together shoot almost 150 … (2 comments)
video house tours: Help Design the New HouseLens Website!
- 12/05/13 10:20 AM
With all the growth we've been experiencing, the HouseLens powers-that-be have decided that it's time for a new website! But here's the thing: we need your help! We want to make sure our new website meets your needs. We want it to be engaging, useful, and just all-around awesome. To that end, we're doing a branding survey to find out what folks think of HouseLens and what kind of experience you want to have when you visit us online. So will you please give us a hand? Click through to our survey and take just 10-15 minutes to fill it out. … (0 comments)
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