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Buyer Agent Photo Albums. Otherwise they forget!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc

Are you a buyer's agent that shows clients homes?

Are your clients' brains fried after looking at 10 homes?

Well, take your digital camera (get the Kodak v570 wide angle camera for under $200) and set your camera to the LOWEST resolution. When you are in the place start firing away like a mad man. Put it on motor drive if you can, and turn OFF the flash (faster photos). If you know how to change your ISO put it to 1600.

The point of these photos isn't to be pretty, but to be fast. Many look like this:

Start with an exterior photo of a photo of the house number. That way they know that you have moved to a new home. Make sure to take photos that show where the walls end giving the buyer a better idea as to the size of the room. The listing agent's job is to take photos that look great and huge, your job is to get photos that look more realistic.

Also hit each closest. Take everything. Sometimes I'll have 50-100 photos of a house.

At the end of the day, upload them using Picasa's free software from Google and with one click, you can upload it to a public or private photo album. Then you send them a link to the album.

They will be very impressed and they will refer to it many times.

What do you do as a buyer agent to stand out?

Update March 13 2008. Now add your albums to a Wiki MLS, FranklyMLS.com Watch the 2 min video below.

Frank Borges LL0SA- Virginia Broker/ Owner FranklyRealty.com

Blog.FranklyRealty.com Featured in BusinessWeek, CNBC, WSJ etc.

Show All Comments
Cyndee Haydon
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL
727-710-8035 Clearwater, Beach Short Sales Luxury Condos &Homes
Great idea - I've been doingmore of this.
Mar 26, 2007 06:24 PM
Tchaka Owen
Galleria International Realty - Hollywood, FL

I now have a Kodak and have been testing it.  I took a client out last week and she loved the idea that I was taking extra pics for her.  She wanted all the good and bad, which I gladly snapped away and set up in Ofoto.  The excitement on her face alone made the camera worth it!

Tchaka 

 

Mar 26, 2007 06:47 PM
Sandra Williams
Rancon Real Estate - Temecula, CA
Great idea---what a way to make the client love the way you do business! Had to subscribe to your blog after reading some of your tips. I don't want to miss anything!
May 28, 2007 08:47 PM
Heather Moriah Martin
eXp Realty - Allentown, PA
REALTOR - Lehigh Valley

Hello Frank!

Honestly, I have never even thought about this....But, a great idea and wonderful there is a resource that I can use that makes it fast and FREE.

I will add this to my 2008 Buyer services.

I appreciate all your posts and have learned so much!

Moriah Martin 

Dec 27, 2007 02:04 PM
Anthony Saunchez
Campa Properties - San Bernardino, CA
How can we be of service

Frank you should consider a career as a professional "thinker"

every once in a while I will grudgingly take a few shots for a client but never looked at the long term perspective of doing them routinely. Downloaded Picasso a while back but never used it. I will revisit.

Mar 04, 2008 03:12 PM
Sharon Harris
Keller Williams Keystone Realty - Hanover, PA
Realtor
This Is so very cool. I will do this . My brain gets fried after 4 or 5. Thank You...
Mar 04, 2008 10:31 PM
FRANK LL0SA Esq.- Northern Virginia Broker .:. FranklyRealty.com
Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc - Arlington, VA

Hey Sharon, you are trying too hard to make pretty photos.

I can spend 2 or 3 hours taking a nice photo album for a listing. But for a buyer, I can take 30 photos in under 5 minutes. I turn off the flash and I just snap away. Nothing pretty, just informative. Each closet, up close of carpets, granite, etc. It saves you time in the future and the clients LOVE it.

Frank

Mar 04, 2008 11:24 PM
Dana Forster
AHome4Sale - Fredericksburg, VA
Realtor, A Home 4Sale Inc, Va
Thanks. I am new to real estate and I had the idea that you just shared, now I know how to make it happen.
Mar 04, 2008 11:45 PM
Ryan Vivo
Gateway Realty - Fairfield, CA
NRBA Realtor Solano County, Gateway Realty 707-384-5894
Good Idea sending it to your buyers if they get tired of looking at homes.
Mar 06, 2008 05:05 AM
FRANK LL0SA Esq.- Northern Virginia Broker .:. FranklyRealty.com
Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc - Arlington, VA
For those of you that have commented, visit the post again to watch a 2 minute video on how to share your buyer agent photo albums with the public.        
Mar 18, 2008 11:31 AM
Jen Olson
First Weber Group Realtors - Marshfield, WI

Thank you for the tip, and the video!

Jun 16, 2008 05:06 AM
Eileen Begley
Coldwell Banker, DelMonte - Carmel, CA
Monterey Real Estate

Great idea.  I have always been a "photoshop snob", though have taught agents how to use picasa before.  Never saw much use for the web albums. But now I do!!  This is one heck of alot faster than sizing and sending via email. Much easier for the client also as it is easier to view.  Thanks again.

Nov 02, 2008 12:19 PM
Eileen Begley
Coldwell Banker, DelMonte - Carmel, CA
Monterey Real Estate
Hi Frank; Had to stop back by and say I just uploaded to picasa albums and sent the link to a new buyer I am working with. It is so much easier for someone to go see an album rather than just click on each attached photo. Simplicity is key! Thanks :)
Nov 04, 2008 08:51 AM
Michael Wayne Jackson
Coldwell Banker - Novato, CA
Broker - Seniors Real Estate Specialist Novato

Hey Frank do you thin this will work for my cannon powershot 7 megapixels?

Nov 06, 2008 04:44 AM
Robert T. Boyer
FHA Loan, VA Loan, Jumbo Loan,FHA Loans,VA Loans,Jumbo Loans - La Jolla, CA
San Diego Real Estate & Mortgage Loans, Ph.D. | VA Home Loan

Excellent.  By the way, for agents who eventually do BPOs, this will be a great habit.  For the BPOs, you also need to get pictures of every major appliance, e.g., water heater, electrical panel, A/C, heater, etc.

Jan 15, 2009 02:53 PM
Norma Brandsberg
Marks Realty Co. Inc., Lynchburg, VA, 540-586-9496 - Forest, VA

Great idea. I take lots of pictures of my listings and take pictures when the prospect looks like they are settling on a house or from our of town, but if you don't need them you can just delete.

Mar 18, 2009 12:18 PM
Stephen M. Wigg
http://4114Info.com - Omaha, NE
4114Info.com

Frank,

We're the first we know of that is developing a web site for Buyer's Agents. How about 7 minutes to tell me what you think of this concept. In a nutshell, aren't buyers that found you on the internet going to continue to use the internet? With a one-time selection of you as the Agent-4-Me the whole web site looks like it's yours! All requests go to you. And all links when they send favorites or properties go to you. And then when those links get sent to others? You, and on and on and on.

Here's the demo: http:/4114info.com

Thanks.

Stephen

Apr 22, 2009 03:52 AM
FRANK LL0SA Esq.- Northern Virginia Broker .:. FranklyRealty.com
Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc - Arlington, VA

I don't get it.

Many agents have IDX and MLS access with their name on each page and all requests that go to them.

 

First? Maybe Last.

 

Frank

Apr 22, 2009 04:23 AM
Bill & Cyndi Daves
Hiawassee, Young Harris, Blairsville, Hayesville, Murphy and Beyond! - Hiawassee, GA
TeamDAVES - Your REALTORS In the GA/NC Mountains!

Frank - great ideas.  I just upgraded to a Nikon D5100 and this will give me a chance to work with it!

Cyndi

Dec 27, 2011 11:43 PM
Anonymous
Frank
Ok but lower your resolution to like 1 or 2 megapixel or you will blow up your computer
Dec 28, 2011 12:45 AM
#30
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