Zooming In On The Future of Photographing Real Estate Listings Online

By ANTHONY MARGULEAS

Special to the Palisadian-Post

When it comes to taking pictures of homes that are being listed, some agents simply whip out their iPhone and start snapping away. But there has been a real revolution when it comes to new and innovative ideas to show a home’s best features.

The savvy real estate agent needs to be constantly up to date with cutting-edge photography, video and cutting edge technology tools. We actually give trainings at real estate conventions to other agents throughout the country on the newest marketing tools coming to real estate.

Drone technology has revolutionize the real estate industry. It is ideal for properties that have larger lots or great views as the properties look much different from an aerial perspective. Whether still or video, the drones have gotten smaller and easier to maneuver. Here is an example http://northfieldestate.com/ from one of our properties. With an aerial perspective many of the architectural features of a home can be displayed.

Real Estate Videos 

With a Story 

Some companies are producing videos that offer a completely different approach to real estate videos. Inman, for example, builds a story into a listing video and they focus on the lifestyle and very little on the house itself. See an example here: www.inman.com/2014/09/03/listing-videos-that-might-make-you-cry-or-hit-share.

2D Floor Plans

These offer a much better idea of the layout of the house and are great when marketing a new construction home that has not been finished or a home with an unusual floor plan.

Virtual Staging

Most people have heard of staging, but the newest thing for staging a home quickly at a fraction of the real cost is virtual staging. See an example here: virtuallystagingproperties.com/gallery-2/

Computer-Generated Renderings

Some buyers can have a difficult time envisioning what can be done with an empty space. We have had great success using computer-generated renderings that help homebuyers see the potential in a property.

This shows what a property looks like with a pool put in. We blow these renderings up to poster size and then put them on an easel at open houses and private showings.

3D Virtual Walk-THROUGH TOURS of Listings

When a client wants to see a home now, but doesn’t have time to get to the property, there’s a new option: 3D virtual walk-through tours. This is the newest cutting-edge technology, and clients say it’s amazing.

The camera is expensive – approximately $4,500 – but it allows one to basically use something similar to Google Maps street view technology inside a home and allows viewers to click on details from the floor to the ceiling. Check out a sample at virtualshowingsla.3dspaces.co/view/VSLA0011 then click 3D and takes a few seconds to load.

Mobile Virtual 

Reality Headset  

Oculus VR (www.OculusVR.com), which was recently purchased for $2 billion by Facebook, is a virtual reality company geared to the gaming industry. We expect to see it branch out into real estate applications in the next couple years.

With all the new ways to market your home, the future of real estate is exciting. Who knows what else the future will bring.

Anthony Marguleas founded Amalfi Estates 20 years ago and has reviewed 2,000 contracts. For 12 years he has taught at UCLA to over 1,500 students covering contracts and negotiations. He co-authored California Real Estate Client Strategies and published 150 articles. He has sold $600 million in properties and was selected by The WSJ as one of the top 250 agents in the country out of one million agents. He can be reached at 310-293-9280, www.amalfiestates.com.