How to Stage Your Maui Property for a Photo Shoot

You only have one chance to create the first impression. 

You have one thumbnail photo as your cover. 

You have a few seconds to capture your audience to click into your listings among all the other online listings.

According to the National Association of Realtors, “85% of those buyers say it’s the photos that are the most important factor in deciding which homes to go view.”

I often suggest to my clients, that if it is a home for sale, your main goal is to clean it very well. You do not need to be over-staged with things that are not even included in the sale. But if you have an empty house, you may want to consider staging it with furniture or have us virtually staged for your potential clients to visualize how the space can be used. 

If it is a vacation rental, give a little bit more effort to stage it. Your wine, fruits, and Aloha decoration will give off vacation vibes better than an empty home. If you are thinking of staging it yourself, check out these staging tips:

First task: Declutter & Clean

The very basic task before adding anything else is to declutter. Less is more. We would rather have fewer unnecessary plants, old books, and worn-out decorations than to have more. Throw away things that have been in your condo since you bought it over 15 years ago. Not everything there is what people want. Not every extra decoration adds value. If it looks too old, half-used, or almost falling apart, please get rid of it. 

Here is another article about how to clean and tidy your home for photos. 

Accessorize Smartly

One of the easiest ways to update a room is to accessorize it well. A few of our favorite main areas to stage are the lanai table, kitchen island, and coffee table. These are the areas that we would take the most photos of, and the more “colorful” it is, the more your photo will stand out. 

Here are some general suggestions, just pick a few, you do not have to do it all: 

Lanai:

• Place freshly cut colorful fruits on individual plates (mango, papaya, watermelon etc.) or cheese, and grapes on a wooden chopping board.

• Place one flower next to the fresh-cut fruit plate 

• Place a glass (be mindful of the wind)

• Place a centerpiece in the middle of the table (e.g. Pineapple or a bottle of wine or juice or flowers)

• If you have colorful table mats you can use them

• Set only for 2 persons for small size lanai table

*Some of these sample photos are staged by a professional stager or by our clients, and some photos are staged by us. Ideas credit to original stager.

Kitchen Island and Dinning Room:

• Place a bowl of colorful fruits (no need to cut) in a beautiful bowl OR

• Fresh flowers

• Your gift for guests: Aloha Chocolate + Special Complimentary Water 

• Set out the table for 2-4 persons if you have an island with a bar counter or for your dining room

Bathroom:

• Less is more, mainly to show super clean towels, remove any unwanted items

• Sometimes we put a single plumeria flower on the counter 

Pay attention to the bathroom

Along with kitchens, attractive and clean bathrooms are an important selling feature in a home and will be scrutinized when viewed online. Even if your bathroom is a little outdated, you can spiff it up for minimal effort: Clear everything off your sink top except for soap, roll up some towels and put them on an available shelf for display, buy a fresh, bright shower curtain, and perhaps most important is to make sure the toilet seat lid is closed. That last item makes a huge difference in photos.

Coffee table: 

• Maui book, or anything colorful that helps your photo pop, but not too much. 

Bedroom: 

Ask yourself, is it time to buy a new set of bedsheets? The color of the sheets itself would change how a bedroom feels in the photo. Some people may hate bright red or green color sheets, maybe changing the sheets itself can already help boost your booking. Choosing more neutral colors and ocean themes with a beach vibe is usually fitting for Maui. 

Potential suggestion for bed:

• A tray of “breakfast”/ bread with coffee mug

• A beautiful lei 

• OR nothing on the bed, because it could be visually too busy and unnecessary if you already have colorful sheets or room decor

• Appropriately display art on walls, and make sure it is in the photograph position to add color to your background that would add a wow factor to pictures viewed online. Note that grouping also looks best in odd numbers and at varying sizes. 

Yet, do not to over-accessorize

Accessorizing is important, but it needs to be tastefully — and minimally — done. Overstuffed shelves with various books and wall decor can create a visual nightmare. Sometimes, overly decorated with too many “cheesy” Hawaiian decorations would simply shout “too touristy” or “old school”. The main goal is to have a few items that enhance the overall colorfulness of your room, fresh flowers, fresh-cut fruits, some colorful plates, and a beautiful Hawaiian lei will do. 

Do not over-accessorize, just because you have bought those items does not mean you have to put them in the room. Some vacationers prefer a clean, modern look. If there are too many furnishings, where are they going to put their belongings?

We recommend skipping the oversized items or cheesy decorations, old worn-out floral decor which can become more of a distraction than an enhancement.

Do you include those items?

Another consideration is how much of the additional items you used to stage will be included in your actual vacation rental experience. Do you include wine? Do you include the Aloha chocolate as a welcome gift? If you do, YES! put them on the table when we are doing the photoshoot. But if you include nothing, you may not want to mislead your potential clients with high expectations. We also like those units that are tidy without too much clutter for looks. Staging is an enhancement, but it is not a requirement.

It is a fine line for us to promote your listing in the most aesthetic way possible and it is the owner’s decision and responsibility to consider what is a realistic representation of their condo. Do not sell something that you are not offering. That will just end up with poor reviews on your listing.

Don’t forget the small stuff

Remember, it’s those first impressions that are most important when buyers are viewing hundreds of photos of homes online. A few other photo prep tips:

• Hide your wires. Hide TV cords and other cables. 

• Check if your photos are on the wall. Are they placed straight or crooked?

• Move any trash cans (indoor and outdoor).

• Clean any glass and reflective surface (windows, slide doors, mirrors).

Clean everything

We’re not just talking about the counters and floors here. Everything in your home should get a scrub, from muddy siding or dingy carpeting to wood furniture and curtains. Don’t let your potential clients get distracted by a grimy door, walls, or windows — they might start to wonder what other home-upkeep tasks have been neglected.

Share with us what is your favorite staging items. We love to hear from you! 

Hope this is a helpful article for those who are trying to figure out how to stage their vacation rental.

Contact us for photographing your vacation rental in Maui! It’s your home, we do our job to show it off.

Maui Real Estate Photographer Reveals How Property Photos are done can Attract Clicks or Swipe away

What are the differences we can make to Sell your condo with new photos

Where do all eyes go first when perusing a vacation rental listing? The photos, of course.

Owners should never underestimate the importance of investing in a professional real estate photographer to get the very best pictures possible of their place. Because no matter how good an eye you have, owners tend to be blind to how their own home comes across on camera—and, as a result, might have listing photos that don’t show their home in the best light.

Since all it takes is one second for internet surfers to lose interest in a listing and swipe away, here is an example from our photographers on how to make the most out of your listing and how we present a condo different than others.

Recently, we got contacted by an owner who hired 3 photographers to do three differnet photoshoot for his vacation rental. He picked out the best photos out of all three photographers to compile them into his airbnb photos. Well, maybe he already got the best photos, why does it need to be redone? Is it really that hard to find a real estate photographer in Maui?

We made a few suggestions into what we can do differently and one of our photographers, Mark, he redid the photoshoot for our client. Below is a short video showing how we see things differently and what kind of images we can create to make the unit look totally different with better lighting and how we focus our attention to details.

Watch a side by side comparison between our client’s Existing photos —> Our photos.

You can get a better understanding of why quality matters.

“Those who works with their hands, they are Labors.

Those who works with their hands and their brains, they are Photographers.

Those who works with their hands, their brains, and their hearts, they are Artists.”

- Flora Rude, Flocus Studio -

Let us do the hard work, so you can get all the benefits and be proud of your listing. 

We are artists that do your property justice, create beautiful images with integrity so you can see the increase in booking.

If you need our advice on your existing photos, feel free to reach out for a free review on your property photos.

Contact Us

How to Create a Killer Marketing Portfolio for your Luxury Listing: Project Highlight: The Wailuku Estate

There are many agents who called themselves “Luxury Property Agents”, what does that actually mean in terms of your Marketing Portfolio? Are you taking care of your client and going all out in creating a killer portfolio that looks absolutely stunning? Are you hiring the Best Photographer in town to do the photoshoot? What you provide your client in the marketing materials you create represents you and your brand. Just be honest, you can’t call yourself the luxury and high-end agent if you are trying to please your million dollars buyers and sellers by giving them crappy photos. Your portfolio creates values, trust, and tells the story of how you are ‘taking care’ of your sellers.

We were very honored to be the photographer for this luxury Wailuku Estate. The property has 5.39 acre estate on the slopes of the Kahakuloa hills. This luxury hideaway estate has 7,200 sqft, three beds, 4 full baths, 4 half beds, kitchen, bar, multiple living room and entertainment space. We were hired to take the photos of the property, drone photos, video, 3D Matterport as well as Virtual Stage this unfurnished property and we would like to share the process of this photoshoot and how we have created amazing content for the agent to market this property.

We started in the morning with drone, and all the exterior shots as the location can get pretty cloudy later the day. We took the advantage of the sunniest moment to make sure the drone shots, especially video shots are sunny and the least amount of clouds. Then we started with doing photos for each room, starting from one side of the house to the other, then the 2nd floor and basement. Because of how big this property is and all the rooms are vacant and some look alike, we marked each room location while doing the shoot, so we don’t forget which room the photos belong to in post. It took about 3 hours to finish all the interior photos.

While doing the photoshoot, we provided our clients our sets of virtual furniture library so they can discuss and visualize the furniture in the space while being on the property. I hand sketched a floor plan on my iPad and marked down all the furniture sets they selected.

Our goal is always to provide our client the best service, most practical solution in an effective and beautiful manner.

We are done with choosing virtual furniture by the time the interior photography is done.

Next, we started the Matterport, since it is a very large property, with elevators, staircase, we took extra care to ensure the staircase areas are scanned properly without missing information. In that way, post-production will be easier. We also know that the more attention to details we pay on-site and go the extra mile to fix things, do the job properly, the less error it will have for Matterport. We don’t skip steps, or do a hasty job that would require a reshoot - we absolutely do not want to waste our client’s time so we usually pay extra attention to details and never miss anything on site.

We finish the interior photoshoot with a video walkthrough. Since the property is primarily empty, the client would like to have a teaser video instead of a room-to-room walkthrough. Also, since the client is not from Maui, we provided local suggestion in how to sell the Maui experience, what other lifestyle clips to put in, and what we should avoid to focus on.

Last but not least, we took sunset photos for the property. It was not the most beautiful sunset that day as it was rainy and dark clouds. So most of the twilight effects have to be done in post-production. However, it is still helpful to get the photo of the exterior of the building with lights on. We always try to keep the photo as authentic as the original property, so it is a realistic depiction with aesthetic touch and angles. That will do the justice of the property without exaggeration or misrepresentation. Natural and Beautiful is the message we want to give off.

Photos are delivered in batches to the client, since there are over 100 of photos, that way client can get a sneak peek and start planning their marketing materials without compromising the timeline. All photos are delivered within one week, with virtual staging completed, video, drone and 3D model.

Need a Photographer? Here is what they need to know: Tips for hiring Maui Real Estate Photographer

I came across an article recently that covered things the writer thinks your photographer needs to know before hiring them, and I thought I'd give my take on this list.

1. Factor in the time of day when scheduling a photoshoot. This is a big issue that a lot of businesses, and photographers, don't give enough consideration to, but it’s worth considering the time of day for when you book a shoot to ensure that the sun is in the best position for taking your ‘hero shot’ outside.

Having said that, my experience with businesses in various industries, and I've heard this from a lot of photographers as well, is that it's usually the clients booking the shoot who aren't interested in making themselves available for a photoshoot at the time that best suits the location.

A lot of business owners expect the photographer to do some magic and create wondrous images in any situation, and they don't understand the important role that the light plays when shooting outdoors. A truly professional photographer will do the best they can regardless of what's happening, but they can't truly replicate what the great big light in the sky can achieve.

2. Drone shots aren’t always the best shots. I totally agree and I think this is important, especially with the rising popularity of drone shots (no pun intended). Now don’t get me wrong, elevated shots really can work well. Having said that, drone shots can sometimes make things worse, not better. You can check samples of different drone shots below.

The reason why very high exterior shots don't always work, especially when shooting homes in high-density residential areas, is because they'll show the roof and the yards of surrounding homes, and that's a look that is not necessarily appealing, especially if it makes the home we are shooting seem closer to neighbors than it really is. I have discussed a brief snippet for using drones for listings here.

3. It takes skill to make a twilight shoot work well. A lot of buildings look their best either just before sunrise or just after sunset. However, what's important here is the choice of photographer. A photographer with very little experience or the skill to shoot twilights will not necessarily create an amazing image.

A twilight shoot is something that takes a lot of work because the timing is so limited. The photographer will have maybe 10 to 15 minutes when the light is just perfect, and in that time they'll need to get enough exposures, and often multiple angles. That takes planning and a knowledge of what lighting is needed. Only the best photographers should be trusted to do this with a high degree of skill. You can also check my previous writing about adding a twilight photo to your listing here and on this feature property article.

4. Say no to excessively dramatic skies. The skies in your photos should look good, but they shouldn’t be too dramatic, such that they draw attention away from the focus of the image.

When an inexperienced photographer learns how to do a sky replacement in Photoshop (where they remove the sky that was there on the day and replace it with a different sky) they can get a bit too excited. That's when they go crazy, bringing in the most dramatic skies they can find.

What they forget is that the real estate agent or the business owner is not selling the sky, but the home or the business. The attention then needs to be on the building, not what's going on up above.

5. Don’t edit the images too much. As a professional photographer, I've had clients ask me to remove all sorts of items from a photo, and on many occasions, I've had to explain to them that it would be against the law to misrepresent a home or business in that way.

A good photographer should be familiar with the rules regarding editing an image in Photoshop, or they could get themselves and their client in a lot of trouble.

6. Have extra lights available to photograph indoors. A photographer should have some lights with them when taking interior shots and in a lot of situations, multiple lights are very helpful like this set-up or a simple one can be handier at certain times.

Sample shots with the help of extra lighting are shown below.

Having said that, some photographers can create wonderful images using purely natural light. However, even then it can be a good idea for them to carry a few lights with them so they are prepared for any situation. There are times when only an extra pop of flash will fix the situation.

7. Use a wide-angle lens when appropriate. Any experienced architectural photographer will have a wide-angle lens in their kit bag. We need to talk about the photographer or the client who feels that every photo needs to show the entire room, no matter how wide that might be.

This is a big problem for two reasons:

Firstly, showing an excessively wide room will make the room seem larger than what it really is. That kind of thing can be very damaging to a client’s reputation. In fact, I've had quite a few conversations with consumers who express their frustration with businesses, and photographers, who shoot far too wide.

This photo is from online source. Credit to original photographer.

This photo is from online source. Credit to original photographer.

Take for example these photos we’ve seen online, they may be fine coming from customer’s reviews but not necessarily ideal for real estate photo listings. We wouldn't want to mislead people about the real size of the space by using the wide-angled lens inappropriately.

Secondly, a wide shot is not necessarily the best shot to use in a marketing campaign. For example, a beautifully composed photograph that looks like something from a styled magazine photoshoot may do far more to attract customer inquiries than a wide shot with no soul. The goal, after all, is a sale, so the images need to be focused on that goal, not just on showing as much as they can.

8. Have a booking confirmation if you have a contract or at least something in writing that makes it clear what the photographer will be delivering so everyone knows exactly what’s going on. This contract or list of services could include:
- How long will the photographer be on site, and are there time limits?

- What will incur extra fees?

- Will the photographer style the room in any way, or will they shoot it exactly as it is presented?

- How long will it take to deliver the completed images?

- What kind of additional services / technology the photographer can provide?

Photo by FLOCUS Studio, Wailea Point

Those are all important questions, but a signed contract is not essential. Most photographers I know will include these details in their pricelist (so that the client is aware of these things before making a booking) or will communicate those issues in an email to their client before the shoot to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Be aware also that a photographer is trying to run a viable business and as such, they do need to charge more for doing extra work. A business that respects its photographer as a professional and is willing to pay extra when more is being demanded from them, will be better placed to ensure a successful photoshoot and marketing campaign.

Contact us today for your next photoshoot project.

Advanced Editing Service

In our highly competitive marketplace, the role of digital photography and social media presence is crucial for the success of any small and big business. Posting anything on your accounts is not enough. Profiles with low-quality pictures may have a hard time getting good engagement and can affect your brand image. With the short attention spans of the digital age, it only takes a few seconds for a consumer or client to know if they’ll push through with the deal after looking at the photos. Properly edited photographs and high-quality visuals can deliver the desired message about your brand and business to your respective audience.

Let’s summarize the need for advanced editing services for real estate photography.

1. Building the image for your brand - your photos can say a lot about your brand signature and how professional or casual you might want to be.

2. Vibrant Images - dull, dark, and raw images wouldn’t really help in creating an appealing photo listing. Photo enhancements make sure that your property is seen in the best light possible without misleading your potential buyers.

3. Better Sales - making your images visually stunning will attract more audience, thereby increasing engagement and eventually garnering better sales prospects.

4. Creating credibility and reputation - high-quality photos provide a reason for people to rate you as someone who values their customers more than those profiles with low-quality photos. Using your own original image instead of stock also builds your reputation.

5. Social Media Presence - with our technology nowadays and current situation, social media is “THE PLACE TO BE”. You’ll always want to create a stronger social media presence for your business through high-quality images, be it through Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest to name a few.

Apart from providing Standard Quality Editing Service for property photos, we can go the extra mile for your specific preference or provide a better image outcome when we face environmental challenges during the photoshoot. Our advanced editing services include:

• Photo Masking and Layers

• Photo Stitching - combining multiple photographic images to produce a high-resolution image or a panorama.

• Portrait Corrections - fixing the complexion and features of people in the photos

• Background Removal - removing cars. people, birds, and everything else you want to remove from your image to make it picture-perfect.

• Sky Replacement - a pretty neat feature in most photo editing software, making it easier for photographers or editors to replace the sky in any photo with a different one.

Advance Editing is essentially the icing on your cake!

On average, there are 276 sunny days per year in Maui County, so there would still be no sunny days that are not suitable for a perfect photoshoot. Achieving a perfect and bright blue sky in the background of the property for listing is also easier said than done. For one, you can’t control the weather, and waiting for the ideal conditions for photoshoots is not always feasible especially for those back-to-back vacation rental units.

SKY REPLACEMENT

Notice the difference in the 1st photo which is the raw image of the property from the 2nd photo or after editing.

Sky replacement has been used to replace the dark gray skies with a vibrant blue sky. We will ensure your photos have BLUE Sky, even on rainy or cloudy days.

The following four pictures are from the same property listing. Photos are of “before photo editing or the raw images” and the “after editing photos”

The cloudy or rainy weather conditions causing gray skies can definitely affect your real estate photo listings. Take the opportunity to highlight the beauty of your property through advanced editing services. This will give your listing an instant boost with the pop of vibrant colors.

Car/Object/People Removal

Given a time when your camera and subjects are all set, but you’re also outside in a public area where you don’t have any control over who is parked in front of your lanai and other objects that may suddenly appear in your captured image. What do you do?

We use the handy tools of post-processing to clear the view from any distraction. Does it make misleading content? No, as it uses the same view less the cars or other objects. Does it provide you and your clients a better view of the property’s outside features? Absolutely yes!

Here are a few more examples of the before and after car (circled) removal editing process.

***Depending on the number of objects subject for removal or the complexity of the photo, advanced digital modification may cost extra fee.

Ocean Views

Love Ocean View?

See the comparison on the ocean between the same photo. This was taken just before the rain. Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather, but we will try our best to make it look more appealing.

Now, take 5 seconds to look at the ocean in these next pictures.

Let us know in the comments down below how you felt seeing the blue ocean.

Richard Shuster, PsyD, clinical psychologist and host of The Daily Helping podcast has this to say about how the beach gets us feeling more Zen. “The color blue has been found by an overwhelming amount of people to be associated with feelings of calm and peace,” says Shuster. “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.” There is also the book “Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do” that has been backed by research that confirms how spending time near water is key to “achieving an elevated and sustained happiness”. So it shouldn’t be a wonder why Hawaii tops U.S. Wellbeing for a 7th-time record since 2008.

Even with gorgeous beaches surrounding these properties and the high number of sunny days in Aloha State, the scheduled time and day may coincide with unfavorable weather conditions that we cannot change.

For property photo listings that include ocean views, it is best to schedule the photoshoot in the morning or at an earlier time of the day depending on the location, unless we are trying to catch the sunset shots viewed from the property. This is because we want to avoid taking pictures against the sun which can leave us with unsatisfying results.

The sun’s position and lighting at a certain time of the day affect the color of the ocean which can make it grayish and dull. However, if there are time constraints in scheduling the photo shoot, we can assure you to bring vibrant colors into the game through our professional editing services.

Check the next photo listing pictures which were taken at not the most ideal time - against the sunlight, but given that late afternoon was the only time we could schedule, we adjusted the blue color to prevent the ocean from looking too silvery.

Given these certain factors and qualifications that can influence your property’s photo listings marketability and your brand image, the important thing you’ll have to decide now is choosing among the various photographers. This is where research and portfolios are crucial in the selection process. Choose the most suitable provider that can offer you unique service propositions and the one closest to your brand image, or at best the one that can work around more closely with your preference.

Check out our portfolio and list of services available.

All photos and materials in this blog are copyrighted by FLOCUS Studio LLC. Do not copy or repost. Thank you.

Our Service Overview: What type of media do you need to market your listing?

Congratulations! You just got a new listing and you are excited to help the Seller to get it on the market. Now, you are searching for a local photographer to take pictures of your listing.

First, you want to think about what type of media do you need? Just photos? Drone? Video? 3D or more? Before you hire a photographer, let’s dive deeper into what you really need to market your listing.

This post will give you a general overview of the types of media you can hire a professional real estate photographer to create for your property marketing and a sneak peek of what services Flocus Studio can offer as a full-service real estate media producer.

1. Listing Photos

When it comes to real estate marketing there is nothing more important than real estate photography. In fact, it can make or break a sale very easily.

“Without a doubt, professional photography is the most critical element of your listing marketing strategy. 86% of homebuyers state that listing photography is the #1 reason why they decide to view a home, yet only 35% of Realtors use a professional photography solution,” says Michael Yates, Marketing Director at Virtuance.

According to experts like Michael, “Using professional photography is the #1 way to get your listing to stand out from the competition and puts you in the best position to get more showings, more offers, and ultimately a higher sale price.”

So number one most basic, hire a professional photographer to take your listing photo. Don’t take it with your iPhone.

2. Video

The cherry on the sundae is having some kind of video tour that buyers can sink their teeth into. The use of video has become more prevalent over the last few years as more and more buyers tell us how much they enjoy it. Again, a top-notch Realtor won’t even give a second thought to whether or not videos are an expense worth having. They understand that if a consumer wants it then it needs to be done!”

A well-made real estate video can be an invaluable resource for both buyers and sellers, since it showcases the property in much more detail than a photo or textual description ever could. It saves you time from showing the houses to numbers of the potential clients so they can see the property on their smartphones and only those who are really interested to buy will call and ask for more information. Save your time from replying to those who have no intention to buy so you can focus on other aspects of your business.

We offer basic walkthrough video service.

3. Aerial Photos and Video

The real estate business itself boils down to one basic principle: the more leads you generate the more sales you’re likely to make. Since real estate agents know this, they are constantly on the lookout for ways to help them generate leads and aerial photography is one of the best ways to do just that. It’s an easy way to make your listings stand out from the pack and that can make all the difference to your bottom line.

In Maui, if your property is in Kihei, it is close to the ocean but not as close as an oceanfront, you may want to show your buyers the proximity of the house/condo to the ocean. The drone photos can tell, “hey, the ocean is right across from the street” but a photo taken from the interior of the house will not be able to show. Usually, homes that have a partial ocean view, we can show the ocean in the interior photos but it may look very small inside the window frame. But when you add a drone photo, the “ocean part” of the photo is taken up the majority space of your photo. Which photo will catch your attention? An interior photo with a tiny ocean view from the window OR an aerial photo with more ocean?

Drone photos are a really good way to promote the location of your property. We usually will highlight the proximity to the ocean and also fly the drone looking back towards the mountain (Haleakala view), that way your viewers will have a 360 impression of what kind of views they are getting by staying in that property. This is even more important if you are trying to promote a vacation rental listing where most visitors to Hawaii will prefer to stay as close to the beach as possible.

Property in Makawao showing ocean view

Property in Kihei showing Haleakala View

Not every property is suitable to have drone though, we do not recommend using drone photos when the property is next to some undesirable surroundings, or the yard is poorly managed, the roof of the house is so dirty or old….bottom line, you want to show a stunning ocean view if you can.

If you have a property that is in great location, but the interior is not too special to showcase, we recommend to add a 1-minute drone video teaser instead. Always showcase the best features of your property, if something is not too special, you do not have to spend extra money to show the interiors with a walkthrough video. You want to give your viewers a teaser, a taste of how it will be like staying in your property - just enough that they will inquire more and catch their interests.

Show the location of the property - E.g. Kamalani is right across the street to the ocean, you can still show the proximity to the ocean and the mountain view on the other side with drone.

4. 3D Virtual Tour

You may have heard of 3D tours. In fact, what is a 3D Tour?

Many call video walkthroughs of homes “virtual tours,” for instance. While a great listing video can complement photos and really drive interest, it is definitely not the same thing as a virtual tour. A proper virtual tour is interactive, allowing the prospective buyer to view the home at their own pace and according to what draws their particular interest. The online home shopper controls which part of the house they look at and from which angle — think of it like Street View on Google Maps, but for the inside of a home.

Listing videos, on the other hand, are not interactive. They are a straightforward video that usually includes music, zooming and panning. The shopper can’t control the movement of the video nor a Slideshow. They are all different!

Here is an example of a 3D Tour.

This same listing above, since we posted in mid of March (now is end of April), has over 3,000 views on the 3D tours, with an average 45 second view time. People actually click your 3D tour! And when you have it embedded properly on the Zillow page (the platform that we used), it shows the 3D Home icon on your listing and stands out from others.

Read our other blog to learn more about 3D tours here.

So what are the benefits of a 3D Virtual Tour?

1) Save you time and cost to keep driving back and forth to show the property.

2) Reduce Your Listing Website’s bounce rate.

It represents the number of visitors who leave a website after seeing just one page. You can use virtual tours to keep visitors engaged for longer periods of time.This means that people will spend more time on your site. Low bounce rates result in more traffic and improved search engine rankings. They also help increase customer retention and boost your online exposure.

3) Get Quality Backlinks.

Every time someone shares your virtual house tours online, your site receives a backlink. This not only increases traffic but also helps establish your authority online.

Quality backlinks are a key ranking signal. They can increase brand awareness, strengthen your reputation, and drive traffic for years to come.

4) Increased Convenience

When you're showcasing a property, you first need to make sure the house is in pristine condition. But, it can be a hassle to call a cleaning agency or ask the homeowners to clean every time the phone rings. With virtual tours, you can show off the property in its very best condition. Moreover, you can highlight its key features to entice people into buying.

5) Stand Out from the Crowd

The more traffic and links you get, the more people will find out about your site. Virtual house tours can give you a competitive edge and make your business stands out.

6) Provide a Realistic Experience

Virtual tours are like a permanent open house. Potential clients can access the tour 24/7 from their office or while on the road.

This technology helps create an instant sense of ownership. Those who take the tour can easily imagine themselves living in that house.

5. Virtual Staging

When preparing a house for sale, there could be a lot of cleaning to be done before the photoshoot. Sometimes, it takes weeks to get the property ready. How much time can you afford to spend on waiting to have the house fully cleaned or for new furniture to be delivered before you list the house for sale?

We provide virtual staging services as an alternative to “physical staging” or intense cleaning for these situations:

• homes that have furniture that looks very old

• homes that have a lot of furniture in them

• homes that are poorly presented (very messy)

• rental properties where the tenant doesn’t want you to show their things in the photos

Depending on each house condition, we can digitally declutter and remove the current furniture and add in new virtual furniture to give a completely different look. This can dramatically change a room, and give added confidence to an agent who is selling a home that doesn’t present well. Digital decluttering depends on the property situation. Please send us sample photos to see if it is possible.

You will simply have to make a remark in your MLS listing saying photos are virtually staged. OR you can still have the empty room photos to show the before and after. Read more about Virtual Staging here.

6. Staging

Apart from virtual staging, we also provide basic staging services. This is especially helpful to vacation rental property where owners may want to show the vacation vibes and a tropical feel. The main area that we staged is usually the Lanai. We may put some flowers or fruits on the coffee table or kitchen countertop depending on the home.

You are welcome to stage it yourself or if you are owners who are not on the island, we will take care of the staging part for you. Nothing too fancy, but adding more colors to the living space does help make the photo pop up and stands out from the crowd.

7. Advance Digital Modification

Twilight Photos

We offer both sunset sessions to film your property during sunset and digital twilight photo. A sunset photo gives your listing a great cover photo and tells your viewers how it feels like to be in the house during evening time.

Sky Replacement

Although we live in Hawaii, there are still cloudy days or rainy days. If the photo shoot takes place on a less ideal weather day, don’t worry, we replace the sky with blue sky. Nice and shine.

Removing people in the photo

There may be lots of people on the beach or pool which we cannot always avoid. Let us digitally remove them from your listing photos.

Other specific requests

What if you have a fire pit in the backyard? If it is a challenge to light it up, we will light it up for you digitally by adding the fire.

***Advanced digital modification may cost extra depending on the complexity of the photo.

Fire is digitally added to the fire pit.

Twilight photo - Digital Sunset Photo

8. Custom Listing Website, Floor Plan and more

A great real estate agent will almost always have a first-class website as well. They understand that consumers start their search online and presentation is everything.

We can also create a custom hosting website with the function to host an interactive Virtual Open House, Floor Plans, 3D Tour, Flyer download, branded and unbranded version links, QR codes.

Inquire to know more.
Sample: Scroll below (left) or visit the custom website page directly.

We have covered some of the most popular media tools you can use for marketing your property listing. Now, it’s your decision to make what would you need your photographer to create for you.

If you want to know more about how to utilize these media tools in your listings, feel free to speak to us. Contact us for a consultation.

All photos and materials in this blog is copyrighted by FLOCUS Studio LLC. Do not copy or repost. Thank you.

Virtual Staging: Turn your ordinary property into Amazing listings

As more home-sellers turn to virtual staging, we have to ask: Is it really worth it, and does it compare to traditional staging?

According to the National Association of Realtors®, 77 percent of buyers’ agents say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize themselves living in a home. As many as 38 percent of sellers’ agents say that they stage all their clients’ homes before listing. Since the benefits of staging have a direct impact on listing performance, virtual staging was developed to give the same benefits that are looking for an alternative to traditional staging.

To determine whether virtual staging is a viable alternative for you, you have to know what it is and how it compares to traditional home staging.

What is Virtual Staging?

Virtual staging, like traditional staging, is decorating a property to showcase its best features and qualities in an effort to make it more attractive to buyers.

“I have always explained to my sellers that buyers will imprint on the first photos they see of a home and will develop their first positive feelings and attraction to a property at that time” describes Jen Williams, Real Estate Market Manager at Redfin.

But like the name implies, virtual staging is done with a computer. There’s exactly zero real furniture, area rugs, potted plants or other décor involved. Professional virtual stagers digitally insert decorative elements in high-resolution photos to show empty rooms’ full potential.

Virtually Staged Kamalani in Kihei

What Homes is Virtual Staging Best Suited For?

Virtual staging won’t work for all homes – in many cases, traditional staging is a superior choice. However, it can be a huge benefit if it’s done properly in:

• Vacant homes

• Homes with outdated furniture

• Properties with tenants in them, which leave the homeowner little control over the space’s appearance

If you still occupy your home and you can stage it to make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers, whole-house virtual staging isn’t for you. (You can still virtually stage some rooms if you and your agent think it’s appropriate, though.)

Virtual Staging vs. Traditional Staging

Virtual staging is usually a lot cheaper than traditional staging is. Here’s a quick glimpse at what you’re looking at:

• Virtual staging costs somewhere between $39 and $199 per room, depending on the contractor you use, your location and the amount of space you need staged.

• Traditional staging can cost several hundred dollars per month, depending on the stager you use, how much furniture you need to rent, your location and the number of rooms you need staged.

Price isn’t the only sticking point, though. Each method has its own pros and cons that you’ll have to consider, particularly if you’re trying to sell an empty house.

Pros and Cons of Virtual Staging

Virtual staging can help sell a home faster and for more money – but only if it’s done right. You still need to hire a professional who knows how to take good photos for virtual staging, and you need to work with a reputable company with a great portfolio of completed work.

Check out these side-by-side lists of the pros and cons of virtual staging to help you make the right choice:

Pros of Virtual Staging 

• Can help you showcase an empty home’s best features

• Is cost-effective when compared to traditional staging

• Attracts prospective buyers’ attention online

• Offers you the opportunity to stage any number of rooms

• Allows you to stage flex rooms in multiple ways

Cons of Virtual Staging

• Becomes more expensive when you need to remove furniture or items from photos

• Can be difficult to use when the house is occupied, unless you have previous listing photos

• Furniture and décor only exist in the virtual space – buyers will never see it in person

Pros and Cons of Traditional Staging

Traditional staging, which successful real estate agents have been using for decades, doesn’t always require a professional stager. However, it does require an eye for detail and the ability to create a space that appeals to the widest possible range of buyers.

Check out these side-by-side lists of the pros and cons of traditional staging to help you decide whether it’s a better choice for selling your home:

Pros of Traditional Staging

• Gives buyers real-life perspective when they tour the home

• Prevents buyers from having to tour a completely empty, vacant home

• Appeals to buyers’ sense of imagination

• Makes spaces appear larger and enables prospective buyers to gauge size

• Helps your home stand out in buyers’ memories after they leave

 Cons of Traditional Staging

• Can be expensive, and you’ll keep incurring costs until the home sells

• Requires stagers to bring in furnishings, décor and other items

• May be unnecessary, depending on how quickly homes are selling in your market

Sample Virtually Staged Photos - Original Photos provided by Agent

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Common Virtual Staging Mistakes

The biggest mistake a seller can make is hiring a virtual staging company that’s not good enough. Virtually staged photos should be exceptionally realistic – so real, in fact, that buyers won’t know they’re computer-generated unless someone tells them.

Other mistakes many people make with virtual staging is:

• Failing to provide prospective buyers with photos of empty rooms as well as staged rooms. Buyers may expect the home to look the same as it does in its listing photos, so provide both.

• Choosing virtual staging that makes the home look worse, not better. You have to be careful not to overdo furniture and decorative elements in staged photos.

• Using virtual staging when it’s unnecessary. Replacing furnishings and decorative elements in photos when they’re perfectly fine to begin with can be a significant waste of time (and money).

Could Virtual Staging Help You Sell Your Home?

Virtual staging can be a tremendous asset when you’re selling a vacant home, or one that has wild-card tenants or outdated décor. It allows prospective buyers to view the right vision of the home – not an empty, cavernous space, but one that’s comfortable and easy to live in.

Have you used virtual staging to sell a home? We’d love to hear your story and how it worked out for you, so please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Check out our Virtual Staging Services.

Article Reference: Bersin, Angie. at Redfin.com 

Want to Expand to the Luxury Market?

Average Home Marketing VS Luxury Home Marketing

There is no doubt that luxury homes need impeccable marketing campaigns. The photos should be amazing, and the video should capture the size of the home and the benefits of living in that particular area. Especially in Hawaii, where the location of the home really matters to the price, adding aerial photos and video footage will show the proximity to the ocean and help potential buyers to envision a lifestyle by the sea.

“Affluent consumers today are focused not just on a great property, but on the lifestyle that the property will provide their family. How do they see their family using the property? Will this property be a draw for their immediate and extended family to use for family gatherings?”

— David McHugh, a real estate agent with LIV Sotheby’s International Realty in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado

A Virtual Tour would also be essential, especially if the home is large and has a unique layout.

All of that’s great, and most real estate agent would be comfortable with that approach when selling a multimillion dollar listing.

But when it comes to the average home, shouldn’t they be given the best possible chance at a top sale price as well?

We know the commission for the selling agent is not as high, and the marketing budget won’t be as large, but a smart real estate agent will still know how to create an amazing real estate marketing campaign for an average home, and do it all on a budget.

What should a real estate agent spend on photography and marketing?

Laura Ure, real estate marketing expert, says:

“If the home being sold is for $2,000,000 could easily have $20,000 go into marketing it.”

In other words, she suggests spending about 1% of the sale price on the marketing of that home. That’s a third of the commission for an agent, which is fine for a large listing, but it gets harder for agents selling homes in lower price brackets.

But if you want to become a top agent, you must separate yourself from other agents and your broker and give yourself a unique identity, which buyers can easily tell from the brand quality of your marketing materials.

“Rather than selling a listing, sell the lifestyle.”

Jerry Rossi, author of Dog Eat Dog & Vice Versa: 9 Secrets to Put the Bite Into Your Marketing, suggests:

So if an agent is earning a 3% commission on the sale of a home, then that would equate to a marketing budget that’s 0.3% of the sale price.

That sounds fairly achievable even for homes at the bottom end of the market, so let’s see how that might work out with a few examples:

A marketing campaign for a 4 million dollars property:

Assuming a marketing budget that is 0.3% of the sale price = $12,000

With that, an agent would be able to provide top notch marketing content:

• 30-40 high-quality photos

• A cinematic video tour of the home and surrounding area with actors or voiceover

• A 3D Virtual Tour

• Floor Plans and Maps

• A designated website for the listing

• Flyers with great branding

• …and have some room to do social media Ads campaign

A marketing campaign for a $700,000 property:

Assuming a marketing budget that is 0.3% of the sale price = $2,100

That’s a healthy marketing budget, and with that an agent should be able to provide:

• 30 high-quality photos

• A video tour of the home and surrounding area

• A 3D Tour

• Flyers

• … and still have some change left over for an online ad campaign and more.

A marketing campaign for a $400,000 property:

Assuming a marketing budget that is 0.3% of the sale price = $1,200

That’s a tight marketing budget, but with that an agent should still be able to provide:

• 20 high-quality photos

• A short video tour of the home OR a short aerial video of an oceanfront property

This is a low-priced home in Maui, and when I did a quick search of current homes for sale across the Maui in that price range, there were few homes around that price that were presenting decent images.

Most of them feature homes that present images that were taken by the real estate agent or homeowner.

So what could an agent that wants to stand out do?

Even if we assuming a marketing budget that is 0.1% of the sale price, a $400,000 condo will still have $400 to spend on photos.

That doesn’t leave much room at all, but an agent should still be able to provide at least:

• 20 high-quality photos minimum that shows the interior of the house and exterior

Most agents wouldn’t even bother to spend that much, but at the lower end of the market a high-quality marketing campaign is going to stand out head and shoulders above every other listing on the market, simply because no-one else is spending money advertising there. So when those buyers and investors are scrolling through their search results, looking at homes for sale in that sub-$400K range, a property with just few a few exceptional images is going to get their attention.

So even if an agent is trying to sell Kihei Villages or South Pointe, if he is willing to spend just 0.1% of the sale price, his listing will stand out with quality photos and get a higher offer.

Conclusion

Don’t neglect the visual marketing of a home just because it’s average or low-cost. Sure, it’s easy to justify outlaying thousands of dollars on a million dollar listing, but it should be just as easy to justify spending a few hundred dollars on any listing at any price. Every home deserves to be shown at its best because the photos you use in a real estate marketing campaign impact upon the number of buyers you attract, it impacts upon the sale price, and it impacts on how buyers and sellers perceive that agent.

Unless you want to sell your homes, and yourself, short of their full potential then hire a professional real estate photographer for every single listing you have. The numbers will work well for you if you do.

Chat with us to get a FREE listing photography audit and marketing advice session.

Reference:

The Best Real Estate Local Photographer, Average home vs luxury home marketing, 2018 Nov 19.