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.

10 Tips to Prepare the Home for Listing Photoshoot

Ready to list your home? Let’s look at the small steps that make a big difference when it comes to preparing a home to sell.

There are specific things you can do to visually make your space really attractive in photos. By following these guidelines, you’re setting up both your photographer and listing to have the highest success rate. If you’re not properly preparing the home to list, you’ll face risks of delaying the listing, needing reshoots, and many other hurdles.

1. Clear the driveway

One of the first things you need to identify before beginning photography should be asking yourself, are the all cars removed from the driveway? Is the pod storage unit sitting in the yard blocking the front of the house? Have you completed all your contractor work? This all ensures we can present the newly updated home properly.

Photo by FLOCUS Studio

2. Use a garage for storage

Use your garage as a storage unit. We typically don’t photograph garages as they are not viewed as a desirable space by most buyers. As such, it’s the best place for storage. Use it to hide garbage cans, trash, or large items, and of course you can pull your car in it as well.

3. Clear outside clutter

Remove all outside clutter and put away simple things like rakes, and roll up your lawn hoses. If you have outdoor furniture, set it up nicely and prepare it to serve dinner. The curbside appeal really matters.

4. Refresh landscaping

Mow your lawn and refresh your landscaping. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and different buyers might have different preferences, but refreshed landscaping ahead of a photographer’s arrival will yield better photos and results.

5. Clear surfaces of personal items

Inside the home, clear all surfaces. If your countertops are where you charge your phones, store messages and notes, that should all be organized and out of the way before we arrive. The same is true with the refrigerator; make sure magnets with images of faces, friends and children are removed. This saves time and allows the photographer to focus on showcasing your house, rather than pulling down magnets, or photoshopping out faces.

Photos by FLOCUS Studio.

6. Tidy the bathroom

Make sure toilet seat covers in the bathroom are positioned down. This can be an unsightly area, and again, we want to be cautious of privacy issues and stowing personal items like medication, as well as toothbrushes and loofahs. Organizing these areas prevents the photographer from having to clear up people’s personal bathroom items, which is not a fun process.

7. Prepare windows and lights

Our window images are really beautiful when we have all the windows sparkling clean, and the window shades and blinds opened. The same goes for lighting. It’s easy to have bulbs looked at or replaced before we are there, as we take all our photos with the lights on, which makes for beautiful ambient lighting. We suggest to turn off all the ceiling fans.

8. Make a plan for pets

Make a plan for your pets on the day of photography. Don’t just lock them in a room and expect the photographer to work around a dog. We don’t want pet shadows in the photos.

9. Clean the whole house

Complete a normal home refresh before photography such as making your bed, clearing the countertop as discussed, and taking the time to make that final pass before the photographer arrives. This gives your home an opportunity to really be ready for photos.

10. Alert your neighbors

Make sure your neighbors are aware if you are listing your home and a photographer will be visiting, especially if drones will be utilized. Drones can cause tension and privacy issues, which we want to be cautious of. Communication and awareness are key to a smooth shoot.

Photos by FLOCUS Studio

Reference Source: Hochberg, Emily. “10 Ways Sellers Can Prepare Their Homes for Real Estate Photos”, Redfin, May 30, 2019 

Sell Your House Fast: 7 People You Need on Your Team

So, you’ve decided to sell your home. Congratulations! Before you start playing with a mortgage calculator to see how much you can afford on your next home, you’ll want to know how to sell your current home fast. Ideally, you’re looking to list your home, generate interest quickly from potential buyers, and in a perfect world, a bidding war will ensue and you will get more than the asking price for your house. But before all of this can happen, you’re going to want to spend some time gathering a team of people who can help you along the way.

Whether you’re a first time or experienced seller, having a talented team of professionals on your side can mean the difference between a quick and stress-free selling experience and one that isn’t. So before you put your house on the market, here are seven key people you’ll want on your team to help sell your house fast.

Photo Credit: FLOCUS Studio. Copyright reserved.

1. Real Estate Agent 

Selling a house can be a complex process. That’s why the first person you’ll want by your side is a real estate agent. The job of a listing agent is to guide you through the entire home selling process. This can include necessary house preparations and repairs, pricing the home correctly, setting up the staging, executing a strategy to promote your home, negotiating with the buyer, and closing on the home.

But to do all of this you don’t want just any agent – you need the right agent for you. Well, you’ll want to find someone who will super-serve you, sell your house fast, and for the most money. So it’s important that you do your research and read reviews to make sure you’re choosing the best person for this important role. Free service to check what’s your Maui Area Property Worth.

Our Maui preferred agent is Daniel Rude at dreams2REALITY Group. Daniel has been involved in 200+ real estate transactions on Maui and served his clientele with a relationship approach.

Photo Credit: FLOCUS Studio. Copyright reserved.

2. Home Inspector 

It’s true that buyers are typically going to have a home inspection conducted before they agree to purchase the property, but what if you were to beat them to it? Hiring a home inspector to do a pre-listing home inspection is a proactive approach to getting your house ready to sell and it offers some advantages to sellers that you may not be aware of. With the pre-listing inspection, you can find out the exact condition of your property, what issues and repairs need to be addressed beforehand, fix them, and then focus on the next task of selling your home fast.

Also, knowing the condition of your home can be an asset during the negotiation phase. As you may already know, buyers often use their home inspection as a way of getting concessions from sellers, such as asking you to drop your list price. If you’ve already addressed these repairs, it is less likely that anything new will come up and impact your negotiation.

3. House Cleaner

Having a home that is fresh, clean, and inviting for potential buyers is crucial when selling. If buyers are interested in your home, they’ll open closets, explore cabinets, and they might move furniture around. The difference between inspecting a sparkling clean house and a place that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned can make or break a deal. That’s why your home needs to be spotless from top to bottom. Although you can clean your house by yourself, hiring a professional cleaning service might prove helpful during what is likely to be a very busy time for you. Also, professionals have experience with the thorough cleaning needed to sell a house. They will use high-quality products and equipment to deep clean your entire home – even the nooks and crannies that you didn’t know existed.

It’s also important to consider the timing of cleaning your home. You don’t want to wait to hire a professional cleaner after your home has been listed. It is something you should invest in before your home is on the market, so the listing photos can reflect your clean and decluttered home. You should also consider having your home cleaned regularly while it’s on the market. It could take some time to sell, and if you’re living in it during that time it may be extremely difficult to keep it in pristine condition.

Photo Credit: FLOCUS Studio. Copyright reserved.

4. Home Stager

Staging is one of the most important parts of the selling process. Contrary to what many may think, home staging is about more than just preparing a house for sale. There’s an art and a science to staging a home that goes above and beyond simply cleaning and decluttering a space. Staging is about making the home look larger, brighter, cleaner, and more welcoming. It is about selling a lifestyle that buyers will experience if they own the home. In fact, research shows that 83% percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. 

Professional stagers know exactly how to showcase a space using furnishings, color, artwork, and accessories. They are able to offer prospective buyers a glimpse into how each room can be utilized. When all is said and done, a home stager will be key in helping you transform your space to appeal to the greatest number of buyers, which can help sell your house fast.

5. Real Estate Photographer

The key to successfully listing and selling your home quickly is the photos. Today, more than ever before, online browsing is a critical part of the home buying process. Buyers can tour your entire home without ever leaving their couch and if they aren’t sold on the images that they see online, they will move on. That’s why having professional real estate photos of your home is so important. You may think you can take some of these photos yourself, but research shows hiring a professional photographer can help homes sell faster and for more money. Just remember, the better you represent your house online, the faster it will sell.

In addition to traditional real estate photography, consider adding in aerial photography – which can show off your entire property, a scenic view, and the surrounding area. Maybe you’re selling a home with a beautiful view up in Kula or oceanfront property in Makena. An aerial shot can easily put into perspective the full scope your home has to offer.

Our preferred Real Estate Photographer on Maui: Flora from FLOCUS Studio. Flocus Studio provides comprehensive real estate photography services including listing photos, aerial photos, videos, 3D Virtual Tours, and virtual staging.

Photo Credit: FLOCUS Studio. Copyright reserved.

6. Painter

Painting your home before you sell it may sound like a hassle, but homebuyers may be turned off by your turquoise bathroom, or your teenager’s darkly colored bedroom. Hiring a professional painter to give the inside and/or the outside of your home a fresh look with neutral, bright colors will be more appealing to a wide range of homebuyers, both in-person and online. It may also help sell your house fast when your property is one of the nicer looking available homes on the market. 

Our preferred local vendor: Pipeline Painting offers high-quality interior and exterior paint jobs on Maui. Call Jef today for a free estimate (email).

7. Handyman

There will be few things more off-putting to a prospective homebuyer than touring a property with chips taken out of the walls, broken fixtures, or loose floorboards. So before listing your home, you’ll want to make sure you’ve made the necessary repairs and renovations. Sure, there will be projects you can easily complete yourself, but what if you don’t have the time with everything else going on or a repair project is over your head? That’s where a handyman comes in. A handyman, or handyman service, is a skilled jack-of-all-trades who can help you handle a wide range of repairs in your home.

Additionally, before you can sell your home, it will likely need to go through a home inspection. A professional home inspector will give you a home inspection report, which is usually a list of any issues needing attention. Handyman services can be extremely helpful for addressing problems on that list and making sure any repairs are done up to code.

Photo Credit: FLOCUS Studio. Copyright reserved.

Selling a home and navigating the housing market can be a stressful experience. But having the right people on your team during this journey – all working together to help sell your house fast – can make all the difference. So before you list your home, consider bringing these seven people onto your team as their advice, expertise, and guidance can help be invaluable during the selling process. 

Content Credit: Article reference

Prepare Your Seller for a Photoshoot

First-time home sellers may be feeling a little overwhelmed by the process of selling their property. They may be worried that the photographer is coming to their home. To ease their stress and yours, you can save time by making sure everything goes well by using this helpful checklist.

Exterior Front and Back

• Remove cars from driveway

• Close all windows

• Sweep walkways

• Pick up leaves, sticks, branches

• Put toys, bicycles away

• Store seasonal décor

• Stow garden tools, supplies

• Remove all hoses

• Straighten and arrange deck furniture

• Clean pool area

Interior: Main Areas

• Remove personal items/photos

• Remove all visible clutter

• Open shades/blinds

• Replace burned out light bulbs

• Tidy up or put away all children’s toys

• Empty waste baskets

• Hide pet dishes/toys/beds

• Vacuum carpets

• Sweep hard floors

• Remove newspapers, mail

• Display attractive books or tropical decorations

• Turn off televisions and ceiling fans

• Turn on all lights

Interior: Kitchen

• Remove all items from refrigerator door

• Store food in cabinets

• De-clutter counters, stove

• Stow small appliances

• Hide soaps, cleaning items

• Hide dish towels, sponges

• Clear sink of dishes

• Put away draining rack

• Organize items on open shelves

• Place bowl of fruit on counter

 Interior: Dining Room

• Straighten/push in dining chairs

• Add centerpiece, candles

• Set the table for dinner

• Add a vase of tropical flowers

• Add a bottle of wine, glasses

 Interior: Bedrooms

• Make the beds

• Arrange decorative pillows

• Put away clothing, shoes

• Clean under the bed

• Clear surfaces of clutter

 Interior: Bathrooms

• Make the bathrooms sparkle

• Hang fresh towels or remove them if they don’t look nice

• Clear counters of toiletries

• Clean mirrors

• Clean toilet and close lid

• Remove all items from tub and shower

We provide professional photography service for Maui Real Estate Agents and Vacation rental company and owners. We are committed to provide you a smooth photoshoot experience and help you create images that promote your property and business. Contact us for more information.

All photos copyrighted by FLOCUS Studio.