Today’s Knoxville real estate listings are put right into the palm of your hand.  In the recent past, Zillow.com and Realtor.com and a few others weren’t around to provide listing information, real estate agents were the primary source, and they only cared about reaching the buyer's agents and not the average home buyer.  With the advancements in technologies, agents can now market directly to the consumer.  Social media marketing trends have become the essence that some agents should have become comfortable with, but, Realtor.com reports only about 29% of agents really feel comfortable with social media.

Real estate agents really need to work at becoming more comfortable with social media marketing, it's reported that only 9% of real estate agents actually share their listings with social media sites; a direct link to potential buyers that really works well in the driving of awareness that leads to an interest with potential clients. Social media is a connection to the people; the audience where 72% of adults are active on social media sites like Facebook.

Social media is an ever-changing medium, the main requirement: all the content needs to be good, be useful and up-to-the-minute information for the reader, sharing the latest advancements and trends in photography and video can assure that your social media profile stands out and finds the audience you want.

Building your online reputation should be the most important reason to use social media to build your business, providing quality content is the best way to stand out from other agents and position yourself as an industry expert.  Real estate photography is an excellent media to use to engage your audience, it creates an emotional connection and gives the impression of providing special treatment, it provides clients a feeling of being inside the listing and it can generate more inquiries.

Digital photography has become the requirement in real estate marketing, photography captures a listings’ personality and is a showcase for its character, it allows clients to navigate properties as if they were actually there, making it easier to relate to the listing.  Real estate photography is more likely to generate a higher price per square foot, will receive on average 61% more attention and spend fewer days on the market.  Photography is surprisingly influential with a power to lure in clients or even turn them away. 

Finding and using social media properly is a great way for real estate agents to grow their business and strengthen their online reputation positioning themselves as an industry expert, keeps your readers interested and engaged in your postings and makes it a lot easier to attract new clients.

Read a little more,

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-marketing-for-real-estate-agents-and-brokers/

My real estate photography business, Mike ONeill Photography, is designed around helping my clients; by providing a consistent level of professional real estate photography and services, it's my continuous responsibility.  I want return business, I know that won't happen if I do not deliver the professional services, my clients expect. 

My job is to meet my client's demands and be good at anticipating their now and future needs. Working with real estate agents is a must-do part of my job, my clients know I value and I understand the way they market, not just to sell a listing but to help them pick up more listings in the future.  It’s not hard to understand that the better the professional photography and services I provide, the better my real estate agents’ marketing results will be, and the more listings the agent sells, and the more that agent will come to depend on me to photograph their future listings that I helped them to get.  

Robert Nowell is a Canadian photographer who understands the photography industry and how its changed over the years but also knows how the old business of business to business really hasn’t changed that much from the old fashion providing good customer services.  I think he explains pretty well how I feel I want to run my Knoxville business.

Photography Business Basics

By Robert Nowell 

http://sproutingphotographer.com/the-3-basics-in-business-that-havent-changed

A good real estate agent or broker is a valuable resource.  Agents know the mortgage brokers, inspectors, a good handyman, the neighborhood area, and sometimes even other listings that the rest of the public does not.  And then there’s all the contracts and other legal matters to keep in order. It’s a lot of work!

Agents also help the seller understand the reality of selling their home, the work involved in getting the home ready, and in a condition that will impress home buyers when the property is first seen, which will probably be on the Internet. Getting to that point requires a few steps. People will want to see what the property looks like, so this means professional photography. But before photographing the property, there is staging to be done, preparing the listing for sale. (http://www.joehaydenrealtor.com/home-sellers/updates-staging-and-photos/)

It only takes a quick glance--three seconds--and a prospective buyer forms an opinion of what the property means to them. Those three seconds will make a lasting impression. A realtor’s success may very well depend on a three-second viewing  (http://www.dailynews.com/lifestyle/20130822/the-truth-behind-staging-will-it-help-you-sell-your-house-faster-at-a-better-price) As a professional real estate photographer, I’ve gone into a home many times to find the home has not been well kept, is not clean, areas have not been picked up, beds are not made, dirty dishes are left in the sink or still on the table. Basically, I’ve walked into an unkempt house. The property was not staged. This is where realtors and real estate photographers can give their sellers some very valuable advice.

Staging can produce such good results for the home seller. A staged home will photograph better and make the home look like it’s just waiting for its new family. When staging and professionally photographed listings are used together, they compliment one another. The property will shine, creating a beautiful home showing.

Staging is best done by professionals, but home owners can do their own staging. There are many resources on the Internet explaining how to stage a home to sell. Staging should not be focused on the seller's personal taste and needs, but on making the home appeal to a broad range of buyers. The basic idea of staging is for buyers to be able to picture themselves living in the home as it’s presented and wanting to buy it.  (https://www.nar.realtor/news-releases/2015/01/home-staging-can-help-sell-home-for-more-realtors-say

Here in Knoxville, when I photograph a home that is for sale, I’m expecting to see that it is neat and organized. This means the home has been cleaned thoroughly; living areas are picked up, and beds are made. This means at least some staging effort has been made. I like a table set as if for an evening meal, to emphasize this home is waiting for you. Another small but important thing is to have window blinds open (or flat) to bring in the outside. This allows me to create a more comfortable, natural lighting as I photograph the home. These are just some of the ways staging can help show off your listings. I’m on the job to help Knoxville sellers show off their property, and this helps the agent get that awesome three-second viewing that will help sell the property quicker and for more money. (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-it-worth-it-to-stage-your-home-when-you-put-it-on-the-market-2016-05-04)

Real estate is one of the most competitive businesses you can be in. So much of your time is spent trying to stand out among everyone else doing the same job. Every day, agents are pushed aside by others who sell their services for a reduced commission or a flat fee, not to mention all the online real estate search sites racing past you. (http://realtormag.realtor.org/news-and-commentary/commentary/article/2010/05/friendly-competition) So what’s an agent to do?
 
You have to make your business personal. Buyers and sellers want an agent who’s trustworthy and has their best interests at heart. Selling real estate is like having a best friend, and you’re helping your friend to settle into a new home. When you give your customers individual attention, you understand what they are looking for. You respect their needs by showing them homes in their price range and in the neighborhoods they’re interested in. Before you know it, you’ll earn a reputation for helping people that all clients who need a good friend are looking for when they buy or sell a home. They will tell their friends about you and spread the word about you and your personalized business. You’ll attract more clients, make more sales—and stand out!
 
I’m a pretty good real estate photographer, and I like helping people.  My work depends on how well realtors do their jobs and how well the Knoxville real estate market is doing. It’s just natural for me to want to help realtors be better realtors. I work hard at what I produce, and I’m always trying to improve what I do. I work at making sure my clients are satisfied. Today’s blog is about me trying to help you find more properties to sell (which helps my realtor customers have more work for me!). It's a pretty good way for me to spend my time.
 
I’m listing a few sources of information for you to read that I found interesting. We all know there is an abundant supply of ideas on the Internet of how to best attract new clients, but I hope these sources will provide fresh perspectives, new ideas, and some things to think about. And when you put this information into practice, I’ll hope you’ll call me to photograph your new listing. Then we both win. Smiles.

• 4 steps to content marketing that will grow your real estate business

https://www.inman.com/2017/06/26/4-steps-to-content-marketing-that-will-grow-your-real-estate-business/

Inman News is the leading real estate news source for real estate agents, Realtors, brokers, real estate executives and real estate technology leaders who need the latest real estate news, insights and analysis to grow their business and stay ahead of the competition

You have a website that’s supposed to help you get more clients. But no one’s visiting. 

• Improve Your Branding to Attract Better Clients

http://www.marketleader.com/blog/2015/01/28/improve-your-branding-to-attract-better-clients/

A pioneer in lead generation and contact management systems, Market Leader has been helping agents and teams manage, grow, and thrive since 1999.

Just as all real estate agents aren’t alike, nor are all real estate clients. Some are better than others. Now sure, “better” is in the mind of the beholder. Maybe a better client to you is one that can make up his mind before touring the 100th house for sale. Perhaps to the agent at the next desk, a better client is one that instantly trusts her.

• 5 Top Real Estate Marketing Tactics You Need in 2017

http://www.chatterbuzzmedia.com/blog/5-top-real-estate-marketing-tactics-need-2017/

Chatter Buzz is a full service Creative Orlando Marketing Agency. A digital advertising agency with locations in Tampa, New York and Miami, Fl.

There was a time when a prominent downtown office was all a real estate agent needed to attract prospective sellers and buyers searching for their dream home.

• How Does a Rookie Get Listings?    

 (This one is a little old, but the info is still viable)

http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/article/2005/06/how-does-rookie-get-listings

The Official Magazine for the National Association of REALTORS, covering real estate trends, real estate news and data.

The first months in the real estate business are sure to be a challenge; getting your name out, finding clients, and securing your first listings are no small tasks.

Professional real estate photographers don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, your job is to work closely with your client or real estate agent. Your job is to provide a service to that agent who’s trying to make a living selling a house. They need your professional images to help promote their business and connect with clients. A professional real estate photographer must form--and support--a relationship with an agent. You must set this relationship pretty much from the beginning. Your part of the business relationship is to photograph their listings and help get their properties sold. You must also be able to get along with them, and you must have an understanding of how the real-estate system works. If you want to keep working, you have to be a professional.

Your client will already know what type of photography they want and will expect you to already have a pretty good understanding of what needs to be photographed. If you're new to real estate photography or are already a working real estate photographer, the following advice (a little basic for some, I hope) may make you more aware of some of the skills you should be experienced with. These skills will help you to create that important professional relationship with your agents.

The best photographers know what questions to ask; show a genuine interest in the business; and learn about their agent's unique needs and their business goals. Photographers must learn to listen to their agents and anticipate suggestions that will be helpful. A professional photographer will be reliable, always show up on time (when promised), dress professionally, and care about their agent's needs. Professional real estate photographers know they have to always work to keep their agent’s trust and work even harder to always do the best work they are capable of. It's all about taking care of business, making that property shine, sell faster and for more money, and making that agent look good. Your photography will one of the most important parts of your agent’s marketing. Your photographs are a reflection of the agent. Your photography has got to top-notch. (http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/article/2017/06/rules-for-hiring-high-quality-photographer)

Differences in Lines

There are some major differences between experienced and unskilled real estate photographers. The most obvious (and what should be the first thing to look for) is vertical lines. When the look of an interior or an exterior property photograph seems to be at an angle or “tilting,” your vertical lines are not straight.  Almost everywhere we look doors, walls, windows, and buildings are all perfectly straight. It's important to have a strong and sturdy tripod, and you should ensure that it is perfectly level when you take your picture. A level camera will straighten the vertical lines and make the resulting photo more pleasing to look at, and there’s always your photo editing program to help you.  (http://photographyforrealestate.net/2012/05/21/dont-charge-for-real-estate-photography-until-your-verticals-are-vertical/). A real estate photographers’ job is to display the property their clients are trying to sell in the best possible way. Your pictures have to impress the viewer; they need to have true verticals and flat horizontals lines. A professional photographer will know how to level the image to take that best picture. Otherwise, the room or the house will appear distorted and out-of-balance, suggesting the room is in need of repair. That's not good. 

Necessary Bracketing

Manipulating exposure is an important technique for any photographer to fully understand and know how to do. A scene does not always have the same exposure. There are normally light areas and dark areas that have to be dealt with to capture the brightness range of a scene. There are editing programs for photo manipulation as well as other methods; but if you have the software experience, you may be able to edit the exposure problem out. One good method is exposure bracketing. It's a better method that you can use to solve the problem, if you know how to make the camera adjustments. Exposure bracketing is taking the same picture multiple times—but with different exposures each time, either changing aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. One of the exposures should be a more correct exposure; the goal is to get a great photograph that is a realistic looking image.  (How To Shoot Brackets So You Capture The Whole Brightness Range Of A Room)

Filling with Flash

Professional photographers are expected to be able to create great images that are well-exposed and with flash used correctly. Mixing the room light together with either on- or off-camera flash to create a natural look is the best way to show off the features of an interior room. You can bounce your flash off a white ceiling or off a white wall to diffuse the light to avoid the harsh shadows that can ruin your interior shots. Learning this one skill will greatly improve your real estate photography. (How Do You Use A Flash To Light Interiors?) 

White Balance

White balance is important to understand. It is essential to get it as correct as possible for a true representation of the image you're photographing. White balance is the color of an object, affected by the color or temperature under the light in which it is viewed. Our brains and our eyes will compensate for the differences in the light temperature; that's why white objects look white. Our digital cameras can’t compensate as people do and will need help in presenting an exact color. The white balance settings on your camera are what will help your DSLR emulate the correct color. It is a good practice to learn about white balance and how to set it on your camera. White balance works with your fill flash. You need to learn to match the color temperature of your flash with the existing light in the scene you're photographing. White balance can make a dramatic difference in how pictures are seen. (What Workflow Do Real Estate Photographers Use For White Balance?)

There is much to learn to be a professional real estate photographer. We’re only just touching on some of the basic things that will help define you as a professional photographer. You want to be the photographer that you would want to hire as a professional photographer for yourself! Your main goals should be: to be as helpful as you can for your client, know your clients’ needs, and know how they always want certain photography. Understand that the photography you create will either help sell your agent’s listing or perhaps be part of the problem when it stays unsold for too long a time, which will probably cost you your continued work with that client. You want your client happy with your work as well as with you. (http://photoh.com.au/so-you-want-to-be-a-real-estate-photographer/)

A Reflection of your Brand, Professional real estate photography can really make a big difference in property marketing and most certainly determines how quick listings sell or sit on the market. The marketing photography that a real estate agent provides can brand them as a professional or non-professional. Either way, it is a reflection of your personal brand.

An Effective Way to Grow your Busines

Your clients will be impressed when they see you making the extra effort to sell their property quickly and efficiently. But too many agents cut corners. They try to save a few dollars and take their own photographs by using their cell phones or point-and-shoot cameras. These unprofessional tools can have a very negative effect on your brand. (https://thenextweb.com/creativity/2017/04/09/personal-brand-deserves-high-quality-photography/#.tnw_QAWwW6n2)  The quality of these images can give clients the impression that you’re not very interested in marketing their property. I don’t really have to say, this often paves the way to dissatisfaction and leaves them less likely to refer you to their friends or family, but it can. (And we all know that client referrals are an effective way to grow your business—you can’t miss these opportunities!)

Buyers will recognize unprofessional photography, which can slow down the selling process. The next thing you know, your sellers will think they’re not receiving the service they expected. With so many real estate agents to choose from in the Knoxville area, a good plan is to show your clients that you have more to offer than the rest.  Showcasing clients’ homes with professional real estate photography will help you to stand out from other agents, and it will convince your clients that you provide excellent service.

Conveying the Beauty and Benefits

The home seller may sometimes need to take the initiative to invigorate their agent’s marketing efforts. The listing may be a beautiful property; but if the pictures don’t show it at its best, be prepared to let that “For Sale” sign stay planted in the ground for a while. So if your seller asks you to engage a professional photographer, embrace the opportunity to use someone who has the skills to convey the beauty and benefits of the home in pictures that will catch the eye of a potential buyer.  

In Knoxville, TN’s competitive real estate market, professional pictures mean the difference between a property that sells quickly and at a higher price versus one that doesn’t move and sells below value. In this very real sense, time *is* money!

Take a few pictures and they will come is an outdated view of real estate marketing. If you don’t show off a home with professional-quality photography, the odds are against you when it comes to getting the best offer and selling it quickly (http://retipster.com/ignore-professional-photography-real-estate-investing/). Just recently, I came across a video by a real estate professional that I would like to share with Knoxville agents. Pete Lorimer is a listing agent in Los Angeles, California. As the top agent in his brokerage for several years, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to sell homes. Check out Pete’s short video with straight talk for realtors where he outlines his reasons for saying, “You absolutely must, must, MUST have professional photographs taken in a house.” Pete asserts that your buyers will “swipe away” any homes shown using DIY photographs but will shortlist properties shot by professionals.

In my career as a real estate marketing photographer, I’ve been called numerous times to re-photograph listings that were not done by professionals. In those cases, I hear the same stories: the old pictures don't show off the house, agents and sellers became frustrated, and the listing became stale. These issues can be avoided when you use a pro from the start.

“You absolutely must, must, MUST have professional photographs taken in a house …”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1oti7sF_1s

This point has also been made before by:  North Carolina real estate agent Leigh Brown in this video

Looking for information about a home to buy isn’t hard. Internet searches give buyers a lot of information in seconds. However, home-buying information has become a clutter of data simply dropped onto the Internet. As a realtor, what can you do make your listings grab home buyers’ attention? The answer: make sure you show your property online before your buyers walk through the door.

More than 89% of home buyers use computers and mobile devices to begin their new home search. The Internet is central to the home-buying process, which makes real estate photography the main component to attract buyers. Good professional photography makes it easy to decide to visit that property both online and in person.  

Professional real estate photography brings more attention to your listings. A professionally photographed home will sell faster, and it will sell at a higher price. The National Association of Realtors (NAR, www.realtor.com) found that the listings with professional photography generate an average of 140% more Internet interest than similar homes with pictures created with point-and-shoot cameras and cell phone photography. NAR also says that only about half of all real estate properties include photographs by professional photographers.

Every year Knoxville real estate agents deal with more competition from new agents entering the profession. The real estate game is not easy to win. Our technological world not only demands consumer convenience, but also demands a professional Internet presence. Successful Knoxville realtors meet the expectations of a typical online shopping experience—just like buying from an online store.

The business of real estate is more about getting clients than about selling properties. Real estate agents who enhance their marketing by using a photographer who specializes in real estate marketing will have a leading edge. High-quality pictures separate agents who are in the game from those who are on the sidelines. The payoff is bringing clients to you.

Mike O’Neill Photography provides pictures that add to the “wow factor” of your listings online and in print. Mike is a real estate marketing specialist who delivers beautiful images of your buyer’s next home.

The Best Real Estate Marketing Strategy - 5 Rules for Exponential Growth

Many times real estate photographers will have to solve on-the-job problems and sometimes the answers aren’t always easy.  Larry Lohrman, the blog owner of “Photography for Real Estate”, a blog post for discussions about real estate photography, recently got this question from one of his readers:

Professional photographer, John, a wedding and portraiture photographer asked:

“I upgraded my camera from a D-90 to a D7100 and I still get this reddish brown color cast in a lot of interiors. I have tried adjusting color balance to the flash mode or sunlight mode instead of A (auto mode) with little success…. I have tried raising the color temperature manually and that sometimes helped in certain rooms, but not too often. It seems the auto mode works the best then I adjust the color balance in photoshop as needed but this a lot of extra time… Do you know of anything I can do to get more accurate exposures on interiors?”

Real estate photographers, including those just starting in the business and also the experienced ones, have to deal with many problems while photographing a property. Knoxville real estate agents are not always aware of the obstacles that their professional real estate photographer has to deal with on the job. Every day their job is to help make a house look good while at the same time dealing with houses not being ready for photographs, rainy days, overly bright windows and last minute cancellations, as well as technical issues like white balance, fill flash, color cast, verticals, and more.

In recent years photography has become the most important aspect of any real estate marketing campaign, selling a Knoxville, TN home is just like selling any product, It's important agents understand as much as possible what really goes into the photography of their listings, and as equally important too it's important for the photographer to know his business and to know his or her product. In the photography business, being a Knoxville real estate photographer is much more than just taking photographs, they have to be a marketing person too.

Larry's response to the question:

1. “Color balance: Interiors photographers have to deal with color balance issues more than other photographic situations because of many temperatures of light sources in rooms. Different light bulbs can have different color temperatures. The reddish brown can be old incandescent. John was shooting JPG so when the color balance came out of the camera off he had a hard time changing it. The best way to deal with color problems is to shoot RAW. Shooting RAW makes your life much easier in post-processing. Lightroom is designed to deal with RAW files quickly and easily! You can make color adjustments to a RAW file that you just cannot do to a JPG!

2. Using flash in interiors: John was shooting with his flash on his camera resulting in a very flat looking lighting. It is much better to keep your flash off your camera when shooting interiors, the results have flat looking light when the flash is on the same axis as the lens. Put it on a light stand, that doesn’t slow you down that much.

3. Verticals and barrel distortion: John wasn’t correcting verticals or removing barrel distortion. When shooting weddings and portraits neither make much difference but in interiors they become a big deal. Learning to use Lightroom is the fastest and easiest way to correct verticals and remove barrel distortion.”

These problems are minor and not so hard to work out, the more experienced the photographer the better they’ll be at handling any situation.  Knoxville has many really good experienced photographers, and the Knoxville housing market is one of the stronger markets. if your a Knoxville real estate professional, probably what’s best to take away from this blog is to choose the experienced photographer, they will provide you with better service and better photography, you’ll end up selling your listings quicker and you'll make more money.

Mike ONeill is an experienced real estate photographer.    www.mikeoneillphotography.com                                                                                   Contact us today for a promotional discount to try our services.                                     

We all know how 1st impressions work; they grab our attention and when it comes to marketing one of your real estate listings here in Knoxville, TN, its pretty much the most important thing in the world -- to you the agent.  In 2015, over 92% of prospective homebuyers started their home search looking on line, and if you don't have the quality images that prospective homebuyers are looking for you might be out of luck, and those prospective homebuyers go looking for another agent who can grab their attention.  Spending a little money, having professional photography done on that little cozy shack can sell that property quicker and make you a little more money.  Read on...

---

They say a picture is worth a thousand words – but when it comes to selling a home, the right picture could be worth much more. According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 92% of prospective homebuyers use the Internet to look for new homes, with 42% beginning their home search online. The same study found that 87% of homebuyers rated photos as very useful in their online home search – even surpassing detailed property information (84%).

It is no secret that buyers value the ability to view images and video of a property before deciding if it is worth visiting in person, and technology has made it much easier to do so. It has also enabled buyers who are out of state to narrow their home search and even, in some cases, to make a decision if they are unable to physically visit the property before moving.

Technology has also made it cheaper and easier to take photographs and publish them online. However, just because it is possible to take, edit and upload a photo from a smart phone does not make it ideal. Anyone can do that. It is the quality of the photos that can help differentiate a real estate agent’s listing.

Professional photographers should have the equipment – like cameras, lenses, light kits, etc. – needed to provide sharp, high resolution images of a property. They may also have unique accessories or tools, like drones or video equipment that can help a listing stand out from the crowd. But it takes more than nice equipment to take a great picture. Professional photographers also understand how to use lighting and angles to their advantage. And those who specialize in real estate photography know how to use their skills and equipment to show off the best features of a home in the best way possible.

While hiring a professional real estate photographer comes at a price, real estate agents might consider it an investment. One doesn’t have to search long to find testimonials from agents who report selling homes faster or for a greater price per square foot as a result of hiring a professional real estate photographer. Investing in high quality photography not only has the potential to impact how fast, and for how much, a home sells, but also demonstrates the level of service an agent provides to his or her clients – which could prove beneficial for securing referrals and other future business.