There is no mistaking a home shot by a professional photographer when compared to an agent taking pictures of their own listing. Even non-pros may know to turn on lights, fans and stay out of mirrors. The difference is clear in post processing of the pictures. Most professional photographers I know spend hours daily in Photoshop, Lightroom or other editing programs processing their pictures. Color balancing a picture can be subtle… like adding reverb to a vocal track. Creating the perfect virtual tour elements for your online tour is also like mixing guitar, piano, vocal and drums to make a song. I know this because I edit all my virtual home tours in my music studio. Mixing an album or a virtual home tour is all the same process to me. Agents taking their own pictures is not always a huge mistake (depending on scope of the property). But, even the pros know to take time with their images before unveiling them onto the MLS. As much as real estate photographers drive home the importance of using pros to set the tone for the online presentation, it’s is still a fact that 80% of agents continue to take their own pictures.
We developed the pixel tour at Virtual Tour Club to step into the listing process midstream. Once an agent has taken their photographs they send them to us and we import the original digital files into Photoshop and professionally edit the pictures. This includes straightening, brightening, color balancing, shadowing highlights and other filter applications to help the picture look it’s best. We create a virtual tour with a MLS compliant and Full version with contact information. We then stream it on Facebook, Twitter, Google, Trulia, Zillow and Realtor.com for those with a Showcase listing. The agent downloads their edited pictures and virtual tour to post on the MLS. This makes it easy for the busy realtor who takes their own pictures but does not have time or knowledge to list all the images or make the virtual tour. The whole process takes less than a day from the time we get the images.
Here is a before and after look at the same image!
We also provide free consultation for Virtual Tour Club members on how to best take real estate pictures. Some things cannot be fixed in mix down like images that have too much window glare or are blurry. So, getting a decent picture to start with is key to a great MLS presentation. There will be many more posts coming on preparation of images, staging and other ways to make your images look their best. Make sure to subscribe to our blog or become a Virtual Tour Club member to stay in-the-loop if you are interested in taking the best pictures of your listings possible.
 SEARCH FOR ALBUQUERQUE REAL ESTATE WITH THIS MARKET INSIDER LINK. Jim Gross, Associate Broker with Keller Williams is a leading expert in real estate photography and virtual tours within Albuquerque, NM. Jim leverages the power of the internet to sell Albuquerque homes. Use the links below to contact Jim, visit his real estate sites, subscribe to this blog (link above), and follow Jim at any of the social media links below. Websites: Marketing Homes Online Search Albuquerque Homes Email Contact: 505-980-7788 or at Keller Williams 505-271-8200 9201 Montgomery NE, Ste 100, Albuquerque, NM 87111  |
