Comments on: Access to a Home For Shooting Photos http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/ Tips and Techniques for Real Estate Photography Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:41:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: larrylohrman http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1102 larrylohrman Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:38:06 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1102 Rob, This is good for meeting agents. But this means the home you are shooting for may have no photos or bad photos for the first week on the market! When a home goes on the market it it essential that it has photos because there is frequently more web traffic when a home first goes on the market than after its been on the market for a while. Also, in the first 24 hours after a home goes on the market photos are propagated to other real estate websites and there are many sites that don't do a good job of picking up changes in photos a week after the home is put on the MLS. Good marketing requires ALL marketing materials are ready on Day 1. Agents that don't have all marketing materials ready on day 1 are not going a good job of representing their seller! Rob,
This is good for meeting agents. But this means the home you are shooting for may have no photos or bad photos for the first week on the market! When a home goes on the market it it essential that it has photos because there is frequently more web traffic when a home first goes on the market than after its been on the market for a while. Also, in the first 24 hours after a home goes on the market photos are propagated to other real estate websites and there are many sites that don’t do a good job of picking up changes in photos a week after the home is put on the MLS.

Good marketing requires ALL marketing materials are ready on Day 1. Agents that don’t have all marketing materials ready on day 1 are not going a good job of representing their seller!

]]> By: Rob Vomund http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1101 Rob Vomund Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:49:40 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1101 I take a different approach. In my area each Wednesday is "open house" day for agents to view newly listed homes. When an agent gets ready to put a home on the market, they list it for the next week's agent tour. Whenever posible I shoot on those days. Two huge benefits. First, the agent is already there, so I'm not taking any of their time. Second, there is a stead flow of agents coming through the home, all prospective clients for me. I nearly always end up handing out 10-12 business cards. The big drawback is that the flow of agents slows things down a bit. But for me, the other benefits more than make up for this. I take a different approach. In my area each Wednesday is “open house” day for agents to view newly listed homes. When an agent gets ready to put a home on the market, they list it for the next week’s agent tour. Whenever posible I shoot on those days. Two huge benefits. First, the agent is already there, so I’m not taking any of their time. Second, there is a stead flow of agents coming through the home, all prospective clients for me. I nearly always end up handing out 10-12 business cards.

The big drawback is that the flow of agents slows things down a bit. But for me, the other benefits more than make up for this.

]]> By: larrylohrman http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1110 larrylohrman Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:07:34 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1110 Nathan and Susanne, I think you give good advice on asking to have either Realtor or home owner present. I like Aaron am surprised by how many non-agents have lockbox access in other areas since in our area (Seattle) only appraisers and Realtors have access... many appraisers don't even have access. Nathan and Susanne,
I think you give good advice on asking to have either Realtor or home owner present. I like Aaron am surprised by how many non-agents have lockbox access in other areas since in our area (Seattle) only appraisers and Realtors have access… many appraisers don’t even have access.

]]> By: Nathan Varney http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1109 Nathan Varney Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:25:32 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1109 I also agree with Susanne. I always request that *someone* be present; either the agent (preferred) or the homeowner for the sake of liability. Having the agent present is also one way to keep good face time with them. People do business with people they know and like. Also, I may want to move something to improve the photo whether that be a couple trinkets on a shelf or a couple of sofas. I wouldn't dare without someone's permission. I shot a vacant but furnished lakefront camp for a client back in June. I've done a lot of work for this broker and she trusts me to no end. She asked if I could just shoot this place for her if she gave me the lockbox code since it was a busy day for her and the owners lived out of state and they hadn't been to the camp yet this year. I convinced her to meet me there, let me in and take a walk around just to cover both of us. It was a good thing as the water-facing sliding glass doors downstairs had something thrown thru them. If I had been there alone, it could have very easily been pinned on me. It's not what you know happened, it's what you can prove. I also agree with Susanne. I always request that *someone* be present; either the agent (preferred) or the homeowner for the sake of liability. Having the agent present is also one way to keep good face time with them. People do business with people they know and like. Also, I may want to move something to improve the photo whether that be a couple trinkets on a shelf or a couple of sofas. I wouldn’t dare without someone’s permission.
I shot a vacant but furnished lakefront camp for a client back in June. I’ve done a lot of work for this broker and she trusts me to no end. She asked if I could just shoot this place for her if she gave me the lockbox code since it was a busy day for her and the owners lived out of state and they hadn’t been to the camp yet this year. I convinced her to meet me there, let me in and take a walk around just to cover both of us. It was a good thing as the water-facing sliding glass doors downstairs had something thrown thru them. If I had been there alone, it could have very easily been pinned on me. It’s not what you know happened, it’s what you can prove.

]]> By: Cherie Irwin http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1111 Cherie Irwin Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:57:31 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1111 Having Supra access makes sense in my area. I have three competitors, all non-agents, and they all have Surpra access. Agents here have come to expect it. And, it works well for photographers that do a number of shoots on a daily basis. I normally have anywhere from 3-6 shoots every day (I know, I know...I don't sleep much or eat well). Due to the higher volume, I can't give people an exact appoitment time. So I have to give them a time slot, much like the cable man! :) So it helps tremendously to have Supra access, in case the homeowner isn't home, the agent isn't available or the house is vacant. I also have a great deal of liability insurance, but I also have it listed in my contract that any liability for loss or damages rests entirely on the individual or agent that contracted my services. This protects me in the even that something should happen, and it was inlcluded in my contract at the advice of my attorney. I think that all of these matters are relative to the area that you serve. If all of your competitors have Supra access, then you need to be able to offer it too. In my case, if it were necessrary, I would pull my license out of referral and pay all of the Realtor Association dues just to be able to keep my eKey. If I didn't have it, it would kill my business! Having Supra access makes sense in my area. I have three competitors, all non-agents, and they all have Surpra access. Agents here have come to expect it. And, it works well for photographers that do a number of shoots on a daily basis. I normally have anywhere from 3-6 shoots every day (I know, I know…I don’t sleep much or eat well). Due to the higher volume, I can’t give people an exact appoitment time. So I have to give them a time slot, much like the cable man! :) So it helps tremendously to have Supra access, in case the homeowner isn’t home, the agent isn’t available or the house is vacant.

I also have a great deal of liability insurance, but I also have it listed in my contract that any liability for loss or damages rests entirely on the individual or agent that contracted my services. This protects me in the even that something should happen, and it was inlcluded in my contract at the advice of my attorney.

I think that all of these matters are relative to the area that you serve. If all of your competitors have Supra access, then you need to be able to offer it too. In my case, if it were necessrary, I would pull my license out of referral and pay all of the Realtor Association dues just to be able to keep my eKey. If I didn’t have it, it would kill my business!

]]> By: Karl Hoelscher http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1113 Karl Hoelscher Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:36:03 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1113 personaly, I agree with Susanne. I don't want to be in the home alone. CYA, ya know. personaly, I agree with Susanne. I don’t want to be in the home alone. CYA, ya know.

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]]> By: Susanne Hayek http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1117 Susanne Hayek Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:16:43 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1117 Personally, I don't want the liability of being in a home without the agent present, the exception being only if the home is completely vacant or staged, and then only for agents I trust and work with all the time. I have a lot of liability insurance as well but I sure as heck don't want to have to use it! There has never been any adverse affect on my business by not having access to the lockboxes. Personally, I don’t want the liability of being in a home without the agent present, the exception being only if the home is completely vacant or staged, and then only for agents I trust and work with all the time. I have a lot of liability insurance as well but I sure as heck don’t want to have to use it! There has never been any adverse affect on my business by not having access to the lockboxes.

]]> By: aaronleitz http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1116 aaronleitz Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:47:42 +0000 http://photographyforrealestate.net/2007/09/27/access-to-a-home-for-shooting-photos/#comment-1116 I don't have supra access and I am surprised at how many of you non-agents do. Bad situation just waiting to happen. I don’t have supra access and I am surprised at how many of you non-agents do. Bad situation just waiting to happen.

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