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matt

Oct 27
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Hints & tips to help you future proof your real estate operation

By 3D Tour, Marketing, Matterport Tour, Real Estate Marketing, Virtual Tour No Comments

Everyone is talking about the ‘new normal’ in real estate but what does that actually mean?

“In the immediate future, technologies that reduce the need for human contact will be the clear winner; be they gesture-based building controls, platforms that eliminate the need for any human contact in real estate transactions, or technology that enables safety and social distancing on construction sites.” – Angelica Krystle Donati – a consumer tech journalist focusing on proptech & innovation in real estate and construction – published in Forbes in May 2020.

Everyone is talking about the ‘new normal’ in real estate but what does that actually mean? While no one can forecast what might happen next year, next month or even next week, we do know that real estate needs to become more digitally driven and ‘hands off’ in every aspect, as the above quote confirms.

If you’re starting to plan your real estate future, let Synergy help guide you to the new normal. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the many of the changes you can implement will improve your profit margin, help you close sales quicker and give you peace-of-mind with ways to future proof your business. Don’t miss out! Register today.

Oct 24
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Is sight unseen the future of selling homes?

By Real Estate Videos, Virtual Tour No Comments

Learn how virtual tours are keeping real estate transactions moving forward

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most industries have been unable to escape the urgent need to adapt services for an increasingly online world, and real estate, which has traditionally conducted business in-person and on-site, has certainly not been left untouched by this.

The industry has seen the majority of renting and selling processes either put on hold, moved online or proceed with added safety measures. But despite lockdowns and restrictions, many people still need to sell homes.

The industry has seen an incredible increase of virtual viewings that has led to growth in buying or renting without viewing the property or ‘sight unseen’.

Reserved Reluctance

Buying or renting ‘sight unseen’ has traditionally been viewed as risky. The industry has been reluctant to shift transactions online because many processes have required in-person interactions to secure a sale or lease.

Before the internet, Zoom, Facetime, and virtual tours, buying or renting ‘sight unseen’ was handled through photos of the property or having an agent representing the client to view properties on their behalf.

Technology has decreased buyers’ hesitancy, reflected by millennials who grew up with the internet. According to research conducted by real estate brokerage Redfin, millennial homebuyers are more likely to buy a home sight-unseen as compared to older buyers.

Risks + Benefits

One of the main risks for buying a property without seeing it is finding issues that are not obvious in photos or virtual tours - such as pests, traffic noises or infrastructure problems - which could result in agency lawsuits post-purchase.

Virtual tours have proven to drive higher offers and help sell homes faster. They give agents the opportunity to reach a wider audience by making virtual open houses available 24 hours a day to prospects living anywhere in the world. People can house hunt safely within the comfort of their own homes, limiting contact and minimizing risk in this current environment.

In addition, more prospects are able to walk through the home to see if it’s the right fit before requesting an in-person viewing, which frees up the agent to only show it to serious buyers. The seller appreciates less traffic in their home, especially now with social distancing restrictions. And, there is also a great environmental benefit due to the significant reduction in miles traveled to and from the property by both the agent and prospects, decreasing the amount of fuel burned and carbon emissions released.
The industry has seen the majority of renting and selling processes either put on hold, moved online or proceed with added safety measures. But despite lockdowns and restrictions, many people still need to sell homes.

The industry has seen an incredible increase of virtual viewings that has led to growth in buying or renting without viewing the property or ‘sight unseen’.

Oct 02
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Real Estate Videos. Which Is Best For You?

By Drone Videos, Home Tour, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Videos, Videos, Virtual Tour No Comments

Did you know that we provide multiple styles of Real Estate videos?

 

We always make an agent’s property look their best in our videos.

Things like bad lighting can take away from a video home tour’s impact.  We provide lighting to bring out the color and detail in every part of the home.  Our aerial video utilizes vivid color and clarity to show the home and surrounding scenery in a majestic way.  By using 4K video the viewer will experience the utmost in resolution for detailed viewing and be more engaged.

Synergy’s videos are made to be attention-grabbing videos that will captivate your audience and show your brand.

We do all the hard work so you can spend more time on what matters most for your clients.

Complete Video Home Tours

This shows the complete inside of the home as well as the outside.  Aerial (drone) shots are included in this video package.

Short Teaser Videos

This is a short video that only shows the homes’ features.  Not all rooms are shown.  Aerial shots are included in this video package.

Aerial/Drone Videos

Aerial videos are the only way to capture large properties! Aerial Videos show the property and surrounding scenery in a majestic way.

Interview Style Videos

A great way for viewers to get up close and personal with a Real Estate Agent or Builder. This showcases what they do and how they are different.

View more

Contact us today for your Custom Video!
970-639-9225

Aug 04
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How to Prepare Your Property for a Virtual Tour

By Market Your Home, Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Virtual Tour No Comments


Pets

If you have pets, please find a comfortable and contained space for any dogs. It’s best if they are not in the house while the Matterport photographer is on the job. Large animals could knock the camera over and cause damage.  If you need to keep your pet in the house during this time, we ask that you keep them with you and out of the way of the photographer.


Personal Items

Please put away any personal items you do not want to be photographed as the camera will capture EVERYTHING. Consider – family photos (if you’d like them to remain private), prescription bottles, important paperwork, jewelry, or artwork. The photographer will need to go in every nook of the house, so you have to conceal items if you’d like them to not be picked up on the camera.

Cleaning and Staging

Please clean and stage all rooms and hallways in your house. Please make sure dishes are clean and put away, blinds and drapes are open, beds are neatly made, and laundry is not visible.

 

Lights/Fans

Please turn on every light and turn off fans in your house for the photographer.

 

Limit the Number of People at Home

If at all possible, it is best if the photographer can be alone in the house to create the 3D tour. Every 30 seconds or so, the photographer moves the camera and has to hide out of the way so that the 360 degree camera can scan the room. Depending on the size of the home, this will be done around 75-200 times. It becomes difficult when the photographer has to make sure others are hiding as well. We realize you may need to be there and of course we will work out a plan to accommodate your needs!

Contact us today for your Virtual Tour!  970-639-9225

 

Mar 11
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What is holding you back from a video marketing strategy?

By Uncategorized, Video Marketing, Videos No Comments

So we have to know, what is holding you back from a video marketing strategy?  Video marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies that require proper planning and implementation. Before using video marketing to promote your business, there are several things that you need to do. Remember that you will be distributing the video even on social media platforms. Therefore the most important things about video marketing are to understand what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it. This means that you need to use sufficient time to plan before implementing.

 

The following are the most important questions that any business should ask itself before getting started with video marketing:

  1. What do you want to achieve with your video? This is definitely the most important question because it will give you a general guidance on how to go about video marketing. Write down exactly the goal you want to achieve for your business from the video marketing strategy. These goals are what will guide you in creating a video that will help in achieving them
  2. How will you create your video? You need to know if you will create the videos on your own or if you will hire professional services. This will depend on whether you have the necessary video recording equipment, expertise and crew. Quality of the videos created is very crucial
  3. How will you measure results obtained? It is very important to measure results obtained from your videos because it is the only way you will know whether you are achieving your goals or not. For example, if your goal was to increase the number of followers on social media through video marketing then you need to monitor the number of new followers.

For a complete review and a strategy that will produce visits to your website, call us for a video review and brainstorm session. Fill out our FREE consultation and get answers!

 

 

Feb 23
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3 Instagram Video Marketing Tips

By Uncategorized No Comments

1.Make videos that will encourage the next step for more info.  For example show something that you are doing and end the video with you holding a sign that says to see the final product go to www.yourdomain.com

2.Make videos that are shareable.  Things that are funny, interesting or just plain awesome footage is shareable.  The audio should be interesting but it has to be visually appealing!!

3.Use your hashtags wisely.  Think about what people are searching for that might include your business.  Market your business to the right people by showing up in the right searches.

With Instagram launching video style options and the partnership with Facebook, video is no joke.  A good marketing strategy will have a combination of appealing video with a call to action, shareable content and show up in the right searches.  This is true for any marketing strategy, not just a social one.  With video ads coming to Facebook this summer, your small business can be competitive on a social level all while being cost effective.  For more information on a cost effective video strategy contact us for a free consultation.  gosynergymc.com/video

May 25
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3 Ways To Make Killer Video

By Uncategorized, Video Marketing, Videos No Comments

3 Ways To Make Killer Video

With video engagement on the rise and marketing budgets on the decline it is important to look at where you can get the most bang for your buck.  Video is an extremely effective way to drive a message home, drive traffic to your website or Facebook page, or just increase awareness of your brand.  We encourage and incorporate video into each of our clients and they love it!  In fact, we just completed a project with a local mortgage loan officer’s website that we designed and incorporated video onto each page.  Not just video, but walk-out video where he is engaging you and talking directly to you.  Pretty slick!  Check it out here www.kylecanclose.com
I am going to give you 3 ways that you can make a killer video to accomplish whatever message you are trying to get across.
1.  Don’t go cheap!  Hire a professional with a good camera and lighting.  You are trying to come off professional and drive the value of your product or service home, so show the value by having a good quality video.  Flip videos are great for car dealers doing a walk around on a car, but not for someone sitting behind a desk or in their store talking about new product and services.  With so many HD screens (even on phones) you and your surroundings should look good!  You can usually find a production crew that will give you a break if you commit to several videos with them.
2.  Use graphics!  Incorporate your logo, website, phone number, twitter handle, whatever you can think of to use in the video whether on the bottom or at then end screen, but this is just another opportunity for people to contact you.  Don’t have your entire video be dancing graphics while you are talking, just incorporate them in any way you can.  It increases brand awareness and adds a level of professionalism you competition probably isn’t doing.
3.  Be human!  You shouldn’t worry about scripting the entire thing; people want to engage with people, not politicians.  Don’t sound like you are running for office in your video, sound like you are having a genuine conversation with your prospects or customers.  If you make a little blunder, keep going and keep eye contact with the camera.  I have seen so many videos that look like a 30 second political commercial and I just don’t get it.  Think about what your customers or potential customers want to hear from a real person they are talking to, not someone who is trying to sell them something.  Society has become so desensitized to the “Sham-wow” type selling that it just isn’t effective anymore.

I hope these help and you feel comfortable venturing into the world of video.  Stay tuned for my next blog about where to put these awesome videos you just filmed!  Till next time!

Synergy Marketing Consultants

May 10
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Drones in Real Estate

By Uncategorized No Comments
Play Video

“Drones are everywhere in the media today. Amazon is testing drones to deliver packages. Real estate agents are using drones to take aerial video. The military has been using drones for the past decade. Like it or not, the drone revolution is coming. With the potential to become an estimated $82 billion industry by 2025, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the topic is not something to take lightly.

Considering the potential economic impact of the drone industry in the coming years, I find it hard to believe to government and FAA will ban the use of commercial drones. To note, paying someone to fly a drone is illegal right now, according to the FAA rules on commercial drone use. However, that does not seem to be stopping people from becoming an aerial photographer. Pretty soon there will be thousands of “new” aerial photographers across the country.

The benefits drones provide in real estate are clear. Drones are essentially a camera tripod in the sky allowing real estate agents to capture virtually any shot they want from any angle and elevation. Combine that with a drone flying through the inside of the house, creating a whole new viewing experience for potential buyers and sellers. With this new technology there are several important things to know before you hire your next drone pilot.

1. Drone pilots are not created equal

Just because you are able to find someone who has a drone with a GoPro mounted to it does not mean that he or she is particularly good at flying the drone. The last thing you need is a drone crashing into the neighbor’s house. Make sure you ask for a testimonial, see previous examples of their work, and ask if they carry general liability insurance. The risk is too high to hire a pilot without these qualifications.

2. Video editing is everything

Even if the person you hire is a professional drone pilot, it does not mean that person is particularly good at editing video. To create a drone experience that wows, it is vital to ensure a professional edits the video. Video editing is an art, and it will be clear if the pilot chopped up the video and threw clips together. With the proliferation of real estate drone videos popping up, the bar for professionally edited video will only be set higher.

3. Fly indoors

Flying a drone around the outside of a listing is cool. Fly the same drone through the middle of the house — WOW! This is the most innovative virtual tour you can provide. A drone floating through different rooms of the house and straight out the door over the neighborhood is an experience worth talking about. This will make even the most mundane house look extraordinary.”

Will Caldwell is the CEO and co-founder at Rivolix, a mobile real estate tech company that helps Realtors generate more word-of-mouth leads. He is a passionate entrepreneur and recent college graduate living in San Diego.

 

Our Production Manager, Joe Jones contributes the following:

I agree with Mr. Caldwell on most everything in his article.  I really like the fact that he feels that drones are so important in real estate.  The sample video, he uses, shows the drone flying through a large house (mansion).  That would certainly make an impact and make video house tours even more unique and appealing to the viewer.  Displaying a home in a more dynamic way is a very positive thing for the agent and seller.  Smaller homes (3000 sq. ft. and less) would not benefit as much from the effort of flying the drone inside, unless the house had a large high-ceiling main living area.  A large house, like the one in the sample video, would be a great choice for inside drone shots.  I like the fact that the drone flies into the house, showing the main living area, and then flies out through an exit to the outside.  I think what’s missing, though, was a more extensive look at the inside with a standard camera and motion equipment.  Motion technology equipment like a slider, jib crane, and camera stabilization device would have completed the house tour.  The drone, along with the motion technology devices, can provide a smooth flow of visuals that are appealing, professional, and engaging to the viewer.

 

Three important things are prevalent in this article:

1. Employing a good dependable and experienced pilot is extremely important for both safety and quality.

2.  Involving a good editor is very important.  Note:  A good editor would have avoided showing the copter blades and should have provided some additional motion stabilization and color correction.

3.  And the fact that drones are used more and more in our society and are definitely here to stay.

 

This article is very positive toward what can be done for the real estate industry and what’s revolutionizing how homes can be advertised.

For more information on how Synergy Marketing can provide your real estate business with innovative home tours, call 970-639-9225.

 

Quoted from Inman News article : http://www.inman.com/next/3-things-to-know-before-you-hire-your-next-drone-pilot/

Apr 22
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Got Killer Video- Now What????

By Uncategorized No Comments

A while ago I wrote a blog about making killer video.  Remember- Don’t go cheap, Use graphics, and Be Human?   Now you have listened and make a great video about your product or service; where do you put it?  This is just as important as the video itself.  I mean why would you have a beautiful car and put it on a dirt lot in the middle of no where?  You wouldn’t.  Video is most effective when it can be linked to other things, so we always encourage our clients to put any video they have on YouTube.  There are a couple of reasons with the biggest one being it is partnered with Google.  Being partnered with Google will actually help you if you tag your videos correctly because when someone searches for something you offer, if your video is tagged correctly you show up in the search engine.  It is sort of like SEO without the small fortune you could spend on it.  Now don’t get me wrong this will not cure all your search engine problems, but it will help your videos be relevant and seen.  Another reason to post on YouTube is the creation of a custom YouTube Channel.  Don’t know what I am talking about check these out:
www.youtube.com/SynergyMarketingCO
www.youtube.com/JDCav24
www.youtube.com/expertvillage

See how those are completely different with the brand and brand message?  That is way more effective than having me watch your video surrounded by ads and other videos.  Another reason to use YouTube; it is universal!  You can upload or share a YouTube video almost anywhere and guess what happens then?  You can go viral, the more people see your video, the more people you can touch and influence.  The social game is all about influence right?

How much of your product or service will you sell with just video?  That depends; is it a good video and did anyone see it?  If you answered yes, then you will make connections and sales will increase.  The power of video isn’t going anywhere, but how can you as a business owner harness the power of video and increase your bottom line?  I hope I gave you some tips to get you started in the video world.  Please feel free to comment or leave your questions for me to answer in future posts! Till next time!

Synergy Marketing Consultants

Feb 17
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6 Questions We Asked Our Videographer

By Uncategorized, Videos, Virtual Tour No Comments

6 Questions to Ask a Videographer was a great article posted by the much respected Inman News recently.  After reading it we felt pretty good about the service we were offering to realtors in our video department and we decided to have our resident video guru Joe Jones answer the questions that you are supposed to ask your videographer before doing a home tour.  Below are his answers with a link to our YouTube channel to check out his work!

 

Six questions we asked our videographer

1. What do you mean by “video”?

Having a video tour of a house and property means just that; using actual video.  Some consider video as having still photos put together with music and some animation of the photos.  However, this isn’t true video!  A real video tour means using actual video footage from a good quality video camera, not a smart phone.  Using real HD quality video footage replicates what it would actually be like to walk through the house and view the house from a human perspective.  Make sure your videographer and you have all this clear upfront before you begin.

2. What areas will you shoot?

A typical home video tour includes a home’s interior, exterior, other outside buildings, and whatever views might be available of the house, or from the house.  You can choose which rooms to include or not.  You should have the flexibility in choosing which parts of the house or property to include, or not include, without having to pay any additional costs.  If aerial footage is an option it can provide a great perspective for some of the outside video.

3. Who will shoot my video?

Make sure your video will be shot by a professional.  Someone that just acquired a decent camera and stabilizer may not provide the most dramatic footage that will capture the viewer’s attention.  The video tour production should be “cinematic” enough, to the viewer, to retain their attention throughout the entire video.  The video tour should be comprehensive enough to give the viewer the feeling that they are truly familiar with this home after watching the video.

Always ask for samples of the videographer’s work regarding home video tours.  Ask how long they’ve been doing home video tours and how long they’ve been doing video production.  Will they provide agent branding without extra charge?  Will they upload your video to a Youtube site and not charge extra?  Make sure they have a definitive price structure and give you this price upfront.

4. What’s your timeline?

Will your videographer be able to work with your timeline?  Once a home is ready to show you want to have your video done quickly.  Look for someone who can be available within a few days of when the home is ready.  When the house is staged and ready you don’t want to have to wait too long to have the video footage shot.  Companies that work a lot with real estate companies understand this and make every effort to accommodate. They should be able to provide a finished product within 72 hours of the actual filming.

5. What’s your cancellation policy?

Things happen that may cause the decision to cancel a shoot: bad weather, the homeowners not having the house ready, the owners changing their decision to sell, etc.  A videographer should make every effort to work with you on your circumstances.  Most videographers would want at least a 24 hour notification if a cancellation has to take place.  Some may charge a rebooking fee if the videographer arrives to see the property isn’t ready yet.

6. What else do you do?

You may want to consider other types of videos than just video home tours.  At some point you may want to produce videos for your website; a real estate team video, a bio, or even a commercial.  If you find a professional videographer who can do these other things it will make your entire marketing process much simpler by using one entity for all your video projects.  Also, there’s the process that develops from a client/videographer’s relationship that enables the videographer to understand what that particular agent expects.

 

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