ReZamp Real Estate: July 2014

Thursday, July 31, 2014

6 Easy Steps to Great Listing Photos!

This is a guest post by Marc Freislinger.  

Marc is an upcoming real estate photographer.  His tips will help you sell your homes faster and for more money.  More people are using the internet to find homes, and great photos are key!  

1.  Stage The Property
To stage a property is to make it appealing to as many people as possible. This is usually done by de-cluttering and maximizing the use of space. When a buyer tours a home that’s too full of personal effects, they don’t see the years of memories that accompany those things. Buyers just see a home that feels a bit too small. In a similar way, vacant homes can feel cold and uninviting. Some sellers will rent a full homes worth of furniture to negate this effect, but even small items such as wall art, place settings, and silk plants can make a home feel lived in. Because photos are even more impersonal than a walking tour, they can amplify these effects if you’re not careful in your staging and shooting.

2.  Shoot HDR
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is a great way to show off property interiors. Because homes are lit from multiple sources such as ceiling lights, floor lights, and exterior windows, it can be a challenge to take a good photo that doesn't burn out the windows or hide the interior in shadows. HDR photos are created by merging a series of photographs into one image that contains more detail than any single shot can. The photo series is taken on a tripod, using equally spaced exposures.



This allows for the full range of tones to be shown in the final product. The series can be merged using specialty programs such as Photomatix or Luminance HDR, or by hand in photo editing software like Photoshop. In the two shots below, you can see the difference between the camera’s “auto” setting, and a finished HDR photo.


3.  Shoot From The Hip
When most people take photos, they walk through the home and shoot while looking through the camera view finder at eye level. While this may easy for the photographer, they are missing out on one of the easiest ways to make a home feel larger on the inside. Set your tripod a little lower. While hip level may be a bit too low, shooting from chest level will help get more of the room in the picture and thereby make the home feel larger.



4.  a2 + b2 = c2
The widest point of any square or rectangle is across the diagonal. Another easy way to capture more of a room and improve the open feel of a home is to shoot photos across the widest part of a room. Shooting on the diagonal will also usually allow you to show only two walls of a room rather than three. This can be useful for keeping cluttered shelving or other unwanted items from view.



5.  Watch Your Verticals
When houses are being built, contractors use carpenter squares, lasers, and plumb bobs for one very important reason. They use them to keep the house square. Walls are vertical, ceiling and floor joists are horizontal. While looking at photographs, our imagination puts us in the space. Lines in pictures such as baseboards, door frames, and even wall corners should be horizontal and vertical just as they would be in life. Anyone who as ever visited a fun house knows how uneasy a person can feel when these items are built off kilter. When these things are off in a photo, some people experience that same feeling of vertigo.


6.  Hire A Pro

Taking and processing photographs is time consuming. Realtors make their money dealing with clients, networking, and marketing. Investors make money locating deals, analyzing properties, and running their businesses.  Is your time best spent learning and perfecting this craft? Or is your time better spent doing those things that make you money? I hope that something above will help you get your homes sold, but the best way to ensure professional looking photographs is to hire someone who has the eye, the software, and the experience to make your listing look its best. If you’re in the Phoenix area, I hope that you will consider Marc Freislinger Photography.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

5 Social Media Tips to Help Your Real Estate Business

This is a guest post by Matthew Coates.

Let's get one thing straight, Matthew Coates knows social media.  Matthew is running a real estate business and a majority of leads come from social media and the effort he puts into it.  Here are his tips on helping you grow your business through social media.

With some major prodding from my wife, I entered the social media space about 6 or 7 years ago. I never thought my business life (and personal for that matter) would change as much as it has during this period of time. There is no doubt in my mind that with the current business I'm doing , approximately 50% of it comes from social media. Bold statement, especially with these real estate trainers out there that say social media is a waste of time, and stop playing Candy Krush on Facebook and all that, "tweeting around", etc. I contend that I am more productive than many of your agents that make 300 cold calls a day to complete strangers and hard pressure them, and I don't burn out from doing what I do. 

And it's not that I haven't tried other methods - believe you me. I jumped in gung-ho last August after I got back from a retreat featuring one of the heaviest hitters in the real estate training world. I got a farm area around one of my listings, made 300 calls in a day. About 15 people actually picked up the phone. This is because when someone calls your home phone and your don't recognize the number, they don't answer. Pretty simple. Of the 15 who answered the only positive response was one person who was interested in receiving updates in their neighborhood. 

Now I see the point that if you do this daily you will have made 6,000 calls in a month and that yields X production, but you know what? Too much abuse for me. I want to work with people that WANT to work with me, not ones that need to have their arm twisted. I'm sure I'll bend a lot of people out of shape, but oh well, I know what works for me, and you can take it or leave it.

I don't look at my post so much as a "strategy", as I do just a way of being successful in life, and it automatically pours into your business life. And while I am referring mostly to Facebook, these could easily be woven into Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the whole 9 yards of social media sites.

So, what are my top 5 social media tips for real estate success?

Fill a need

When someone expresses a need, can you help? I'm not really talking about financial contributions, although that is the biggest given. I'm talking about helping make a recommendation for a good local vet, or maybe if someone's car broke down and they can't get to work. Most people look at this as taking time away from their own schedule and what they are going to lose, but I suggest looking at this as an investment in people. Does that mean they are going to call you next week to buy a house? Probably not, but you never know who they might run into. Heck, nothing may ever come of it for you, but you will have made a different in the life of another person, and I think that's enough.

Listen

Most of the time people just want to be listened to. Isn't it nice when you have had a hard day at work, or out trying to get clients, just to have someone there to hear your story. We all want that. Most people don't listen very well. They are too busy thinking about what they are going to say next. I'm not saying to jump into the drama and go fix everything, but by listening and adding comments of empathy and understanding , you will gain trust from others.

Be original

This is my biggest pet-peeve on social media. So many people comment the same exact things. Your friend posts a pic of them on family vacation in Hawaii, everyone says "awesome", or "hope you had a good time". Say something unique! How about "Did you get a chance to check out the Princeville area in Kauai? I heard it's pretty lovely and lush." Open up for the original poster to provide additional information, they love to give it, trust me! And the funny thing is that others will "like" your comment if it is original. One step further, you are looking forward to a notification on the OP's response because you had something intelligent to contribute to the social media interaction.

Be positive

I recently watched a very powerful video about the perception of negative social media behavior and how it can impact what friends think of you. It portrayed a guy updating his Facebook status with "My life sucks." And then we see friend after friend "hiding" him from their timelines.

Although it may have been stretched a bit, I don't think it was far from the truth. People don't want to see negative status updates on Facebook, especially ones where the only want to change them is if YOU change YOURSELF. Now tempering the negatives of your life and asking for advice or help is a completely different matter. I'm talking about airing your dirty laundry, complaining about this or that for argument's sake. Not attractive at all. Keep it upbeat , optimistic, but more than anything ,be yourself and be genuine and authentic. People can see right through a phony.

Don't "like" everything

One of the first things many people in business do when prompted to get involved in social media is to "like" all of their friends status updates. Please don't do this! It is pretty annoying, very transparent, and screams that you are desperate for friendship and/or business. Be selective - if something truly resonates with you, go ahead and "like" it, even comment "LIKE", or add something else to validate the friend's status update.

Hope you found this article helpful. My passion is helping people find solutions to buying and selling real estate in the Phoenix, AZ area. If I can be of assistance you can visit my website at livingchandler.com, call me at602.332.3321 or email me at mdtscoates@gmail.com 

If you have other social media tips feel free to comment below!

Monday, July 21, 2014

It is a scientific fact! - Better photos sell homes quicker

Better photos sell a home quicker and there is also a higher perceived value for the home.

On homes priced under $300k, I take photos myself using a DSLR camera with HDR functionality. These cameras cost around $500+, but they are well worth it.  You will also need HDR editing software which starts about $100.  

Here is an example of a shot BEFORE doing HDR.  



Here is the same photo AFTER applying HDR technology



For homes priced over $300k, I use a professional photographer like Bryan Schiele.  Bryan's photos look like this:




If you think you can do photos like Bryan, make sure you check out the video below.  He details all the work that goes into just one photo.



As you can tell from watching the video there is a lot of post production editing that accompanies taking a great photo. So do yourself a favor and put the camera phone away and spend the extra coin on having great photos to market your properties!


Friday, July 18, 2014

3 Ways to save $1500 on every remodel

Wanna save $1,500 on every real estate flip you do? Here's how:  

Home Depot Paint Rewards
1. Home Depot Paint Rewards is segmented into 3 levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. For each level rewards members can save 10%, 15%, 20% respectively.  Here is a pictures of my account.  



Quick Tip: You can jump right into the Silver level by asking the pro desk.  Tell the pro desk representative that you are a real estate flipper intending on doing several flips this year, and would like to start saving on paint today.  Chances are they will do it for you.  Each paint order will save you approximately $200.

Savings:  $200/house

Lowes Material Discounts
2.  There a couple ways to save at Lowes.  The simple way is to buy 10% off coupons on Ebay.  They run approximately a $1.00 each.  You can buy as many discount coupons as you want.

The better way to start saving money is by setting up special pricing with Lowe's.  I've done this at several Lowe's stores.  The first thing you need to do is put together a material list of fixtures, faucets, door knobs, canned lights, ect.  Next, take your list to the Lowe's Pro desk and ask them for special pricing on these items.  Here is an example of my list (my complete list is much longer!)

  

Once they price out your list, your average discount should be around 25%.  Therefore, if you are placing a $2,000 material order at Lowe's, you just saved $500.  Not bad savings for 20 minutes worth of work, huh? As an added bonus, Lowe's will put the order together for you or your contractor to pickup!

Savings:  $500/house

3.  Local Dealers

Never buy flooring or appliances from the big box stores. Go to a local flooring dealer and negotiate set pricing for tile, carpet, and wood floors.  You can save 10-20% over what big box stores charge. So your $2000 tile order will save you $400!

Savings:  $400/house

Use local appliance stores as well as they usually have discount packages for investors. My appliance package at a big box store is normally $1500 and I get it for $1100 at a local Phoenix appliance store.  


Savings:  $400/house

$200 - Home Depot Pain Rewards
$500 - Lowe's Material Discount
$400 - Local Flooring Store
$400 - Local Appliances Store
$1,500 - TOTAL SAVINGS PER HOUSE

So put an extra $1,500 back in your pocket on your next flip!  Any other ways that your are saving money on your flips?

Top 10 Hottest Zip Codes - Houston July 2014

Stats are fun but not as fun as investing in real estate.  Analyzing a real estate market by the contract ratio is a key indicator in measuring how hot the market is.  A "Normal" market has a contract ratio between 30 and 60.  Markets with a ratio greater than 60 indicate a hotter market.  It's a simple stat that anyone can use to analyze the current market conditions. 

Below are the hottest zip codes in Houston.  If you are thinking about investing,  the market hotness will help determine if your home flies off the market or lags on the market for months.


Rank
ZIP
CITY
ACTIVES
PENDINGS
Ratio
1
77036
Houston
18
32
177.78
2
77080
Houston
29
45
155.17
3
77067
Houston
19
28
147.37
4
77099
Houston
29
41
141.38
5
77003
Houston
18
25
138.89
6
77477
Meadows
22
30
136.36
7
77077
Houston
60
80
133.33
8
77045
Houston
27
35
129.63
9
77562
Highlands
17
22
129.41
10
77449
Katy
199
255
128.14
11
77084
Houston
137
175
127.74
12
77065
Houston
34
42
123.53
13
77450
Katy
131
159
121.37
14
77345
Kingwood
83
97
116.87
15
77043
Houston
29
33
113.79
16
77064
Houston
58
66
113.79
17
77089
Houston
77
86
111.69
18
77423
Brookshire
30
33
110.00
19
77070
Houston
74
81
109.46
20
77388
Spring
117
127
108.55
21
77429
Cypress
202
212
104.95
22
77071
Houston
31
32
103.23
23
77303
Conroe
34
35
102.94
24
77095
Houston
153
157
102.61
25
77057
Houston
46
47
102.17
26
77339
Kingwood
92
94
102.17
27
77096
Houston
54
55
101.85
28
77075
Houston
35
35
100.00
29
77489
Missouri City
42
42
100.00
30
77034
Houston
35
34
97.14
31
77479
Sugar Land
225
218
96.89
32
77583
Rosharon
83
80
96.39
33
77041
Houston
55
53
96.36
34
77091
Houston
27
26
96.30
35
77505
Pasadena
40
38
95.00
36
77083
Houston
99
94
94.95
37
77461
Needville
17
16
94.12
38
77082
Houston
65
61
93.85
39
77035
Houston
46
43
93.48
40
77373
Spring
167
155
92.81
41
77014
Houston
38
35
92.11
42
77584
Pearland
238
219
92.02
43
77040
Houston
48
44
91.67
44
77346
Humble
234
212
90.60
45
77005
Houston
53
48
90.57
46
77493
Katy
113
101
89.38
47
77062
Houston
60
53
88.33
48
77381
The Woodlands
109
95
87.16
49
77008
Houston
233
203
87.12
50
77536
Deer Park
60
52
86.67
51
77073
Houston
81
70
86.42
52
77088
Houston
68
58
85.29
53
77079
Houston
53
45
84.91
54
77498
Sugar Land
69
58
84.06
55
77407
Richmond
206
171
83.01
56
77581
Pearland
128
105
82.03
57
77433
Cypress
354
290
81.92
58
77007
Houston
261
207
79.31
59
77546
Friendswood
152
120
78.95
60
77053
Houston
28
22
78.57
61
77545
Fresno
51
40
78.43
62
77021
Houston
50
39
78.00
63
77047
Houston
74
57
77.03
64
77566
Lake Jackson
65
50
76.92
65
77471
Rosenberg
81
61
75.31
66
77025
Houston
56
42
75.00
67
77573
League City
334
249
74.55
68
77328
Cleveland
23
17
73.91
69
77018
Houston
107
79
73.83
70
77478
Sugar Land
64
47
73.44
71
77504
Pasadena
30
22
73.33
72
77015
Houston
44
32
72.73
73
77571
La Porte
108
78
72.22
74
77386
Spring
290
208
71.72
75
77094
Houston
21
15
71.43
76
77063
Houston
28
20
71.43
77
77092
Houston
35
25
71.43
78
77049
Houston
59
42
71.19
79
77510
Santa Fe
27
19
70.37
80
77375
Tomball
253
177
69.96
81
77009
Houston
118
82
69.49
82
77048
Houston
29
20
68.97
83
77382
The Woodlands
173
119
68.79
84
77469
Rosenberg
147
101
68.71
85
77059
Houston
60
41
68.33
86
77447
Hockley
37
25
67.57
87
77379
Spring
293
195
66.55
88
77072
Houston
41
27
65.85
89
77016
Houston
35
23
65.71
90
77396
Humble
137
89
64.96
91
77530
Channelview
37
24
64.86
92
77459
Missouri City
325
208
64.00
93
77406
Richmond
233
149
63.95
94
77401
Bellaire
61
39
63.93
95
77586
Seabrook
91
58
63.74
96
77006
Houston
44
28
63.64
97
77090
Houston
60
38
63.33
98
77024
Houston
95
60
63.16
99
77494
Katy
569
357
62.74
100
77518
Bacliff
16
10
62.50
101
77578
Manvel
72
45
62.50
102
77068
Houston
47
29
61.70
103
77017
Houston
31
19
61.29
104
77022
Houston
18
11
61.11
105
77539
Dickinson
188
114
60.64
106
77378
Wills
48
29
60.42
107
77098
Houston
40
24
60.00
108
77004
Houston
91
54
59.34
109
77521
Baytown
136
80
58.82
110
77502
Pasadena
46
27
58.70
111
77384
Conroe
75
44
58.67
112
77338
Humble
117
68
58.12
113
77086
Houston
28
16
57.14
114
77377
Tomball
140
80
57.14
115
77044
Houston
177
100
56.50
116
77532
Crosby
105
59
56.19
117
77066
Houston
68
38
55.88
118
77055
Houston
104
58
55.77
119
77354
Magnolia
135
75
55.56
120
77019
Houston
74
41
55.41
121
77385
Conroe
94
52
55.32
122
77511
Alvin
117
64
54.70
123
77302
Conroe
53
28
52.83
124
77372
Splendora
21
11
52.38
125
77503
Pasadena
23
12
52.17
126
77380
The Woodlands
73
38
52.05
127
77535
Dayton
72
37
51.39
128
77474
Sealy
37
19
51.35
129
77357
New Caney
53
27
50.94
130
77441
Fulshear
205
104
50.73
131
77590
Texas City
89
45
50.56
132
77523
Beach City
103
52
50.49
133
77531
Richwood
20
10
50.00
134
77087
Houston
35
17
48.57
135
77056
Houston
62
30
48.39
136
77506
Pasadena
29
14
48.28
137
77565
Kemah
48
23
47.92
138
77327
Rye
65
31
47.69
139
77563
Hitchcock
63
30
47.62
140
77037
Houston
17
8
47.06
141
77365
Porter
183
86
46.99
142
77568
La Marque
93
43
46.24
143
77042
Houston
40
18
45.00
144
77355
Magnolia
123
54
43.90
145
77051
Houston
46
20
43.48
146
77304
Conroe
157
67
42.68
147
77316
Montgomery
155
66
42.58
148
77591
Texas City
45
19
42.22
149
77039
Houston
24
10
41.67
150
77486
West Columbia
24
10
41.67
151
77484
Waller
29
12
41.38
152
77318
Willis
131
54
41.22
153
77868
Navasota
27
11
40.74
154
77038
Houston
25
10
40.00
155
77069
Houston
72
28
38.89
156
77520
Baytown
77
29
37.66
157
77389
Spring
311
117
37.62
158
77026
Houston
24
9
37.50
159
77076
Houston
24
9
37.50
160
77336
Huffman
67
25
37.31
161
77362
Pinehurst
25
9
36.00
162
77301
Conroe
79
28
35.44
163
77575
Liberty
37
13
35.14
164
77515
Angleton
70
24
34.29
165
77027
Houston
41
14
34.15
166
77550
Galveston
104
35
33.65
167
77845
College Station
33
11
33.33
168
77033
Houston
48
16
33.33
169
77541
Freeport
81
27
33.33
170
77356
Montgomery
373
124
33.24
171
77422
Brazoria
34
11
32.35
172
77028
Houston
25
8
32.00
173
77331
Coldspring
60
19
31.67
174
77445
Hempstead
34
10
29.41
175
77418
Belville
38
10
26.32
176
77058
Houston
27
7
25.93
177
77833
Brenham
68
17
25.00
178
77351
Livingston
219
54
24.66
179
77029
Houston
21
5
23.81
180
77364
Point Blank
42
10
23.81
181
77093
Houston
30
7
23.33
182
78934
Columbus
22
5
22.73
183
77551
Galveston
84
19
22.62
184
77488
Wharton
49
11
22.45
185
77320
Huntsville
99
21
21.21
186
77340
Huntsville
90
19
21.11
187
77360
Onalaska
88
18
20.45
188
77437
El Campo
57
11
19.30
189
77554
Jamaica Beach
300
53
17.67
190
78133
Canyon Lake
19
3
15.79
191
77020
Houston
32
5
15.63
192
75862
Trinity
122
17
13.93
193
77871
Normangee
17
2
11.76
194
75979
Woodville
39
4
10.26
195
77879
Sommerville
21
2
9.52
196
77650
Crystal Beach
143
13
9.09
197
77414
Sargent
111
10
9.01
198
77457
Matagorda
24
2
8.33
199
77663
Village Mills
34
2
5.88