Going pro - the sequel

[ronlane]

I have to disagree. The value would be this. Time is a value and if you can use high quality photographs, video or 3D graphics to help narrow down a buyers selections you have added value in multiple ways. You can look through floorplans and photos much faster than you can by driving around all day or days. You can elementate some areas and homes just by looks and this is a much easier decision when looking at good quality photographs or video. And the final thing that you are doing is saving gas money and time from driving around to a bunch of houses that are iffy at best.

Do high quality pictures, brochures, etc help sell cars? Yes it does. Why? because people can take them home where they can look at them and be sold the dream every day. I think that it would work for houses as well.

 

[runnah]

Where does a bunch of great photography, or movies, or virtual tours, come in to this process?

It sets you apart from the pack. An unflattering photo of a house or room in a house could mean the difference between asking for a showing or skipping to the next one. When I bought my house the photos provided were terrible which was too bad for the sellers but good for use because we got a good house for good money. I am sure many people just passed because of the photos provided.

 

[unpopular]

Lets say you're looking at a few houses with different realtors. You come down to two different houses with a similar price. You take home the printed materials from both. One is a snap shot on copy paper with a few statistics. The other reminds you of all the things you likes about the house, that fireplace, the master bedroom looking out over the mountains.

The point of advertising isn't so much to sell the product, it's to establish a relationship between you and the product, it's to encourage you to remember it and have an emotional tie with it. This emotional tie is what generates excitement. Advertisement is not information. It's not a specification sheet. Currently, real estate advertising is interested in specifications, it's a terribly sterile approach to a product that is very emotionally charged.

The other element is that this would be offered as a convenience - ultimately, realtors sell houses, not advertising. If a realtor doesn't have to deal with the day to day advertising headaches involved with multimedia advertising, they have more time to spend showing houses and closing deals.

 

[ronlane]

exactly, Unpopular. If they aren't having to go take pictures of one house, they can be working to list another. Being able to send someone else to do that part for them, doubles their effeciency and that can sure help their bottom line, which is what you would want to market to the agent.

 

[unpopular]

People don't realize that in a big agency, about 30% of the office manager's job is dealing with ad placement alone, these are professionals who are better qualified to deal with customer service and everyday clerical matters. They're not advertising professionals.

I really do think that if you were to ask any realtor or agency if they feel that matters dealing with advertising is a burden, they'd agree that it is.

 

[amolitor]

Oh, I see. You're thinking about setting up a more soup-to-nuts advertising agency, not just a high end photograph-your-house business. Sorry, I didn't consult the original post before chattering away.

Sure, that makes sense.

 

[unpopular]

Yeah. I've always imagined a more full service advertising agency.

 

[thetrue]

If you don't do it, I will I think you're looking at a really great idea.

Are you in advertising now?

 

[fjrabon]

I think it could be worthwhile. The problem is selling realtors on something relatively new and unorthodox. many of them are going to look at you sideways and think "you want me to pay how much for what? I can do that!"

Unfortunately, many realtors tend to undervalue their personal time. Many of them will spend hours to fix something in a house that would cost them $100 to pay a handy man to fix. Many of them, even in the high end world, will only pay someone to do something if they think they absolutely CANNOT do it by themselves. Even the succesful ones usually got there by working through the slum offerings, and you are successful in the slum offerings by keeping costs low and doing a lot of stuff yourself. They tend to carry that mentality even when they move up to the high end market. A few realtors are starting to see the light, but many would just assume photograph a million dollar home with a hundred dollar point and shoot, and put it in a tiny black and white trade offering, and have black and white printer paper handouts in a box out front. They view advertising as purely informational, and then selling as what they do, person to person, with their gladhanding and talking.

You have to sell them on the idea that you are saving them lots of money by allowing them to do things that make them more money, take on more properties, get more money for every property they sell, etc. Are you that good of a salesman, both of their product, and yours?

 

[thetrue]

Idea: browse a few of the local real estate listings. Find everything you can as far as marketing and photos etc. Pick the best looking house with the worst marketing, go take a few good photos, play with the information that you have available and make a sample ad. Now take the original ad and your ad to the listing agent and make your presentation. With that along with the age old "time is money" argument and some salesmanship on your end should be able to give you a good idea of what you're dealing with.

 

[unpopular]

If you don't do it, I will I think you're looking at a really great idea.

Are you in advertising now?

I'm on disability right now, looking to get back into the game. Being on disability actually will help, I have access to vocational services that will help get my foot in the door and generate a portfolio very quickly at no cost to a realtor who's willing to get free services.

fjrabon - I know what you're saying. Realtors are very type-a, get-er-done, do it myself type people. They like having control over everything and having all their ducks in a row. As a group, they can be pretty intense, and this intensity makes for a good challenge.

I think I can sell it to them, I *know* I can provide a product portfolio that will blow their socks off and impress upon them I *can* provide a product which they cannot - and one that their competitors don't have, and it's the latter point that I think I can sell them on. Whether or this is economically feasible for myself as well as the client, I still need to figure out. I mean, i could handle all the advertising for a listing at a rate of $25/month, and I'm pretty sure the realtor would be happy - but I wouldn't be.

 

[SCraig]

I dunno. It's not a high-dollar profession around here I don't think. My sister and I recently sold a house, and when we put it on the market the realtor said she was going to hire a professional photographer to shoot it I saw the shots and he really did a very good job. He provided the realtor about a dozen shots, all well processed, even corrected for perspective. The house looked much better in the shots than it did in real life Bottom line: He charged her $250. I don't know what his CODB is but he probably put about 3 or 4 hours in the shoot and processing, so he couldn't have made much.

 

[unpopular]

I am wondering if I am thinking about this he wrong way. I've always thought of the client being the realtor. Structuring this as a marketing product which the realtor can sell to the owner might make more sense?

 

[thetrue]

So the realtor would be your sales proxy?

 

[unpopular]

not exactly. will explain later. gtg.