That’s a nice bold, blanket statement to make but it’s even nicer when we get hard, indisputable evidence to back it up. Recently we shot photos and video for a home in Millville, Massachusetts that Muneeza Nasrullah of Keller Williams Realty in Westborough was listing. The home was previously listed with a different agent last summer and was cancelled after sitting on the market for 130 days. It never sold.

Muneeza re-listed the home last week and after only 6 days on the market she brought her seller multiple offers and today has put the property under agreement in less than one week! Yes, Muneeza did get a $43,000 price reduction which is a testament to her skills as consultative real estate agent, but she also invested in professional photography and a high definition video from MeetingHouse Media. Moral of the story?

This lovely home sat languid on the market for 130 days last year and never sold.
Muneeza re-listed it with professional photography and a video and had it under agreement in just 6 days.

A BEFORE and AFTER slideshow of the photos used to market this home. The defense rests its case, Your Honor…

And here’s the video Muneeza used to market the property:

Every new customer that orders a property video from MeetingHouse Media will get a complimentary set of listing photos at no additional charge. We could have just as easily handed you $125 cash and NOT offered the photos, but we’re confident that when you and your sellers see how awesome we make their house look, and you realize how much faster your home sells with good pictures, and for more money, you’ll be happy we gave you the free photos instead of the cash.

If you STILL don’t believe that professional photography sells homes better, take 20 minutes out of your life to read a couple articles. Redfin has produced statistical data that backs up the claim that homes shot with better pictures sell for more money.

Need more? BAM!

As the chart below (from the Redfin study) shows, even homes in the lower end range of list prices (less than $200,000) shot with a DSLR on average sell for approximately $2,435 more than homes shot with a regular old Point-n-Shoot camera (like your iPhone). In the high-end range, we’re talking six figures!

Even if the photos weren’t FREE, which they are with a video purchase, wouldn’t you invest a little money in professionally shot photos if the numbers showed that it would garner your seller (and you! – go ahead, be selfish) more money in the end?

Give us a call today (617.828.4127) to book your very first video shoot with us and we will be happy to include a free set of listing photos as a way of saying “Hey. Thanks. That was really cool of you.”

Each month we give away a FREE set of listing photos to one of our BFFs (Best Facebook Fans). All you have to do is register over at our Facebook Page and once in awhile pop-in, like a post, add a comment or make a complaint. At the end of the month we will randomly select one of our fans and give them a FREE set of photos for their next listing. Easy peasy.

But you have to register to be entered into the contest. So get over there and register!

FINE PRINT: You must be a local, Massachusetts agent and you can only win once per calendar year. Value of a set of listing photos is approximately $175. The drawing is random. We encourage engagement on our Facebook Page, but the drawing is completely random. My daughter literally pulls a name out of a hat. But you have to be a registered fan of the page to win.

I pulled out my trusty QR code reader and scanned the code embedded in the corner of the video thumbnail, which brought up the following page on my phone:

Looked a lot like the printed piece I was just looking at (That’s good, kept me on theme…). This page also asked me to enter the code from the printed piece before watching the video. OK. Cool. They’re probably using the codes for some kind of tracking or A/B testing. I get it. I’ll play along. And so I proceeded to input the code that was included on the printed piece…

And then BAM.

What? After I entered the code on the last screen, I clicked the “Play” button, which I THOUGHT meant “Play the Video” but apparently it mean “Play Some Games” because instead of watching a video, I am greeted with a “Real Estate Sales Application”. Huh?!?!? I never said I wanted to apply for a job. I said I wanted to watch your stupid video. You must have misunderstood me and thought I said, “Please give me some more hoops to jump through. Please??”

Bitter, hurt and jaded, I scrolled downward…

And more…

And MORE…

By the time I got to the bottom of their “Real Estate Sales Application” (after a few pages of scrolling) and saw the CAPTCHA and the option to upload a resume, I did what any normal, mobile-savvy consumer would do.

I bailed.

Wasted 5 minutes of my life because I was simply curious about what the video might look like. In retrospect, I know EXACTLY what the video looked like based on the printed piece they sent me, but I still wanted to go through the user experience and see how they executed.

They failed. Epically.

I never saw the video. I got too annoyed with their car-dealer bait and switch tactic. If you tease me with a video and ask me to scan a QR code to view it and then make me jump through your “Real Estate Sale Application” (which I NEVER asked for!), you lose me.

Deliver what you promise without throwing in something that only benefits YOU before you give me what I came for. It was a bad move and the moral of the story…

I never watched the video and threw out the expensive full-color piece you sent me.

My Facebook friend Jeff Bogert turned me on to The Frugal Filmmaker, which has quickly become an obsession. I threw together the $5 stabilization rig yesterday watching the Patriots game (before it got stressful). Literally $5 in parts. I had some tools. You might need the PVC ratchet cutters which are highly recommended. Hacksaws are for amateurs. The ratchet cutters are like using scissors to cut through the PVC. Get them here for $3.50 (I paid $10 at Lowe’s). It holds my GoPro, my iPhone, my DSLR and most likely any other camera you have. Takes some practice to get smooth shots, but for $5, I’ll practice. Mine will look considerably more badass once I get the black bicycle grips and hockey tape all over it. (Which will nearly triple the cost to roughly $15!!!)

Here’s a video where Scott (The Frugal Filmmaker) breaks down how to make the rig. I bumped the height up a bit and used 8″ PVC pieces instead of the 6″ Scott used to make room for the battery grip on my DSLR that adds some height to the camera. Email me with any questions.

Thanks to Trina Macchi for helping make our photo of www.35OakHillRoad.com the cover of this month’s Real Estate Book! So what if it’s a paid placement and they cropped it horribly… it’s still a cover and we’re celebrating dammit! Stop trying to harsh our buzz, bro.

No stone was left unturned in the renovating and upgrading of this stunning Ravenwood home. New roof. All baths have been upgraded with granite counters, tiled floors, new faucets. Granite counters and cherry cabinets in the kitchen. Cathedral ceiling in large family room. Pediments, crown molding, wainscoting and beadboard throughout the home. Full finished basement with gas fireplace and home office overlooking gardens. 3-season porch. Brick and granite walkway. Walk-in master closet with designer closet. 2×6 construction. House Beautiful!

Today is a good day. I woke up to an email announcing that the new book from Scott Hargis, “The Essential Guide to Lighting Interiors”, had officially been released. Scott is a San Francisco-based photographer specializing in interiors and architecture. He is widely recognized as a foremost authority on the subject of interior photography, his work has been featured in fancy publications too numerous to mention and his photos are truly breathtaking. Scott is one of those guys where you say, “Damn. If I can someday learn to take pictures 1/10th as good as his, that would be cool.” So needless to say I was excited that his new book, an invaluable resource for someone in my field, was finally available. The book can be purchased at the Photography for Real Estate Store.

Literally, the next email I received was from Malia Campbell. Malia is a Seattle-based Realtor-turned-real-estate-photographer, who in conjunction with Scott and Larry Lohrman, the guy behind the incredible resource that is the Photography for Real Estate Blog, were hosting an ebook giveaway. The rules were simple: Send us an email telling us how you got into the business, why you want the books and send a sample of your best interior shot. The prizes were awesome: a copy of Scott’s new ebook, as well as copies of Larry’s two ebooks and a year-long highlighted listing on his blog’s directory.

Having officially been in the business just a couple weeks, I shot Malia an email a day or two before the deadline, included my “best” interior picture and let the chips fall where they may. Come to find out this morning, the chips are actually Cape Cod Salt & Vinegar Reduced Fat (my favorite) and they fell squarely into my mouth! I found out I was one of six nationwide winners in this contest! OK, so it’s not like winning $50,000 at Keno in a dimly-lit bar (that happened too last night, but not to me. I did get a free drink out of it though!), but for a guy just starting out in the business, this was an awesome way to wake up this morning.

I am so grateful to Scott, Larry and Malia for making this opportunity available, and I’m like a little kid at Christmas, bursting with excitement and anxious to get buried in these books and start learning techniques to make my photography that much better! Will start right after my run. Got a lot of chips to burn off…

You, the homeowner, can play an active role in making your property photos and video even more awesome! We won’t ask for aperture recommendations or key grip and gaffer assistance. That’s our job. But there are a few things you can do prior to the day of the shoot to improve the final marketing materials. We’ve compiled a nice even list of 11 things you should try and do before our arrival. The more items you address, the better your photos and videos will come out.

1. Come on Baby, Light My Fire
   A roaring fire always adds a nice inviting touch to property videos and photos, regardless of the season. If it’s the “old fashioned” kind, please get it going prior to our arrival and be sure to clean up around the hearth. If it’s a gas log fireplace, simply flick the switch!
2. Let There Be Light
   Videos and photos love light. The more the better. Damn the electric bill and please turn on ALL lights. This includes lighting over the stove, under cabinet lights, interior cabinet lights, lamps, etc… Please replace any burnt out or missing light bulbs. Check all the light bulbs in your chandeliers. Crank the dimmers up. Your home should be a vampire’s worst nightmare on the day of the shoot. We will turn the lights off when we’re done.
3. Lose Fido (Temporarily)
   We love pets as much as you do, but no matter how cuddly and adorable, they never add anything to a property video or photo shoot. Potential buyers do not need their wheels set in motion about how many places Rover has marked as his own within your home. Please arrange to have pets out of the home, or in the unfinished basement or garage during the shoot. Also please remove evidence of pets: beds, toys, bowls, dishes, litter boxes, accidents (yes, it’s happened), etc…
4. Give the Butler the Day Off
   It’s best to arrange your video and photo shoot for a day when no household help will be present. Landscapers, gardeners, house cleaners, maintenance, etc… should ideally be there the day before the shoot.
5. We Love Our Fans
   Ceiling fans add a nice touch to both property videos and photos. Please give all ceiling fans a good dusting and set them to their lowest settings prior to our arrival.
6. Pull The Rug Out From Under Them
   Buyers can be a cynical bunch and sometimes assume the worst. If you have area rugs and bath mats present, buyers will often assume you are hiding something under them. Remove all removable rugs and mats that actually AREN’T covering a blemish in the wood or a cracked tile. If your hardwoods have a noticeable difference in fading from where the area rugs have been, leave the rugs where they are. But if the floors under the rugs and mats look just as good as the uncovered floors, remove the rugs and mats so buyers can see how wonderful the floors look.
7. Put The Pedal To The Metal
   Please move all cars from the driveway and from in front of the property. Put them in the garage (if you have one). Park them a few houses down the street if necessary. We often take “approach shots” and the fewer vehicles visible in the general area the better. Or see item #11 and go for a ride somewhere.
8. Clean Out The Fridge
   No, not inside. We bring our own snacks when necessary. We’re talking about the exterior of the fridge here. This will give you a great excuse to finally clear off the top of the fridge that you’ve been avoiding forever. Magnetic poetry, adolescent artistic masterpieces, post-it notes, grocery lists and pictures of last summer’s family reunion may have tremendous sentimental value to you, but they do NOTHING for property videos and photos. Empty, clean, clutter-free surfaces work best. All that stuff can go right back up after we leave.
9. Counter Culture
   Please clear off all kitchen counters and island of any extraneous equipment. Microwaves, bread makers you use twice a year, blenders you use more frequently, toaster ovens, coffee makers, etc… should be tucked away out of sight for the shoot. Buyers want to see a wide-open, spacious kitchen with plenty of available work surfaces. The less clutter they see, the better. If your trash can isn’t incorporated into a cabinet, move it out of sight somewhere.
10. Watch a Few Episodes of “Designed to Sell” (and “Hoarders” if Necessary!)
    We’ve all seen enough HGTV to know the basics of home staging. Less is more. Prepare to give the house a thorough clean-up the day before and the morning of the shoot. Pick up and conceal all the kids’ toys. Make all the beds. Clean up all the clothes. Tidy walk-in closets if they deserve to be filmed. Put down toilet seats and clear off bathroom counters. Take shampoo, razors, etc… out of showers and hide them under cabinets. De-clutter. De-clutter some more. Do whatever you can to make your house look its best. Pretend you are preparing for a busy open house because, in theory, you actually are. The difference is this open house is going to be the virtual kind and it’s going to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the entire world. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Don’t blow it.
11. Take a Hike
    Go fly a kite, go to the gym, see a movie, grab lunch… whatever it is you like to do to kill a few hours. Our video and photography shoots always go smoother with less people and animals around. Sometimes a perfect shot or video sequence can be ruined by an innocent bystander being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing personal (after all it IS your home), but in order to get the best video and photography possible, it works best to leave us be to do our thing.

By following these eleven pointers and doing your part to get your house in tip-top showing shape prior to our shoot, you can personally take an active role and ensure that your property video and photos will be that much better than the next Sellers’. Remember, close to 90% of home buyers are starting their home searches online. The first impression they are most likely going to get of your home is from the photos and video they see online. Serious buyers use online photos and videos as a filter for deciding which houses they will pass on and which houses they will make a call to schedule a showing on. Put your house in the second category.

Yes, it is hard work getting your house ready for sale. Keeping it in showing condition is no picnic either. But the blood, sweat and tears you put into properly preparing your home for sale, and specifically for the day of your video and photo shoot, will return dividends in the activity you see and ultimately in the eventual sale price of your home. Considering this should be your ultimate goal, roll up your sleeves and get to work so that everything is perfect when we yell out, “Action”!

If you have any questions, please give us a shout.