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Encouraging signs of life in real estate video...
I'm not sure about others around here, but my business is EXPLODING. I'm not sure what happened, but business has tripled so far this year, compared to the first quarter of last year - which was VERY busy for me. It's insane. I can hardly see straight.....
I thought things might slow down when the tax credit ended.....NOT. It's just been off the charts. (I'm still trying to get caught up.... rendering video now at 2am and am off to my first of 5 shoots at 9am) . I get in the car from shooting a house and there are 5 voice mail messages - all for new appointments - some agents for 2-3 videos at a time. (and my business number is unlisted... go figure!)
I've been booked solid from 8am until 7pm virtually every single day this year - and booked out a week or more in advance. New customers. Old customers. Sellers. Even did a video for an agent for her BUYER who was thinking of buying a $2M house (that didn't have a tour, of course). So the agent did a tour FOR her buyer in CA!
You name it. It's like they're just coming out of the woodwork around here for real estate video. I've never worked so hard in my life... And the vast majority of these are for photos AND video, so we're not talking super low budget here - most shoots are $300-$500.
So, for all those who are running up against a brick wall trying to market to Realtors..... it WILL happen. Keep the faith! :)
Just persist and keep at it, and they'll come around. One day you'll just get blindsided with more business than you know what to do with...... and you'll be THRILLED when you get a cancellation so you can have a few hours of downtime!
My video is done.... and now....... I'm going to BED!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Fred,
It just goes to show that if you produce a good product and are persistent, they will come. As an agent, I produce my own full motion narrated tours of my listings. I have also done videos for fellow agents as well. I currently have 5 homes under contract and I do not see business slacking up either. There are many other agents who do not use videos that have no current business. Is it there a connection between being very busy and using video? I think there is.
Keep up the good work and get a nap when you can!
Peter:
It's funny.... I'm ridiculously busy and so are my customers!
I feel like I live in a recession bubble, because it doesn't feel like one to me. I think it's a two way street: My clients choose video because they are part of that tiny, 5% of Realtors who are smart, tech savvy, and know how to market and run a business. I like to think they are successful BECAUSE they use video, but I think it works both ways. I attract the best agents in the industry as well. We all benefit.
Just got a call from one of my very regular customers.... he just sold a $2.5M house ... in one week... his own buyer! Needless to say he's more than thrilled.
Things are happening, business is being done, sales are taking place.... The property has to be priced right and presented well online
A big-shot is only a little-shot who kept on shooting! Congrats Fred!
My business is busy as well! What we are producing is an amazing, high quality product for reasonable prices I am in the process of finishing an edit for a property listed at $1. 6. Thanks for being an innovater and a great supporter of your fellow filmakers!
Real Estate is still down here, but the slowdown also seemed to come after many other parts of the country. Hopefully we will catch up to this new trend soon!
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Check out the 'I Want Video' Web TV show for more tips on using video for your business!
Here in Atlanta, things are picking up, however, I've found that the clients who aren't using me anymore, aren't using anybody for their virtual tours OR they've decided to go with the "generic" virtual tour that the listing service provides free (ie: a slide show comprised of the photos they post themselves). Though all my clients agree our work is fantastic, they don't want to spend the money. We're reasonably priced, so that isn't the issue and we've been around for years and have even "switched" things up a bit to make our tours more interesting. My numbers are still higher than 2009, so things are looking up. I've also noticed that some of my main competition have closed the doors and their servers, leaving those who purchased tours from them that still have the property listed out in the cold.
Good to hear, Fred.
I have a little pushback from time-to-time from clients re the "linear" nature of video. The idea that viewers have short attention spans and will be bored if they are forced to view a start to finish video.
I have seen some videos with "chapters" like a DVD. Kitchen - Living room - Master Suite etc.
What do you think?
Bob
Bob: All your videos on WellcomeMat have that feature... you just need to add them in!
The bottom line is that videos of homes aren't for entertainment. Yes, some people enjoy looking at videos of homes, but typically, the people that watch the video will fall into two categories. 1. They don't like the home and turn off the video. 2. They like what they see, and watch all the way through. The length of the viewers attention span is connected to their interest in tho home (IMHO).
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Check out the 'I Want Video' Web TV show for more tips on using video for your business!
Ray.... that's exactly it!
Buyers search on specific criteria, and look and photographs and read the description. If they like what they see, THEN they watch the video. If the photos and description don't interest them, they won't even both with the video. It's the LAST thing they view, not the first. It's the final qualifier.
It's just like a wedding video. If it's your daughter or son, you'll watch the video from beginning to end. If it's a stranger's wedding, you'll be bored stiff in no time.... because it's NOT YOUR WEDDING!
Real estate videos are absolutely NOT entertainment (they personally bore me to death - I can't really even watch one all the way through!).
BUT... if I was seriously interested in purchasing the home, I would watch it from beginning to end, regardless of length. And then probably watch it again. And maybe again. THEN I call an agent to see the house.
This is why I don't see any value in the new cropping of real estate video websites that ONLY present real estate videos. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Buyers want to see everything on the market that meets their criteria. Everything... not just those with videos. I can't imagine a buyer just sitting through a pile of unqualified real estate videos... unless they're an insomniac!
