Monday 10 August 2015

Something More Valuble than Money

Yes there is something more valuable than money, what's more, is than the more of this you have the more money you can make.

TIME

Think about this. Nearly every Estate Agent I know takes their own property photos. Hey, even some are good! But, as a businessman I know that you should concentrate on your core business, the activity that make you the most income. For Estate Agents this is communicating with vendors and potential buyers. NOT taking photographs. Hiring a professional property photographer, frees up more of your time so you can concentrate on doing the revenue making activities.
Egg Timer

ADVANTAGES OF USING A SPECIALIST

Firstly, you already know that you will save time to focus (pun intended), on your core business. Secondly, your credibility and visibility will increase as the quality of the photographs improves. Thirdly, saving time and improving your credibility costs you NOTHING! Specialist property photography from PWP Property Services costs around £49. This small investment is usually made by the vendor. The trick here is not to be greedy and load on extra making the investment less worthwhile and costing you more time!

Bedroom by PWP Property Services

FOOLS GOLD

If I had a top of the range scalpel and a stethoscope, would you come to me for your heart surgery because I was cheap? No, of course not. You see it is not the quality of the equipment, it is the skill and experience of the operator. Buying your valuers a better camera set up and expecting better results is madness. It is not my camera set up that produces such great results, but it could be the fact that I've been taking photos professionally since 1984?
Pot of Gold

AH HA MOMENT

If you have seen the light and wish to sample the quality of a specialist PWP Property Service photo shoot then please get in touch with me, DunCan on 07795681507.
Duncan

Monday 26 January 2015

The Impossible/Possible Balance


The Trick of Creating More with Less


An observation specifically aimed to help Estate Agents.

The Impossible/Possible Balance for Estate Agents
Over recent years there has been a massive move in how Estate Agents do business. Yet again it is the internet to blame. You would have thought these high street leaders would have seen it coming, but many seem slow to react.

And still today despite all the evidence as to the amount of properties sold on-line, how many persist with town centre real estate?

As a professional photographer for over 30 years, these changes have affected my business too. Since specialising in property photography, EPC's and Floor Plans, I've grown closer to the clients themselves. Maybe I can ask questions that are too scary for the Estate Agents themselves to ask?

What to ask?


I ask what do you like or dislike about your dealings with your Estate Agent? I also ask how they found out about the property they wish to purchase.

The answers to the first question are another blog post altogether, but the second is relevant here. More than 9 out of 10 people I ask, say they found their next home on-line. I then ask what was it about that particular property that they liked, what caught their eye? Around 8 out of 10 said the photographs. They could imagine fully what the house was like before even going to view it. Some said they were put off by bad images. Dark images, over bright images, images from funny angles and images with clutter and unmade beds etc!

Getting the Balance Right


Like life, Estate Agents have multiple options to capture the essence of a property.


  1. DIY - or get the untrained office boy or valuer to do it. You may think this is cheap, but is it? The quality is certainly the lowest. Then you've still got to pay for the time of whichever member of staff is short-listed to take the photos.
  2. MIDDLEMAN - you can pay a princely sum to contract out a professional photographer to take the photos and edit them for you, maybe even create a slideshow. Average costs to the vendor average around £350+VAT. At least one phone call takes care of everything.
  3. THE PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL - Top quality with all the advantages of the middleman, yet a faster more personal service. And if you think about it from £39 for a 1-2 bedroom house, this is exceedingly good value.

True Worth


If you think about it a home with professional photos will sell faster, and for a higher price. So unless you like your vendors jumping ship to go with another Estate Agent your only choice is option 2 or 3.

I've personally seen a house with no interest have professional photographs taken and the house sold in 2 weeks for £10k more than what the vendors had been expecting. Can you now see how a little investment in hiring a professional can result in a truly massive return?

PWP Property Services


If you are a North East Estate Agents and want to find out more about our photography, EPC and Floor Plan packages, give the man that can a call Dun-Can on 07795 681 507. Thank you