Browsing the archives for the Home Staging category

Luxury Home Tours in the British Properties

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Home Staging, Photography, Real-Estate, Vancouver, Video Tours

Take a look at a few of the luxury homes for sale in the British Properties.

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Tour this luxury home provided by Julie Miller of Prudential Sussex Realty.

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Tour this luxury home provided by Charles Bilash of Century 21 In Town Realty.

Luxury Homes in Shaughnessy

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Home Staging, Photography, Real-Estate, Vancouver, Video Tours

Take a look at a few of the luxury homes for sale in Shaughnessy BC.

5326 Connaught Drive, Vancouver West

Tour this luxury home provided by Tom Gradecak of WESTSIDE Tom Gradecak Realty.

1712 Cedar Crescent, Vancouver West

Tour this luxury home provided by Rosalee Mcrae of RE/MAX Select Properties.

1757 West 40th Avenue, Vancouver West

Tour this luxury home provided by Claire Rockel of Macdonald Realty Ltd.

Photography and Filming – Home Preparation Tips for Your Shoot

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Home Staging, News, Photography

Curb Appeal: It can attract or deter buyers at first sight; a polished look goes a long way.  Here are some tips to prepare you, or your clients home for video and photography.

  1. Exterior: Sweep the sidewalks and decks. Remove trash cans, recycling bins, toys, garden tools and hoses. Ensure seasonal decorations and lawn ornaments are put away. Grass, hedges and flowerbeds should be manicured. Remove vehicles from driveways. Take pool covers off.
  2. Interior: Maximize light, by replacing burnt out or missing light bulbs. Make your windows and mirrors sparkle. Open all the blinds and curtains. Turn all lights and lamps on, even in the day light. Turn ceiling fans and televisions off.
  3. Kitchen: Clear counters of dishes, dish racks, cleaning products and small appliances. Remove all magnets, messages, pictures, etc. from fridges. Shine stainless steel appliances, sinks and faucets. Conceal dish towels and all throw rugs. Relocate trash cans out of sight.
  4. Bathrooms: Clear personal hygiene items, medications, and cosmetic products from countertops, bath tubs and shower stalls. Close toilet lids. Shine mirrors, faucets and countertops. Tuck trash cans, toilet brushes and plungers out of view. Open shower curtains. Remove bathmats, rugs and toilet seat covers. Display clean towels.
  5. Bedrooms: Make all beds and tidy bedside tables. Hang or fold clothes and put away. Relocate laundry baskets and hampers to closets.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

JACKSON WEST from
Reveal Estate
Reveal Maximum Appeal
www.revealestate.ca

604-839-1478

To download this as a pdf please click [here].

Please, let us take your photos

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Helpful Tips, Home Staging, Photography, Real-Estate

It happens more often than I’d like – I come across a photo of a property, taken by a Realtor, that just… well… could be soooo much better.

If I had more time, maybe I’d start a collection of photos that shouldn’t have been used.

Here are my two examples of the day. The heading of the first photo made me laugh: “Spacious Dining Area”.

Spacious Dining Area

I hope the spacious dining area wasn’t too offended at my laugh – but it’s a photo of a window, and shows no spaciousness whatsoever!

This next one was used as the main listing photo:
Main Listing Photo

It looks like a picture of a doorway, doesn’t it? Could this really be the front of the property?

I’m sure that these Realtors are excellent at their job. However, they aren’t photographers. I certainly wouldn’t want to buy or sell a property without a Realtor – why should a Realtor market their photos without hiring a professional?

We have a very competitive Introductory Special that should encourage all Realtors to try our services… unless they are afraid of getting a taste of something they’ll want to eat a lot of. Was it Pringles that advertised “you can’t eat just one”? I definitely stayed away from Pringles after that, knowing that they were probably right.

However… getting to my point. We’ve got the best Real Estate Photography and Video in Vancouver. Try it out.

Selling in the Spring? Take Your Pictures and Video at Christmas

Home Staging, News

Planning on selling your home in the Spring? If you are, this is a great time to have Video Openhouse in to your home to shoot video and take photos. It seems illogical at first, Christmas being the busiest time of year for most of us. But if you have taken the time to decorate, there may not be a better opportunity to have pictures taken.

Professional staging companies try to create an atmosphere where potential buyers can imgine themselves living in the spaces they create. Christmas trees with glass ornaments, stockings hung on a fireplace, twinkling lights and candy canes all create a warm, family atmosphere. It is these emotions that create a sense of attachment, that make potential buyers want to purchase a house. Selling your Home? Prepare for the New Year by taking advantage of the opportunity that the holiday season presents!

Video & Virtual Tours – Privacy and Security

Helpful Tips, Home Staging

We attended the Vancouver Real Estate Tech Meetup held by Ubertor founders, Michael Stephenson and Stephen Jagger earlier this week. The Meetup is a chance to learn about the changing Real Estate market and technologies that are currently available. Stephen’s brother, Michael Jagger of Provident Security, spoke briefly about how blogging has impacted his business and about residential security issues.  Thanks to Dara Sklar of Realty Support, who suggested that we write about security issues surrounding the use of video or virtual tours.

Our Video Openhouse tours are essentially an online open house. In our marketing material, we state that “our tours captivate the Internet audience by featuring the best features of a home.” In our photography and videography, we try to focus on the elements that are a physical part of the home such as fireplaces, custom work such as floors and mouldings, bathrooms, kitchens. Although it is not always possible, we specifically try to exclude any stereo equipment, televisions and other valuables from our shots.

Most home owners have already discreetly hidden or removed their items that they do not want publicly displayed, in anticipation that there will be showings of their home. Recently, during a shoot, I was asked not to show a specific painting in any of the video or photos. With some co-operation and communication with the owners/residents, it is conceivable that all these security and privacy concerns can be addressed.

When filming amenities in the many condos scattered across the city, inevitably, there will be people working out in the gym, swimming in the pool or using the rooftop patio. Again, privacy concerns dictate that we try our best to avoid having people featured in our photos and videos.

I consider our Video Openhouse tour a great replacement for the traditional open house and a far safer alternative. I have often heard from realtors that most open houses attract more curious neighbors than interested buyers. Concerned strata councils often request agents meet all open house attendees at the front door of their condo to avoid allowing access to random strangers. Graham Kirby has a listing at 1861 Beach Avenue that illustrates how our video tour is being used as an alternative to the open house approach. His clients were very specific in their desire not to have people wandering through their exclusive condo. Interested buyers are being referred to the video first, essentially being pre-screened before they enter the property itself. If the video is edited with these issues in mind, I believe the security concerns are far greater with a house full of strangers at a traditional open house, than there are with any video or virtual tour.

Artisan Home Staging

Home Staging, News

I’ve been corresponding with Shannon Emmanuel of Artisan Home Staging.  Artisan targets realtors and home-owners in the Tri-City/Burnaby area.  Their website is a great resource for anyone who is considering home staging.  The benefits are clearly outlined with photographs of sample rooms.  I really like this quote from their website:

Our purpose is to help you create a home image that grabs buyer’s interest and makes them WANT to buy your home.

As a producer of real estate videos, I have clearly seen the advantages of having a home staged.  We produced 2 videos of the same penthouse earlier this past summer.  The first video was shot in the middle of May and was of an empty condo.  The second video was produced 3 months later.  The unsold condo had been fully staged.  After sitting on the market for 3 months, the staged condo was sold within 2 weeks. 

Anyone interested in home staging should contact Shannon Emmanuel of Artisan Home Staging for a free estimate at (604) 506-2359.Â