Real Estate

4 keys to a killer real estate video

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Video is quickly becoming an essential element in real estate marketing. Pricing and technology have made video more accessible than ever, and savvy brokers, property managers, and home sellers are beginning to take advantage of it. According to the National Association of Realtors, nearly 90% of surveyed homeowners said they would prefer to hire a broker who uses video to market their home. However, only about 5% of runners are currently using video. And even between them, the quality of those videos can vary greatly. Studies have also shown that listings with videos get about 4x more clicks. This is of particular importance for vacation rental listings, because they have to be sold over and over again and are therefore even more dependent on a high volume of web traffic.

While it’s obvious that adding video to real estate marketing will soon be as highly anticipated as professional photos and a website, simply having a video isn’t enough. It has to be a GOOD video. Here are some tips on how to create a professional-quality video that will make any real estate listing look its best.

1. HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
First and foremost, find someone who knows what they’re doing. None of the other items on this list will matter if you don’t have a competent videographer behind the camera. The good news is that this doesn’t cost what it used to. For around $500-1000 (depending on your market area) you can get someone who knows what they are doing, has good equipment, and delivers professional photography and video. Perhaps even including drone shots! Videos are not easy to make. You have to understand the equipment, the lighting, the content, the sound, the editing and a million other things. Without a professional, you will almost certainly end up with an inferior result, and you will probably lose a lot of time and brain cells in the process. Time is money. Spend the money and save the time.

2. USE GOOD EQUIPMENT
While it’s technically possible to shoot decent video on your phone, these days, it’s not easy to do, and you wouldn’t be reading this if you knew how to do it. You don’t need Hollywood-level gear, but you do need a certain minimum quality, or your results will likely end up looking shaky, too dark or too bright, grainy, and generally not very good (see #1 above) . It will almost certainly come with its own gear, which should be fine for your purposes. Some basic requirements are a good camera (a mid-level DSLR can take stills and video), a slider, a couple of different lenses, some basic lighting, a decent shotgun or lav mic, and professional editing software (Adobe’s Apple’s Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro are standard) to put it all together. These days, it’s fair to expect a drone to get involved as well. The antennas add an exciting creative element, as well as a significant amount of geographic context.

3. INCLUDE ATTRACTIVE CONTENT
You want your final product to tell a story. That means you have to organize yourself and convey a certain amount of relevant information. Start with a script. Even if you don’t plan on using a voiceover or on-screen presenter, it’s a good idea to establish a logical flow ahead of time. A script will also help ensure that the essential details of the list are conveyed. Whether there’s a narrator, on-screen text, or both, it’s important to give viewers the details they’ll need to assess the home and what it has to offer. It’s best to keep it simple, including things like address*, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, interior square footage, and lot size. Add some pictures of the neighborhood and a map to establish the location. And of course, don’t forget your contact information.**

Think of it this way: Assume the viewer has no other information available besides the video. Your goal should be to give them everything they need so they can decide if they want to schedule a visit. It never ceases to amaze me how often I watch videos without these basic details. If viewers have no way of knowing if the house has 2 bedrooms or 7, or if it’s on a large corner lot in the suburbs, compared to downtown Detroit, how are they going to decide whether to call it? Assuming they can even figure out who you are in the first place.

Basically, treat your video like you would a paper flyer. Anything that belongs on a flyer belongs on the video.

*Obviously, this depends on whether it is a house for sale or for rent. Vacation rental listings often do not include the address.

**Most MLS organizations will not allow you to post your contact details on videos, so make sure your videographer gives you an unbranded version as well.

4. SHARE IT EVERYWHERE
No video, regardless of quality, will do you any good if no one sees it. You could have Martin Scorsese direct it and Al Pacino do a walkthrough tour, but without proper syndication, no one will ever know.

First of all, post it on YouTube. If you have your own channel, great. If not, your videographer can post it to theirs and then send you the link or embed code.

From there, post it to your website. If you don’t have a website, you need to get one. You needed to get one five years ago. All of your marketing should be predicted around driving traffic to your website so that they can be impressed by how good you are, and then decide to call you and pay you money. Marketing 101. There are many ways to accomplish this, but that’s for another day. If you’re advertising a vacation rental, you’re probably already using HomeAway, AirBnB, or the like. They make it easy.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR BROKER: Once you’re on your website, share that link on all of your social media pages. Then include it in your next email newsletter to your database, so they know what a creative, tech-savvy real estate professional you are. They will be impressed. You can also post the link to Zillow and other industry sites.

Add a rider to your billboard that mentions the video. A large red sign, visible from across the street, reading “Hey, look! I made a video!” Or something like that. That way all the other potential sellers in the neighborhood, and all the people just passing by, will know that YOU are one of the 5% of agents that is smart, savvy, and forward-thinking enough to use video to market. your listings You will get many more listings.

Shopping Product Reviews

Wagon Wheel – Bob Dylan, why didn’t you finish this masterpiece?

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Chickens singing, cows mooing, a cowboy at sunset in a prairie setting… And then a voice: “Pick up that Wagon Wheel Bob Dylan and get him on that wagon! Dad’s heading into town next week!” I imagine a scene like this has haunted Bobby D’s dreams a time or two since this little gem of an unfinished song fell out of his mouth during a jam session on the “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” recordings. It’s an excellent song, the melody is an extraordinary songworm, the harmony demands to be sung at the top of your lungs, and the words evoke a pastoral vision of the Old West. It is as if the song is an imaginary fragment of an old popular tune that Dylan never heard.

But, if the song is all of these things, why did he just walk away from it? The song has been heavily bootlegged, covered by numerous artists, and people like it! Although, maybe I should stop calling this a song for a bit. Really, this is not a song at all. Rather, this is a catchy and powerful chorus. It has been used, quite successfully, in this way by the New York acoustic quintet, “Old Crow Medicine Show”.

They recorded a four-minute version of the song (you can find it on YouTube) in which they wrote their own verses and used Dylan’s song as a chorus. The melody they use in their version is effective and blends well with the chorus; and the lyrics work, though for the most part it’s just a bunch of words like banjo, North Carolina, stringband, etc. stuck in a rhythm. The imagery, which is very “Woody Guthrie band, deep south country fair,” is a natural progression from working with the choir.

The problem is that the song and the recording that the band has is memorable, but only because of the Bob Dylan part. “Rock sucks me like the wind and rain, Rock sucks me like a southbound train, heyyyyy, Mama rock me.” It is pure and simple lyrical mastery. It’s not a story about a gambler coming home to see his queen. It is not about an old farmer who falls in the hay with the farmer’s daughter. He is not a bandit smoking his last cigarette before a train robbery. It is all these things at once. And I think writing this has helped me understand. I’m about to spill the beans, Bob, so I hope you’re listening:

The Wagon Wheel, Bob Dylan, is only part of the wagon. Therefore, you only give us part of a song!

Sports

#13 Michigan Wolverines Forward

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Fall camps are underway and the regular season is here soon, which means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time, and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand. what to expect next year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football preview.

#13 – Michigan Wolverines 7-5 SU; 5-7 ATS

Fargo’s Take Michigan had a very disappointing 2005 season, at least by Michigan standards. The Wolverines were decimated by injuries on offense, but all of their losses were by a touchdown or less, but that included three losses at home. Showing how rare that is, Michigan had lost a combined three games in the previous six years in the Big House, so last year can definitely be considered an aberration. The offense finished 45th in scoring and 55th in goals overall with a healthy group returning most of their skillful players, the Wolverines should be ready to bounce back. The defense was decent but not overbearing and that could change in 2006. National Championship aspirations are plentiful in Ann Arbor every season and this year is no different, but a very tough schedule stands in the way. Expect Michigan to be in the Big Ten race with an outside shot at a BSC title if it can pull off a few upsets along the way.

Returning starters on offense – 6 Junior quarterback Chad Henne had a sensational sophomore season and is on pace to become the most prolific signal-caller in Michigan history. He threw for 2,536 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing just eight interceptions and this was accomplished with almost no running games behind him. Mike Hart, who gained 1,455 yards as a freshman in 2004, was hampered by hamstring and ankle injuries during the second half of the year and missed four games. If he stays healthy, he’s one of the best in the Big Ten. The offensive line needs to replace three starters, but there’s a lot of experience and depth in the unit. The great playmaker Jason Avant left at receiver, but the return of Steve Breaston and Mario Manningham gives Henne two solid options at receiver. Depth at quarterback is the big concern if Henne goes down.

Returning Starters On Defense – 8 This is a very experienced unit and one that should vastly improve on their 36th overall defense rating from a season ago. First, the defense has to find a way to apply pressure on the quarterback, as the Wolverines generated just 24 sacks last season. New defensive coordinator Ron English brings a lot more enthusiasm and intensity to the defense, something that has been missing. The secondary is the best in the conference led by five safeties who could all be starters. The return of Ryan Mundy is a huge plus. The corners will be led by All-Big Ten senior Leon Hall. The linebackers have the potential for a big season, but poor performance has been a big problem for the unit. The defensive line has LaMarr Woodley at end and Alan Branch at tackle, two of the best in the conference. A repeat of a 10th-place finish in the conference in red-zone defense last season won’t sit well.

Schedule This is where the Wolverines must step things up and prove they belong to the nation’s elite. Two easy wins against Vanderbilt and Central Michigan will start the year and then it’s a big game at Notre Dame that will help both teams. The Big Ten schedule begins with a tough home game against Wisconsin followed by a game in Minnesota. Hosting an improved team from Michigan St. will be a challenge and then it’s off to Penn St. followed by another tough home game against Iowa. Northwestern, Ball St. and Indiana will be three easy wins and then the season finale at Ohio St. could be one of the biggest and best meetings in recent times. There are four potential losses on the board with three of them on the road.

You can bet on … Head coach Lloyd Carr is feeling the heat after last year’s disappointing season and another offseason could be costly. Both coordinators have been replaced and with several players returning from injuries things should change, but the tough schedule isn’t helping. However, getting to a bowl game for the 31st year in a row won’t be a problem. Carr has lost four of five to Ohio St. and another loss to the Buckeyes could show him the door, since that counts almost as much as competing in the Big Ten. Michigan usually sets the number, but is 6-2 ATS as a road dog since 1999 and will pick up points in at least two games this year. The first will be against Notre Dame and that benefits the Wolverines as the underdog is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

Relationship

My Wife Is Always Angry With Me: Crucial Things You Need To Know For A Happy Marriage

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Are you in a marriage where you always feel like my wife is always mad at me?

Well, you are certainly not alone.

In fact, I was exactly in your situation, but I figured out how to deal with it and now my marriage is better than ever. This is what helped my marriage.

What to do when you constantly have to tell yourself “Man, my wife is always mad at me”

It’s a tough position to be in, I know. You feel bad and almost like a failed husband because you feel like you can’t do anything right. No matter what you do, your wife seems to be mad at you and she feels horrible.

But things can be changed. There is a solution, and not only can you return your marriage to where it once was, but you can actually make it better than ever. Of course, some people in this position will just give up and file for divorce, but that’s not the answer to this problem.

First of all, we need to find out why your wife is always mad at you. She may not be very transparent about this actually. Many times a wife won’t talk about her problems, and she really thinks you’ll know what the problem is. But you and I know that it is not easy to understand, right?

So you may have to read between the lines a bit. You may have to do some research. It could have been something you said. It could have been something you didn’t say. It could have been something you did, or didn’t do.

The best way, of course, is to simply ASK…and then shut up and LISTEN!

Listening is the key! But don’t just listen to his wife’s words. Listen beyond words. Listen for clues in her words that explain how she feels. That’s the key to truly discovering how to solve your “my wife is always mad at me” problem.

Second, you have to do something else which will seem a bit counterproductive. You’re going to have to stop worrying so much about your wife and start worrying about YOU!

This part is going to take EMPATHY from you. Which means that you will have to think about your actions and find out how they have been affecting your wife. Things that you may have been doing out of habit can have a negative effect and may go unnoticed even by you.

I did this exactly. I realized that I was not spending enough time with my wife. She would come home from work, I would sit in front of the TV, I would have dinner in front of the TV, and then when she went to bed, I would stay up and watch TV. So she actually felt abandoned.

I didn’t learn this from my wife, I learned this by making an assessment of my own behavior and realizing on my own how that must have made my wife feel.

No wonder I was saying that my wife is always mad at me! She was! And that was not the end of the troubles and problems.

I had also stopped doing the things I used to do “just because” when we got married. She used to send him flowers at work from time to time. Or she would take her out to dinner just because. The little things that showed that she appreciated her were no longer being done, and in fact, that was taking a toll on my marriage. Maybe I never should have started those things LOL. It’s a joke…

The thing is that YOU will have to find out what you are doing wrong and then change it. It really is as simple as that. You can only change one thing about your relationship and that is YOU.

If you say that my wife is always mad at me, then you have the power to fix it if you are willing to do some work on YOU.