Turner's Perspective

When shooting a very small room, there are several things to remember. 

First, take the photos at an angle as commented on by Dawn Shaffer.

Second, if you don't have a wide angle lens, get one. I like the Panasonic Lumix FX35.

And here is a tip I like personally: Take off the door. This is especially helpful in small bathrooms. The first photo below is taken with a wide angle lens with the door on. The second, with the door off. You can see the subtle, but important difference it makes. The room feels larger, less cramped. It takes only a few seconds to remove most doors and the sellers will be very impressed with the results.

You know there is no way to guarantee that your clients are going to run and tell their friends and family about you... no matter how great of a job you do for them on either side of the real estate transaction. You can't force them to do it. But on the buyer side there is a way to insure that they will email their friends. Create a "just moved" presentation about their new home. Do it in an evocative way. Make it emotional. 

Here's a fact. I've never purchased a home that, at the time, I wasn't proud of. I look back on some of them now and I'm not so proud, but at the time, I was proud. Your clients are as well. Help them share their pride. Giving them something they can forward in an email is the perfect way to do it. And it costs you nothing! It's free. You can't reach their network in a simpler and more emotionally appealing way.

Here is an example: Gordon Shelton was brief and to the point.  "They loved the Show and are forwarding it to friends and family," he said.

And that's all that really needs to be said. What more could you ask for? A "we're moving" Show sent from the buyer to their friends and family is an endorsement, a defacto recommendation of you and your services. There simply is no other way to guarantee that your buyer client is going to tell their contact network about you. But a Show like this "we're moving" Show, makes certain they will.

View The "We're Moving" Show Here

Show Produced by Gordon Shelton, McGraw Realtors®
Tulsa, OK | 918.697.2742 | Site

I own this piece of equipment and it has changed the way I view paper, filing and archiving of documents.

I am NOT an organized person by nature, except on the computer. If you could see my office floor right now, you'd know this is a fact. Organizing files on the computer has always been more intuitive for me than any paper filing system I've ever tried to use. So finding an inexpensive two-sided document scanner was important for me and it may be for you as well. 

The Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX is a workhorse and simple to use. I own the older version, so this updated version should work even better. It scans both sides of the paper at the same time and can sense whether it needs to be in color or black and white, or you can force that decision. It creates pdf files and will allow you to name each one yourself, or autoname them based on date, prefix, or any parameter you set.

We had boxes and boxes full of old documents that we were keeping for tax purposes and I worked my way through them in about a week. They are now gone from our garage and each one is archived to DVD and in a safe deposit box. This came in very handy during the adoption of our two daughters. There is a ton of paperwork we wanted to save forever, to give them when they are older. They are now safe and sound and easy to find.

We now scan each document as we receive them and there is no more paper. I love it.  I don't know how I lived without it for so long.

Linda Davis wrote a post about her PaperPort. She loves that device as well, so check our her blog post as well HERE. 

I realize that's a strong headline, but I want to make sure I am clear about this.

The Kodak EasyShare v705 is, without question, the best POINT AND SHOOT camera for the Real Estate Professional I've ever come across. I have searched high and low to find a camera I could feel comfortable personally recommending. This is it.

The two images below were taken with the settings right out of the box. I did not turn on any lights or open any drapes. I just used the basic settings, pointed the camera at the room and clicked. For the photo on the left, I used the standard 35mm lens, the one found on most point and shoot cameras. Then I took the photo on the right, two seconds later, from the exact same spot, in the exact same lighting. Only the photo on the right uses the v705's default "ultra wide angle lens."

You'll notice that the photo on the left is probably a lot like photos you might expect from a standard, 35mm point and shoot digital camera. Even though this is a large room, it doesn't feel large in the photo. The lighting is also poor, though not as bad as it could have been. It is certainly typical of amateur interior photos.

The photo on the right is a dramatic improvement. The ultra wide lens captures more light, so the room is significantly brighter (again, this was shot in the exact same lighting conditions). The room also feels substantially larger. There is no question in my mind. If you buy this camera, you will take better photos right out of the box. As a result, the homes you sell will look better in your marketing materials and your Real Estate Shows will be more powerful.

Here is another set of examples. This time from the curb. There were cars in front of this house, as is often the case, so I couldn't go across the street to get a better shot of the front. I'm sure you've been in that situation. Notice the improvement.

This camera also allows you to create panoramic shots with an ease I've never experienced.

Three shots creates a 180 degree view of a scene and all of the alignment and stitching happens right in the camera. The following was my first attempt. I was so amazed at how simple it looked, I rushed out to sit on the love seat with my wife and forced her to watch me do it. So she was leaning up against me as I did, shaking the camera. You can see my feet in the photo (sorry). I could have done another shot, but I wanted to show you the very first attempt! It was even simpler than I thought it would be.

For $299, you are simply not going to find a better camera. So, do yourself a favor. Sell your old digital camera on eBay and take my advice. Buy this camera.