Digital Photography and Real Estate

The digital camera is an essential tool for real estate agents, architects, designers and others who regularly take photos of real property. A digital camera can also be an important tool for individual sellers who must photograph their own home.
Whether a professional or not, the importance of taking well-composed and exposed photos of real estate can not be understated. Using a few tried and true techniques can produce near-professional looking images without the need of buying expensive equipment.
Wide angle lens for real estate photography
While a wide angle lens isn't required for taking photos of real estate, it is certainly a plus. Cameras and lenses with wide angle capability capture more of a scene than a normal lens.
Not only can a larger area of the scene be photographed with a wide angle lens, but wide angle allows you to stand closer to the main subject. As a result, it's often possible to take photos free from unwanted objects in the foreground such as trees and poles.
If you haven't purchased a digital camera, consider one with a 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens. Or check if the one you already own accepts a wide angle converter lens.
Composing real estate photos
Make a habit of checking the composition in the viewfinder or on the LCD before taking a photo. There are no hard and fast rules for composing real estate shots, but do keep in mind a few principles.
Do some staging. Temporarily move distracting items from the scene such as a car in the driveway or a For Sale sign on the lawn. For interior shots, tidy up the room so it looks uncluttered.
Highlight positive areas of property.
Before snapping the shutter button, review the scene so vertical or horizontal line are perpendicular.
Take shots from different angles so nothing obstructs an important part of the scene.
Moving slightly to the left or right, or back a few steps, before taking a photo can improve composition. Check the composition on the LCD.

Editing photos can be as important as taking the photo. If you feel you have done everything possible from adjusting the lighting, angles, etc. and photo still has poor quality, you may have to edit the photos manually. This can be handled through many available editing software. There are so many different software and tools available, Which one do I use?

Unless you already have commercial software, there are many free alternetives. With the market the way it is, it is always good to hear the word "FREE". The GIMP, Paint.Net, and FastonePhoto are all freeware or Open Source software that are available downloads free of charge. Sites like FotoFlexer and Picknik allow you to edit photos on-line (FREE) without the need of installing software.

Lets face it, photos are one of the most important tools when marketing listings. Since Web2.0 the Web is a critical marketing tool to be utilized in any industry, especially real estate. Pictures do say a thousand+ words, and it is up to you what words your photos are saying about you.

MLS Data to Your Website

IDX vs. RETS

There is some confusion among developers and Realtors® alike as to what the difference of RETS and IDX are. So I figured that I would write a short blog entry on this, to help clear up the confusion. First, lets start by looking at IDX and what that term means. IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange, and was a mandate from the National Associations of Realtors® that said the “Associations of REALTORS® and their Multiple Listing Services must enable MLS Participants to display on Participants’ public websites aggregated MLS active listing information subject to the requirements of state law and regulation.”

Typically this mandate was answered by providing the MLS participants with access to a FTP feed of the data, which is commonly now referred to as the IDX feed. The other method used to meet this mandated was to provide a link that the participants could frame into their own site. Both of the above solutions pose problems for Realtors® and their website developers. Almost every single MLS’s FTP feed is different, requiring custom coding or custom configuration for each MLS. FTP feeds are also generally only upated once per 24 hours. The framed solutions on the other hand povide little to no customization in looks or services differentiation between Realtors. Framed pages also have negative impacts on a websites search engine ranking, causing it to be very difficult to market a website.

RETS has been getting so much attention lately. RETS stands for the Real Estate Transaction Standard. RETS is an attempt by NAR and the MLS vendors, to standardize the way that IDX and other real estate data is provided. Why still not a perfect solution, it does offer many benefits over providing the IDX data via FTP. First, RETS is typically setup as a near real time access to the MLS data, meaning that when Realtor® Rodney enters a listing into his MLS, it is provided out almost instantaneously to REALTORS® via the RETS server. RETS also provides a standardized way to determine what data the MLS is providing you, allowing for easier an less time consuming setups for website developers. The RETS standard is still maturing however NAR realizing the potential for RETS to improve their members access to the IDX data has mandated that all Realtor® Associations and their MLSs adopt RETS in 2009. So if your MLS does not yet have RETS, they will in the near future.

Although RETS is still in the early stages, the ability to standardize the method of transferring MLS data is important. Standrdazation allows a unified method of transferring data to Web sites making it easier for vendors and programmers to design sites with a uniform method of providing MLS data to real estate sites. Standards can eliminate some overhead for Real Estate professionals by allowing vendors a standard in the way the data is transferred, which means less code and "hacks" to be needed. Also allowing real-time updating for member sites.

Real Estate Technology

As a communications officer for my local board of REALTORS®, it is important to reaearch the many technologies available for marketing listings, various mobile technologies, as well as marketing tools to promote agents and their listings.

Social Sites like FaceBook, ActiveRain, Twitter and Trulia are great tools for real estate professionals. These sites allow agents and brokers to share tips and trade secrets to others in the real estate communities. Also potential buyer and sellers visit these sites, making these sites wonderful free marketing tools as well. Although many REALTOR® boards provide tools to their members for surviving in down markets, there are many sites with great information for the proactive agents trying to succeed in these trying times.

Many know that there is a cycle in real estate as in many sales professions. With the housing markets and the economy on a decline, it is a matter of time until the cycle starts to turn for the better. The recent tax stimulous program as well as the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, Washington is giving many incentives to turn the market around, and for many regions it has had a quick (positive) impact on home sales.

For the latest real estate news NAR (National Association of REALTORS®) and Inman News have great resources for finding news, technology, law changes etc. for real estate professionals. Also check your state baoard as well as local boards for news in your area.