A new tool. A new opportunity.

DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS, CAMERA TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED AT A BLISTERING PACE. TODAY, THE ABILITY TO FILM HIGH-DEFINITION MOVIES FEATURES ON EVEN THE MOST RUDIMENTARY DEVICES. FURTHERMORE, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET CONNECTIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA USHERED IN A DIGITAL VIDEO REVOLUTION DEMOCRATIZING VISUAL COMMUNICATION. AND YET,
ALMOST NO AGENTS USE VIDEO TO MARKET THEIR THEMSELVES? WHY?

Lets face it, it’s hard to change, and many agents, especially successful ones, have a routine that works, so why try something new? Here are five reasons agents need to start using video if they want to keep their edge.

#1 VENDORS. Since I began doing videos for some of the most successful agents in Montreal, they’ve only become more successful. Why? Because making a video makes their vendors happy. So happy in fact, they tell their neighbors and friends, and you know what the means…

#2 SALES. Agents who go into a sales presentation with videos as a part of their arsenal win out every time over other agents who don’t.

#3 BRANDING. If you want to come up first in organic search results, there’s no better way than to put your video on YouTube. After Google, it’s the number 2 search engine in the word, and ask yourself this, how many other agents have
a serious presence there? Light bulb go off yet?

#4 BUYERS. I’ve had agents sell homes to people in China, or had buyers view a home only once and go back to Toronto and view the video of a listing again and again only to end up buying the home.

#5 INNOVATION. Lets face it, things don’t change much in the business, and it’s not easy to stay ahead of the curve, but here’s your chance. 99.9999% of agents out there haven’t got a clue it’s even possible to make a real-estate video. Even most photographers haven’t a clue. But now you do, so you have no excuse.

Whether you like it or not, video dominates every aspect of our lives. Always has, and probably always will. And although it’s a relatively new way to showcase listings, it has a place in the world of real-estate, although exactly what that place is has yet to be settled. But for a short time, agents have a chance to get in on this on the ground floor before it takes off. Want a glimpse of this future? Go to YouTube
and search for Silver Lit Homes and see for your self.

If you’d like more advice or want to hire a professional photographer, please head over to my site at www.silverlithomes.com

To get more information regarding Real Estate Integrated Marketing system please review www.hlmt.ca, or/and H&L Facebook, or/and H&L Twitter or/and H&L LinkedIn

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Articles are provided free of charge. Credit of usage must be attributed to Homes And Land Demeurea & Domaines .Any source/sponsor of the information quoted in the text must also be identified as presented. Images are only to be used with corresponding editorial copy. Usage of Homes and Land of Montreal articles constitutes your acceptance of these terms and an agreement between you and Homes and Land of Montreal

Advertisement

RENT TO OWN A HOME: IS IT FOR YOU?

BY CONSTANTIN CHERKASKIY
The Pros of Rent to Own Houses

You found the perfect house and you’re ready to commit to the neighborhood. But if you don’t have good credit or enough money for a down payment, you could find yourself out of luck – unless you sign a rent-to-own deal with the seller.

In a rent-to-own or lease option deal, the tenant pays for the privilege of having the first chance to buy the home from the seller at the end of the lease, which usually lasts three years. The tenant and the owner agree on a purchase price at the beginning of the lease and the tenant pays the owner an option fee of 1 to 5 percent of the purchase price. The seller credits the tenant with the fee against the price of the home when they finalize the sale at closing.

Sellers – or landlords – increase their pool of eligible buyers by including those who may not qualify for a loan right now but will in the future. Plus, the seller earns market rent – plus a little extra (called the rent premium) – during the course of the lease. Sellers also don’t have to pay a real estate agent fee, saving thousands of dollars. They also eliminate the hassles of endless showings. Tenants benefit because they get extra time to increase their savings and improve credit scores. Sellers help tenants save by crediting both the option fee and the rent premium at closing. Plus, they get upside protection – a terrific benefit if prices increase significantly over the course of the lease term – and they don’t have to move twice.

While somewhat unorthodox, renting to own offers the right parties significant advantages. Speak with an attorney to decide if renting to own a home is right for you. This article is sponsored by Constantin Cherkaskiy your Rentto – Own expert in Greater Montreal and around.

Little down payment Self Employed
Can’t qualify for mortgage?
Just relocated from another Province
Recent Bankruptcy Good, Bad or no Credit?
Divorce Newcomer to Canada
No Problem!

CONSTANTIN CHERKASKIY
FOUNDER “REIC&PMG” (REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT, COACHING & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GROUP)
CEO “K.E.CH. INC”
(514) 570-5940
info@reic-pmg.com
http://www.reic-pmg.com

To get more information regarding Real Estate Integrated Marketing system please review www.hlmt.ca, or/and H&L Facebook, or/and H&L Twitter or/and H&L LinkedIn

Terms of Use:

Articles are provided free of charge. Credit of usage must be attributed to Homes And Land Demeurea & Domaines .Any source/sponsor of the information quoted in the text must also be identified as presented. Images are only to be used with corresponding editorial copy. Usage of Homes and Land of Montreal articles constitutes your acceptance of these terms and an agreement between you and Homes and Land of Montreal.

Should you take your own pictures?

[HLMT.ca]  When I stared Silver Lit Homes I did quite a bit of cold calling. When I asked Realtors if they’d be interested in trying out my services, many Realtors gave me the same answer: they didn’t need good pictures of their listings because the Market in Montreal was so hot listings sold themselves. In my opinion, this attitude is short sighted.

Firstly, if the real estate market is so hot, why does a vendor need a real estate agent? Using that same logic, vendors should just put an ad on Craigslist, show the listing themselves and go to a notary to seal the deal. Well, some vendors do this, but most eventually end up understanding that Realtors will get them more money for their home. The same can be said for any good professional. Technical abilities, training and experience combine to give
the professional an edge. The same applies to real estate photography.

Yes, you can take your own pictures, but unless you have a lot of experience and technical know-how, you’re pictures won’t look great. Poorly cropped, taken from weird angles, and over or under exposed pictures are just some of the problems I see on a daily basis. But okay, I concede, the market is hot right now in Montreal, so potential buyers see through the bad pictures and still show up, check book in hand. Great! But let me tell you a secret, having professional pictures of your listing not only helps it sell faster by attracting more and better clients, it makes you look good in the eyes of the vendor, and this is a key ingredient many Realtors overlook.

Think about it, every top producer gets her business the same way: referrals. And the best way to get referrals is to have satisfied clients. Selling their house is one thing, but if you blow them away with great service while doing it, that’s another.
Therefore, making a listing look amazing works to your advantage because vendors will notice the care and attention you’ve put into selling their home, and they’ll reward you for it by promoting you to their friends. In my opinion, not fully promoting your clients’ property using every means possible and just letting a strong sellers market, or your company brand name, sell your listing is a poor choice. Clients want and deserve more than this. Agents who get this point thrive, those who don’t have a golden opportunity.

If you’d like to see the kind if difference Silver Lit Homes can make for you business, give me a call. Right now I have an incredible no risk offer where you only pay for my services if your listing sells. You can’t beat that! Go to my web site or call for details.

To get more information regarding Real Estate Integrated Marketing system please review www.hlmt.ca, or/and H&L Facebook, or/and H&L Twitter or/and H&L LinkedIn

Terms of Use:

Articles are provided free of charge. Credit of usage must be attributed to Homes And Land Demeurea & Domaines .Any source/sponsor of the information quoted in the text must also be identified as presented. Images are only to be used with corresponding editorial copy. Usage of Homes and Land of Montreal articles constitutes your acceptance of these terms and an agreement between you and Homes and Land of Montreal

How to improve you real estate photography: 101

Henri Cartier-Bresson, largely considered the father of photo jounalism once said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” If this were true, it might explain why so many Realtors’ pictures aren’t suitable to market their listings. Lets face it, taking great pictures is a lot harder than most people are willing like to admit. But moreover, the importance of having great pictures shouldn’t be understated, especially for real estate agents who rely on them as an important tool to communicate with clients.

So this month’s tutorial is about, what else, light! In photography, lighting makes all the difference in the world, so you should try and work with it, instead of against it. Pop quiz: what light makes for the best pictures? (1) Direct sunlight (2) An overcast sky (3) Or twilight? In order, the best answers would be 3, 2, 1.

If you said direct sunlight you’re not alone as this is what’s most intuitive, but this light causes all kinds of problems. The biggest one arises when taking pictures inside. It’s almost impossible to balance indoor lights with bright sunlight pouring in through windows, so the result is a big burst of light where a window should have been. On exterior shots, it results in overly harsh shadows.

The next best option would be to take pictures on a cloudy day. At least here light coming in from windows is softer, but other problems arise. The softer light makes it darker inside meaning to take good pictures you’ll need to stabilize your camera with a tripod. Also, an exterior shot on an overcast day can be lifeless.

The most ideal lighting for real estate photography is right before and after the sun goes down. Right before the sun goes down, there’s just enough ambient light shining through windows to balance with your interior lights. Right after, the exterior home lights will have the same intensity as the sky allowing for magical shots like the ones above.

Hopefully, this tutorial will help to improve your real estate photography. If, however, you’d really like make your listings stand out, call me.

To get more information regarding Real Estate Integrated Marketing system please review www.hlmt.ca, or/and H&L Facebook, or/and H&L Twitter or/and H&L LinkedIn

Terms of Use:

Articles are provided free of charge. Credit of usage must be attributed to Homes And Land Demeurea & Domaines .Any source/sponsor of the information quoted in the text must also be identified as presented. Images are only to be used with corresponding editorial copy. Usage of Homes and Land of Montreal articles constitutes your acceptance of these terms and an agreement between you and Homes and Land of Montreal.