How to Set Your Real Estate Business Up for Success After the Coronavirus

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world. The crisis has shaken up our country’s economy, disrupting every type of business and transforming the real estate business overnight.

We’ve seen this at DMD, where we’ve resorted to only photographing vacant properties and expanding our offerings with a new marketing kit for realtors as we try to make the best of a very difficult situation.

But as hard as it may be to believe right now, the coronavirus will pass — though our world will likely never be the same. To ensure your business is set up for success when the crisis subsides, you need to adapt quickly and start preparing now for the post-coronavirus world. 

Your real estate business can survive — if you plan correctly. To set your company up for success once everything reopens after the coronavirus, here are four critical tips:

Stay Positive

With the unending flood of news updates and social media posts, it’s easy to feel like the world is ending. But the coronavirus pandemic won’t last forever. For proof, look at China. Already, the country has lifted lockdowns and travel restrictions, and many employees have gone back to work. 

The United States is around seven weeks behind China in the advancement of the coronavirus. If this trend continues, we will witness a steep drop in coronavirus cases come May.  

All of this translates to what is looking like only a brief hiatus for your real estate business. And when this crisis does past, you don’t want to be beaten by your competitors in the race to recover lost clients and revenue.

Keep your spirits up, and if you can find creative and helpful ways to do so, be that voice of positivity for current and prospective clients as well.

Be Patient with Prospects

As a real estate agent, you may find prospective homebuyers and renters getting cold feet on deals. For many clients, stock market losses and/or fear of recession may make them reluctant to make a purchase. 

Because of this, you need to allow prospects more time to consider their investment, while continuing to encourage them by reminding them of their goals — and the very real benefits to buying right now (i.e. low interest rates, minimal competition, and likely lower prices). 

Connect with Prospective Clients on Social Media 

In times of crisis, we get a chance to see who people — and companies — really are. Now is a time for you to position your brand as a strong, empathetic leader. 

Without being salesy or pushy, you can provide your audience with support, education, empathy, and resources on social media. When wielded correctly, social media platforms can be mighty tools. 

For current clients, email marketing is a great tool right now to do many of the same things we mentioned above.

Strengthen Your Overall Digital Marketing Efforts

If you’ve been a real estate agent for a while, then you lived through a similar economic situation not too long ago. In the recession of 2008, many companies saw a dive in revenue as Americans tightened their budgets and spent less. But some companies managed to survive — and often they did so by ramping up their digital marketing efforts. 

Real estate businesses that regularly produced free content to answer real estate questions were able to establish a strong relationship with audiences during the recession. Once the recession was over, these real estate businesses not only survived but saw a boost in revenue because of the solid relationship they had fostered with future prospects.

How can you strengthen the digital marketing efforts of your real estate company? There are more ways than one, and pictures are (as they say) worth a thousand words. Don’t just tell potential clients what you can do — show them... with the help of DMD Real Estate Photography. 

Kitchen Upgrades That Make Listing Images Pop (Without Remodeling!)

As a real estate agent, you already know that finding the best ROI on kitchen upgrades in the Alaska market is a delicate balance — and most of the time, it can go either way. Depending on what a client chooses to upgrade, returns can range from mediocre to pretty great. 

Here’s a shortlist of our favorite on-trend updates that will make your listing images pop without requiring the cost and time of a full-on kitchen remodel or renovation. 

Change Out Those Dated Pulls and Knobs

This one is such an easy fix and costs very little in time and labor: remove old pulls and knobs and get stylish replacements.

We really love this option because any client can bring their kitchen up-to-trend for very little investment. In fact, if you do it yourself (or better yet, suggest your client handle this one) it could cost nothing outside of materials because all it involves is a screwdriver and some screws.

You don’t necessarily need to go super-high-end, but because costs are typically so reasonable compared to more extensive remodeling efforts like full cabinet gut and install, there is often room to splurge a little.  

Lighting Upgrades

Another easy way to create a huge impact on a kitchen without the cost of a full remodel? Change out the lighting. 

Can lights are always a sleek, modern option that can be easily enhanced by trading a traditional on/off switch for a dimmer switch. Under-cabinet LEDs are another great solution that are also extremely easy to install.

Here at DMD Real Estate Photography, we especially love lighting upgrades, because newer options can add big drama to your listing galleries!   

Shelving Options

There are a couple of different ways you can freshen up a kitchen with shelving. For those kitchens that seem a bit tight, if cabinet interiors don’t have a lip, consider pulling off a couple of doors to create open shelf space for an airy feeling. 

When there isn’t enough storage space, but extra wall area, you may want to install a few open floating shelves for some quick and easy staging, as well. 

In either case, the upgrades will cost you next to nothing, and create a whole new look and feel in the home’s kitchen. 

Backsplashes Can Bring an Entire Kitchen up to Date

Because the measurable area of a backsplash is never as extensive as, say, the flooring, opting for a backsplash upgrade is another cost-effective kitchen update solution. Choosing your materials can be tricky, however. 

You may want to consult an interior designer before making final selections since you won’t necessarily be changing out countertops and cabinetry as well. For instance, you may not want a full-on contemporary subway tile as a backdrop to your 70s-built atomic cabin-style kitchen.

A professional opinion can help you bridge that gap between when a house was built and what will help sell it now. 

Cabinets and Countertops

When you do have a bit of a budget, but need it to stretch, on-trend options for cabinets and countertops can be surprisingly affordable. 

First of all, Formica countertops are making a comeback, and they come in all sorts of colors and patterns. Resurfacing your existing counters is far more price point-friendly than completely ditching what you already have in place. 

Besides pulls and knobs, if the Alaska home you’re working with has solid wood cabinets, you might be able to simply reface your cabinets. That is, change out all the doors/drawers with a more modern design. 

In some cases, those brand new doorknobs and door pulls against a professional coat of paint will work wonders.

If you’re not sure whether the options you’re considering will photograph well, feel free to run them by us here at DMD Real Estate Photography. Always happy to provide input on what works from a listing gallery perspective!

Nine Best Practices for Promoting a Home on Instagram

Every great realtor incorporates social media platforms into their marketing plans, and with its visual nature, Instagram seems to be practically made for the real estate industry. That said, like any other media, you’re going to want to be strategic in how you present yourself and your real estate business. That’s why DMD has put together nine best practices (and one to grow on) for promoting a home on Instagram.

Quality Images are King on the Feed

The heart, the point - heck, the whole reason for Instagram’s existence is imagery. The name “Instagram” came from instant camera + telegram, and the founders’ intention was to boil social media noise down to what was most important to its users: photos, comments, and likes. The relationship between you and your followers really is that simple. You bring the quality images to them, and they will interact. 

Where promoting a home on Instagram is concerned, that means sharing the best images you have from your listing. Unique, high-quality, eye-catching shots that really capture what makes the home special and interesting. Something we know just a little bit about here at DMD.

Apply Your Real Estate Branding Guide to the ‘Gram

Your professional Instagram account is an extension of your real estate brand. While your feed should contain variety, you’ll want to incorporate a few of the same on-brand elements into every post. 

Think color scheme, ambiance, brand voice, and mission statement. These are all things that can remain consistent while you mix up the daily content. Speaking of which...

Mix Up Your Daily Content

Don’t get stuck in a rut by posting every single photo of a property in the same tired way every day. Give your community something to look forward to. 

One way to connect is to share images of yourself with them. Show them what makes your business go, too. And when it does come to listing photos, think outside the box. Highlight to-die-for features. Think about sharing interesting angles. Incorporate before and after shots on remodel projects. Add videos.

Utilize Your Feed as a Gallery Teaser

Showcasing more than one photo is fine, but don’t give everything away. Draw your user in, and interact with them through your various touchpoints. As long as it’s not encumbering, your followers will want to dive in deeper.

The thing to remember is you always want to bring them full-circle and back to your business. In other words, you’re providing beautiful images and interactive content because, ultimately, you’d like to help your followers with real estate.    

Tailor Your Captioning to Drive Business

There are two schools of thought when it comes to captioning your Instagram photos, and really it depends on the goal of your post. When in doubt - shorter is better. But if you really have a story to tell, take your time. 

We typically recommend a combination approach to keep things fresh and interesting. But always keep it tailored with your brand and business in mind.   

Incorporate New Insta Features Into Your Efforts

As Instagram continues to test, evolve, and incorporate features into its platform, understand that your followers are jumping on them, too. You want to be where they are, so when you see a new feature, don’t be afraid to try it out!

Did you know you can convert your most popular posts into ads? Or archive stuff you’ve later decided against? Traffic-tracking features are always evolving as well.

Offer Sneak Peaks and Interesting Generated Content via Stories

There are so many exciting ways you can use your stories to your advantage. Utilize them for walk-throughs. For property opinion polls. For Q&A boxes. 

Share related content from others via stories, too. This is a way to share your broader interests while keeping on-brand with your permanent feed.

Use Highlights for More Permanent Information and Guides

The highlights section is the perfect space for brand philosophy videos or other permanent branding efforts. 

Its location also makes it easy to drive people to your URL link directly above the highlights feed. Some also choose to host detailed contest rules videos there or share their most current news.  

Always Tag Your Location - Especially in Alaska

According to SocialReport.com, “Posts with a tagged location result in 79% higher engagement.” What’s more interesting to us is an application of an idea that doesn’t yet have data backing, but the theory seems sound. (And tagging costs nothing, so why not give it a try?) What is it?

It’s rumored that Instagrammers are now utilizing the service similarly to Yelp. Specifically, they’re searching for local businesses through the app. We imagine if you have a habit of tagging every listing post, you’re bound to garner some interest when Alaska-local followers happen to be in the area. 

(And One to Grow On!) 

One of the easiest ways to keep your own Insta feed fresh is by following the trendsetters themselves. Take a cue from a few key industry influencers and apply their principles with your own twist.

In the meantime, if you’d like a few tailored tips for how to best present your real estate business and listing images through the platform, reach out to DMD Real Estate Photography to learn more!