Alaska's Best Kitchens Magazine - Winter 2018

It’s that time again!

Twice a year, we photograph the winners for Alaska’s Best Kitchens. This edition featured L-shaped kitchens. Wraparound kitchens. Kitchens with enormous islands. Kitchens with absolutely no island. Some people who went light and bright… and others who opted for darker tones.

There’s Hollie Ruocco of Creative Kitchen Designs, who solved homeowners’ issue with their closed-off kitchen by removing an entire wall. Then topped it off by adding some beach flair.

Homeowners who managed to not only solve the problem of their previous kitchen’s dreadful layout but do so on a budget – while also turning part of the space into a home office!

The married couple in Anchorage who solved the unenviable problem of having a kitchen with only a single window. They scoured the area for light toned materials and got creative with LEDs.

Danielle Bohn of Dura Supreme Cabinets, who followed the homeowners’ initial request by providing them with a design that didn’t “change the basic footprint”… but also included a second design that involved some bigger structural changes – which they naturally fell in love with.

Kevin Clarkson, who refused to be trapped by the cramped area of his original space and – wait for it – managed to transform an exterior deck into his new kitchen. Yes, we were suitably impressed.

And finally, the couple who knew it was time to deal with their kitchen when they started using SpongeBob duct tape to hold up peeling vinyl. (Why not just regular duct tape? We didn’t ask...)

So there’s a lot of variety to be found in the contest winners – not to mention some great stories about how each of them did it. Congratulations to all the winners on a job well done!

Floor Plans Add Value to Real Estate Marketing

Online listings are the first impression of a property in most cases. In fact, many prospective buyers have all but made up their minds on the property prior to the showing.

Visually appealing photos are key for getting the attention of potential buyers. But once buyers have been drawn in by those images, they want to know if the property provides what they need. This is where floor plans come in.

Here are a few reasons why floor plans make an impact with buyers.

Floor plans provide valuable information.

A good online real estate listing should not only grab buyers’ attention, but also provide enough information about the property to help buyers determine if they’d like to move forward with a showing.

A prospective buyer will want to get an idea of the property’s layout to see how it flows and determine if the property meets their needs. By providing a floor, you ensure that prospective buyers know what to expect before the showing, increasing your chance of a showing leading to a sale.

Floor plans make a property more appealing and memorable.

A floor plan helps prospective buyers imagine themselves in the property. Some buyers may even use floor plans to help map out what certain rooms would be used for and where furniture and other items could be placed. This helps buyers become more attached a property, increasing your chance of a sale.

A floor plan can also help buyers remember a property. How many times have you done a walk-through, only to forget the property’s layout? Referring back to the floor plan and photos can help buyers accurately remember what they’ve seen.

Floor plans can highlight a property’s assets.

In some cases, floor plans can be used to emphasize a property’s unique aspects.

For example, if a house has an open-concept design suitable for entertaining, a floor plan can place emphasis on this. Similarly, a floor plan can draw attention to the existence of offices or bonus rooms.

Bottom line? Together with excellent photography, floor plans can make a listing stand out in prospective buyers’ minds both before and after the showing.

Why Drone Photography for Real Estate Is Growing More Popular

Photos and videos are some of the most important pieces of a real estate listing. In fact, 95% of home buyers say that photos are the most important factor when shopping for homes.

There are more ways for buyers to share and experience a house through photos and video than ever before. Sellers also have more options when putting their house on the market, and one of the hottest trends for real estate marketers is using drone photography to properly show off listings.

That’s right – drone photography. Real estate photographers love drone photography, and it might just be the key to selling your home for a higher price!

Three Reasons Why Drone Photography Is Effective

Drones truly show off a home’s acreage.

Once the drone is outside, it can show buyers even more… from an even higher angle. There are very few opportunities for sellers to take buyers over every square inch of their property, but a drone can fly up to 400 feet in the United States.

Every acre of your land and the surrounding neighborhood can be shown off from that height! (Don’t believe us? Just watch this gorgeous video below of a listing in Cooper Landing!)

If you have a large amount of land, drone photography is the best way to show potential buyers the true value of your property. Sellers near Eagle River or more secluded areas of Anchorage should seriously consider showing off their house with drone photography.

Drones allow walkthroughs to reach new heights.

Video walkthroughs are quickly becoming one of the hottest ways for realtors to show off their homes. A full walkthrough helps buyers put together the pieces that pictures provide and truly put themselves in their potential home.

Drones are wonderful for walkthroughs because they can record them at eye level… or from the perspective of the ceiling fan! This is something that can make the space feel bigger and even cause it to look more interesting.

Drones also record this walkthrough smoothly. In one shot, photographers can record a full walkthrough that includes every room of the house.

The rooms of your house, no matter what shape or size they are, have a better chance of being shown off with drone photography.

There are more drones on the market than ever.

Did you know the oldest aerial photograph is from 1860? But it wasn’t until the early 2000s that people started using drones to take photos in their backyard. Nowadays, we see drones at every tourist attraction and frequently at local events.

With more models on the market, the quality of photography is only getting better and better, and there are first-rate models available at reasonable price points.

As a result, drone photography has become a more worthwhile investment for real estate marketing.

Use Drone Photography to Sell Your House for a Higher Value

Our team has tested out the best models and used our photography expertise to produce stunning aerial photos and videos for sellers. View our full video portfolio.

Contact the team at DMD Real Estate Photography for more information on how drone photography can help you sell your home for a higher price.