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25 Resources for Mastering Real Estate Photography, Video and Beyond

January 31 2018

When it comes to their skillset, real estate agents are a bit like a Swiss Army knife. They need interpersonal intelligence, negotiation know-how, sales chops, and a whole lot of patience.

But when you started out in real estate, I bet nobody told you how important multimedia skills were to the job—and how many different types of media you'd need to be comfortable with. From taking property photos, to creating listing flyers, to shooting video, agents in today's DIY digital age are expected to be media whizzes.

Of course, there's only so much time in the day. To lessen your workload, we advocate automating where possible, and then filling in the gaps with a little do-it-yourself chutzpah.

To that end, we've combed through our library of educational content to find the best, most helpful articles on media of all sorts—everything from photography to graphic design to virtual tours and beyond. Consider it your crash course in multimedia skills for real estate.

Virtual Reality and 3D Property Tours

Is virtual reality the new competitive differentiator for real estate agents? It may very well be, according to a new survey from Coldwell Banker, which found that 77 percent of prospective buyers would like to virtually tour a listing before seeing it in person, and 62 percent would prefer an agent that offers virtual reality property tours over one that does not.

But beyond sating consumer demand, what can virtual reality do for you as a real estate agent? Check out Virtual Reality for Real Estate: What Can It Do for You? to learn more.

Once you know what virtual reality can do for you, it's time to tackle the how. See How to Get Started with 3D Property Tours (and 3 Hidden Features to Try), and then hop on over to 3 Creative Ways to Show off Your Matterport 3D Tours for ideas on distributing your tours and maximizing your ROI.

Graphic Design

Whether you're creating print postcards or images to share on social media, graphic design is a handy skill to have in your back pocket. But who has time for formal design courses? The two articles below offer simple shortcuts for creating impactful graphics:

For those who want to deepen their graphics knowledge, dive into this article to learn what "vector" images are and why they're crucial to good design.

If you're just looking to purchase stock photos to add to your blog, flyers, or website, make sure you check out Stop Paying for Royalty Free Real Estate Images before you buy. It could save you a lot of money!

Listing Photography

Articles about photography are consistently among the most read posts on our website. Why? Because taking listing photos (or outsourcing the task) is something that all agents must deal with at some point—and property photos have a serious impact on consumers' interest level in your listing.

A lot goes into creating quality photos, however. There is camera equipment to worry about, composition tips to keep in mind, and a whole lot more. The three articles below help take the mystery out of photography. Learn about camera hardware, settings, and how to capture compelling images on everything from a standard DSLR to your smartphone to drones:

After you take photos, you then have to worry about processing them. Discover apps that can help in 4 Free Photo Editing Tools for Real Estate. Are all those photos overwhelming your laptop's or phone's memory? Learn how to manage the issue in Photos Taking Up Too Much Space? A Few Tips to Compress.

Did you just sell a home and want to share your success on Facebook or Instagram? Go ahead, but don't post a picture of your clients until you read this article.

And finally, we can't walk away from discussing photography without talking about Instagram! If you're just getting started on the social network, check out Instagram Posts for Realtors and Tips on Choosing the Right Instagram Username.

Like any social network, Instagram is constantly tweaking its platform. Last winter, Instagram rolled out a nifty update that enables you to upload multiple photos in one post. That means real estate agents can upload photos of their entire listing in one tidy post! Learn how to do this here.

Podcasts

Are you overwhelmed by all different multimedia skills you "need" to have yet? Let's slow down for a second and take a look at how you can lean on other people's creative output instead.

I'm talking about podcasts—audio shows that can listen to (and learn from) anywhere you are, whether in your car or wearing headphones whilst jogging. Not sure which shows to tune into? Check out The 12 Top Real Estate Podcasts for ideas. And if you need an app for tuning in, check out Stitcher.

Video: Marketing, Livestreaming, and More

With 84 percent of prospective buyers wanting to see video footage of a home, ignoring video is no longer an option. But for agents, time is at premium, so here's a quick crash course on How to Make a Video People Will Actually Watch.

Property videos shouldn't be the only thing on your YouTube channel. Diversify your content with market update videos you can create in 15 minutes flat.

Next, consider how you can make your videos accessible to everyone. Check out The Cheapest, Fastest Way to Caption Your Real Estate Videos to assist consumers with hearing difficulties.

Don't forget: your video marketing strategy can extend well beyond YouTube. The latest trend? Posting on Facebook (here's a primer). Where real estate agents are really finding success, however, is in broadcasting live on Facebook. For tips on getting started, see The Do's and Don'ts of Facebook Live: What to embrace, what to avoid when livestreaming.

Video isn't just for marketing—it can be a tool for client communication too, thanks to video chat technology. To learn more about this tactic, see: