The COVID-19 crisis has changed how we live, work and play. Some of these changes will likely continue after the virus is gone. Some states and cities are in a virtual lock down, whereas in other areas real estate and other “essential businesses” are continuing on, in limited ways, while practicing the social distancing policies set forth by government officials.
In that regard, in locations where we can continue to create listing content, we will do so under the below practices. Note this includes your and your seller’s cooperation to make it safe for all parties involved. Our photographers are in and out of many houses every day and their exposure needs to be minimized to ensure the safety of all.
In markets where third-party services have been banned, we can still help you create great content for your listing. See our Self Service page that provides options on how you can do things yourself, including how we can help you create floor plans from any source and do photo enhancement of your images.
Content Buyers Want
The FloorPlanOnline virtual tour is the perfect marketing tool for your listings because it includes the content (floor plans) that Buyers deem most important as part of their online search (see the Power of Plans report), it helps convince sellers to pick you (because Sellers were once Buyers), and it keeps your brand with lead capture form on your virtual tour on 97% of the top 10 websites, including Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com.
Best Practices for COVID-19
Reschedule the shoot if any of the occupants or you are feeling ill or have been in contact with COVID-19
Disinfect commonly touched areas like doors, light switches, etc
BEFORE the photographer arrives – have all lights on, blinds up and the property needs to be ready for a shoot. We will not be touching or moving anything, so we will be shooting “as is” and we want to minimize the time in any property so if it is not ready when we arrive, the shoot will need to be rescheduled and there will be a trip charge assessed.
Practice social distancing – this means the only person in the house should be the photographer and there should be a minimum of 15 minutes where no one is in the house before and after. The family and pets need to be out of the house by at least the 15 minute rule.
Other helpful prep tips:
Exterior Areas
remove cars from view if possible
close windows
sweep or blow sidewalks, decks and yard
remove clutter, garden tools, hoses, trash cans from view
stage outdoor living areas
clean Pool & surrounding areas
Kitchen & Dining Areas
remove Art From Refrigerator
wipe down appliances
remove clutter like small appliances from counters
clean sink and other areas
stage eating areas (if desired) to show lifestyle vignettes
Bathrooms & Bedrooms
make the beds and remove any clutter under them
remove general clutter like clothes, cords, and toys
clean shower doors and sinks
put the toilet lids DOWN
Clean mirrors
hang freshly folded towels
General Prep
less is more – de-clutter as much as possible
any landscaping or yard work should be done a day or two before, NOT during the shoot
if aerial is involved, make sure anything visible is put away
unlock doors or provide lock box access instructions
provide contact follow up so photographer can call or text when done
We spent last year completely recoding our back-end video engine to make it more scalable and reliable so it is able to produce smoother, more cinematic videos. Now, we have completely recoded the front-end editor you use to create the videos. It is built using modern code and comes with these benefits highlighted below:
NO use of Adobe Flash, which means you can use your iPad to edit the photo order and create a video. The old editor required Flash.
Simplified Intro/Exit branding slides that pull from your profile info & can be shown independently of each other
Ability to add photos or even ready to use video clips and sequence them into the timeline.
Auto syncing of the floor plan images that can be inserted in the video (at this time they are not shown in the photo gallery because the point & click plan shows the floor plans there)
Add a Text slide to help communicate a space or feature. This is similar to the text posts you see on Facebook, and it includes the ability to add in emojis. 😉 You can also use this to create a custom branding slide and select to show it ONLY on the branded version of the video we create (so you do not get in trouble with your MLS and their unbranded requirements. 💡 See example below.
Auto saves – no more save and preview or save. It just does it.
Video length indicator
Multi-select images – use SHIFT+Click to select
Quick editing panel for everything you can change on each media item. See example below.
This is the text slide editor so you can create any kind of custom slide and inject into the video timeline.
Click the photo (media card) to show the quick edit panel for each media item.
Floor Plan images are automatically updated when changes are made to the floor plan (under Edit FloorPlan). Only available in the video timeline for now.
We have created a way for you to get a custom holiday video, perfect for positing to Facebook or Instagram. The video will feature your contact info and area specific photos (or we can pull from your specific listings upon request) in our Holiday Theme.
To order your custom holiday video in time for the holidays, just complete the video request and we will turn it around, typically within 1 business day. Just be sure to order before 12/24! The video is $25.
If you want us to use Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah (or any other customization) just tell us in the comments section for specific things you want. Remember, the limit is 1 minute to meet social media guidelines, so please be cognizant of that with your requests.
Introducing a new service for any photo – the Virtual Twilight upgrade.
The virtual twilight upgrade takes ONE day-time photo and simulates a twilight scene using Photoshop. It is not a replacement for twilight photography with multi-bracketed shots or advanced lighting techniques that will bring in the interior space view. These examples are representative of the kind of lighting and window views you should expect. We do try to remove shadows (unlike the other guys that just darken the photo so shadows are visible), add lighting effects and adjust window color to simulate twilight photography. However, if you are expecting to clearly see the inside of the home and have no window reflections, please do not order this option as refunds will not be provided.
– just move the slider back and forth to see the difference between the original and the edited photo –
Pricing of the virtual twilight is $35 per photo edited, and you can order it as you place an order. See examples of skies available and of finished photos below.
– click any image to see it full screen with the selected sky –
Original
Beautiful Evening
After Sunset
Sunset
Twilight
Dramatic Sky
Morning Sunrise
Twilight Comp
Please email us with your requests or questions as we do have other skies we can select from if you have a special circumstance. Note: you can also order this option after your order has been produced by emailing customer care or call us at 866-810-3816.
Adding aerial images and video can really add a wow factor to a normal listing. In this post I detail some of the tips and tricks I use in drone shooting. Hopefully it can help you too.
I am flying with a Mavic Pro2 with the Hasselblad camera. The thing I like about the Mavic is it is small, easy to maneuver, stable and the camera lens and sensor are great. I also have a Phantom 3 Advanced, and I find it a bit harder to use, and less stable. So if you are still using a Phantom, you might think of upgrading.
Creating an aerial video is not hard. The FloorPlanOnline production department will take your video clips and make a custom video. All we need is raw footage to help us tell the story. You can check out the FPO Air doc on some key moves you should have for each video. I also have compiled a few videos from YouTube that explain some of the modes that help make it easier. The Mavic has more but the Phantoms also have various flight modes. Just search YouTube for your specific model and modes.
At the end of the day, we just need some stable, well exposed clips to put in a video. These are generally 2-5 second clips. All you need to do is fly and record and FPO Production will extract the clips out of the footage. Just follow the shots in the FPO Air doc.
Our Growing Real Estate Photography and FloorPlan Company is currently looking to add Real Estate Photographers / FAA Certified Drone Pilots to the team in multiple locations. We may also consider you for an area manager position which entails a deeper relationship with FloorPlanOnline as a licensee of our system. Locations include:
Seattle, WA (to work with our area manager)
Portland, OR
Southern California (to work with our area manager)
Chicago ((to work with our area manager)
Denver, CO
Salt Lake City, UT
Bay Area, CA
Kansas City, MO
Spokane, WA
Boise, ID
Bend, OR
Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA
Carleston, SC
Florida (all areas)
Houston, TX
Dallas, TX
El Paso, TX
New Orleans, LA
Minneapolis, MN
Phoenix, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Nashville, TN
Atlanta, GA
Washington, DC
Las Vegas, NV
Rhode Island
Upstate NY
Pittsburgh, PA
Cincinnati, OH
As a Real Estate Photographer, you will be responsible for providing a series of creative, high quality HDR photographs of the home and neighborhood amenities, as well as Drone Photos & Video for Residential and Commercial Properties. No editing or HDR processing is required as we use our centralized production team to process the photos.
You will also be required to use a Matterport camera to create 360 visuals and floor plans for properties (leveraging the FloorPlanOnline system that converts Matterport into a floor plan). Having an existing Matterport camera is a plus, but not a requirement.
Equipment needed:
DSLR Camera (full frame preferred)
Wide Angle Lens for equivalent of 10 to 16 mm
Heavy Duty Tripod
External Flash
Drone with Photo and Video capacity
Reliable vehicle and valid license, with current insurance
Computer with Internet access.
Laser measuring device (preferred)
Matterport 3D camera and/or 360 Camera (Theta V or Z1)
You must have all of the items above (or be willing to procure them) to be considered for this position.
Requirements:
1-2 years of experience preferred, however training will be provided.
Excellent communication skills
Strong time management, multi-tasking and prioritizing skills
Flexible Schedule to work during normal business hours with some later nights a possibility
Resourceful, Helpful, and a Self Starter
Leader / Team Player
Exceptional Customer Service
FAA Part 107 Certification (or pilot license)
Samples or website link of recent work
We would love to hear from you:
If you meet all the requirements above, enjoy working in a fast paced environment, like to meet new people, and like working in a different setting everyday, this could be the right fit for you.
Please provide samples of your work with your resume when applying for this position.
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