Photography and real estate in today's present circumstances

By Richie Vraux

While many of us Real Estate professionals believe we are fantastic at everything we do, that might not be true in picture taking, staging and creating virtual tours on our new listings. We are all living in a rapidly changing world where safety is priority one. We have developed means to keep us, as well as our buyers and sellers safe from contacting this awful virus that the entire world is experiencing.

We have all seen properties where the photographs just don’t show well and do the home justice. 

There are dishes in the sink, clothing in just about every shot and clutter everywhere. Even an

adorable home with character will not show its very attractive features if it is messy and not staged properly. A professional photographer will make the difference, making it appear more attractive and it may make the difference between getting it sold quickly and sitting on it for months.

Today there are many ways buyers can see each listing and get a pretty good idea if that particular home is right for them without walking through the home. Matterport Technology is a game changer. It gives you a 3D perspective, room by room platform bringing each room to life and includes the measurements. The technology offers you a 3D walk-through virtual tour of a home. With today’s social distancing and our governor’s “Stay at home order”, it might be the best way to keep us all safe. This technology is like a doll house effect showing all there is to see. Once a property has been selected, then a physical showing is done. Your REALTOR® will provide you with a face mask, 

booties and gloves to prevent you from catching anything or infecting anyone.

Despite the pandemic, the Real Estate market is still very strong, but we still have a shortage of properties to sell. Mortgage rates are historically low so why not buy? I don’t believe we will ever see rates this low for quite some time.

Lets’ face it - we as REALTORS® want to provide our buyers the highest level of service, but want to make sure our clients are safe from exposure. Stay safe and use a professional stager/ photographer to keep our buyers and sellers out of harm’s way.

Richie Vraux is a team partner of Maine’s Premier Team Gardens The Masiello Group with offices in Windham and Gorham.