Virtual Tours | Benchmark Realty, LLC

Photo-Free-for-All- Can You Use Someone Else’s Pictures?

The Internet is a big, big place, and many Realtors® believe that it’s somewhat of a free-for-all. However, that’s not the case; actually, you could find yourself paying a pretty penny if you use someone else’s listing photographs or information as your own. Can You Use Another Realtor’s Photos? A couple of recent court cases involving Realtors using photos that they didn’t own didn’t work out too well for the offending agents. It’s much cheaper to take your own photos or purchase them outright than to end up paying a court-ordered fine (plus court fees) if you’re found guilty of infringing someone else’s copyright. And just for the record, as soon as you click the shutter button, the resulting photo is copyrighted and belongs to you. Why You Shouldn’t Want to Use Another Realtor’s Photos Aside from the fact that using another agent’s photos on your listing is considered stealing, there are several reasons you shouldn’t want to use them. First, you’re not doing your clients any favors. It’s your job to find the most attractive angles, the most unique shots and the best views so you can spark interest in your clients’ properties. When people searching for properties see [...]

4 Hot Tips for a Killer Virtual Tour

Some people believe that virtual tours are a must, and in the digital age, they might be right. Are you using virtual tours as part of your marketing effort for each home you list? If you are, are they actually bringing in buyers? Effective Virtual Tours Mean More Sales If you’re skipping out on the fundamentals, which are different now than they were five years ago, you might just be spinning your wheels. At Benchmark Realty, we’re committed to giving you all the tools you need to make your business a success. That said, there are four key ingredients that go into an amazing (and effective) virtual tour: 1. High-Resolution Pictures Say Thousands of Words Once the home is properly staged, pictures taken with a digital SLR camera can highlight its best features – and those pictures can bring in between $934 and $116,076 more than listings taken with an ordinary camera. 2. Silence is Golden Piping music throughout your tour is a thing of the past. The first thing people do is click the “Volume” button and shut it off; they might already have their own music playing, they might not like yours or it might even startle them [...]