Have you been Twittering lately?

If you haven't gotten on the Twitter band wagon, now is a good time.

Okay, so what exactly is Twitter?
It is a social networking service that allows its users to communicate between one another with a quick text exchange. You can view the text posts on the user's profile page or they can be delivered to other users who have signed up for them.

This is a great way for co-workers, clients, friends and family to stay connected and is a quick way to let someone know what you are up to; if you are late for a meeting; you can share tips and ideas; etc. You can get creative with how you need to use Twitter and how it can benefit you.

We recently got an email from CENTURY 21® saying they are starting to twitter. They are using it at the international convention in order to share tips, resources and ideas that are coming from the convention.

Click on Twitter to get started.

Photograph a Home to Sell

Today when you market a home, you are going to do the majority of that marketing online. This means that your photographs of the home will be the main thing potential clients will look at.

If you decide to take those photographs yourself instead of hiring a professional then it's important to keep the following tips in mind.


Do it Yourself Tips for photographing a Home

1) Use a tripod. It provides steadiness and allows you to operate your digital camera’s controls — specifically, shooting interiors at a slower speed.

2) Strive for even lighting. Professionals use strobe lights to brighten the dark spots. One of the mistakes that amateur photographers make is to shut all the blinds and turn on every artificial light in the room. This creates “halos” around each lamp. Don’t shoot when sunlight is streaming in from the windows. And use the flash on the camera to even things out.

3) Remove all clutter. Also remove all personal photos. The goal is to have potential buyers envision themselves living in your house; your family’s photos interfere with that process.

4) Wet down the brick patio and concrete pool surround to avoid it being too bright in the photo. Wetting it down also brings out the rich color in the brick.

5) Don’t be afraid of the shade. Gardens look richer when they aren’t shot in the blazing sun.

6) Leave no detail unattended. Tape the folds of the dining room tablecloth so it doesn’t pucker out. Position chairs uniformly (about 1 foot) from the table’s edge.

7) Shooting a pool presents special challenges because of the reflective nature of the water. Use a flash and try your shot in late afternoon or early morning.

8) Change the Perspective for exterior shots. If you shoot the home from the traditional front on shot, it is generic. Be creative and make the pictures memorable.

9) Consider using a software program such as Photoshop to touch things up. It is a way to eliminate telephone and electric wires. Ditto for punching up colors and obscuring some less desirable elements.

10) Tell a story. Your photo’s still may not win awards but the key thing is to create an impression that this house will be someones home. Remember the end in mind, the goal of every picture is to sell the home. Even if you use an outside photographer, tell them the idea’s you want to get across and the target market.

Bonus Tip: Take your camera every time you visit the home. Nobody said that the photo’s you put up on the site have to remain forever. If you see a great shot that shows off the home, take it and change out the pictures. Small improvements lead to great results.

These tips are fairly easy and most come from top photographers in the field. If you are selling homes and marketing them on the internet, photographs are your best friend. Get out of the mindset of minimalist classified advertising and make your website rich in information. Big photographs, soaring descriptions, and educational video’s will turn your internet efforts into stellar results.

Tips came from therealestatebloggers.com