I recently ran into a friend of mine in the grocery store.  He’s not a realtor, but he quickly asked if I was hiring.  He said he’s constantly seeing me in my videos all over Lake Martin on beautiful days.  I’m at all these fun events while he’s stuck at the office.  Clearly the joke’s on him.

He was kidding, of course, but I know this is often the perception of a Lake Martin real estate agent.  First of all, realtors are a pretty cheesy crowd, and I get that (the Glamor Shots, the “Teams”).   But even more, folks think that at Lake Martin we Realtors must paddle board in the morning and spend the afternoon in the boat cruising the lake with clients and a full cooler.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I sometimes feel the need to justify my vocation (“I can handle things!”)

Peer behind the curtain. This is a real job, and most of it is not glamorous.  As evidence, I submit these pictures.  Yes, the scenery is amazing, but this is no swimsuit issue cover shoot.  It was a cold, windy, spring day in Trillium. I knew that most of the best shots of my new listing at 1020 Wake Robin would be from the water.  It was a lot of fun, but I felt like a goofball with cold legs and a ladder that kept blowing down.

But in the end, I got the shots.  To see all the pictures and listing info for 1020 Wake Robin in Trillium, click here.  The home is really cool.

There are a couple of points I’d like to make with these pictures.

1)  I’ve been frustrated by poor quality photos of Lake Martin homes of other agents on our MLS, or a general lack of photos of a property.  Maybe you have been, too.  The remedy is simply to DO BETTER, and I hope that if you’ve seen the media marketing I do for all of my listings, you’ll agree that I attempt to do much better than a few mediocre photos set to muzak.  However, like any serious professional, I have to get better. To wit, I have purchased a brand new Canon 60D and am trying to learn how to use it, and use it well. My pictures must get past merely recording info and get to the point where they tell the story of each waterfront home or lot that I am selling.

2)  In order to market YOUR home, are you willing to settle for anything less than an agent’s best work?  Buyers are coming from all over the nation (hello to Fort Collins, CO and my chilly friends in Minnesota), and your online presence matters.  They are scouring the internet for info on properties, and are often left with more questions than answers based on a lack of good information.

Does it take longer to take more than 10 pictures of your lake home and lot?  Yes?  Does it take even longer to make a full motion video tour to help explain the layout and flow of the property?  You bet.  Is it worth it? Absolutely. It can mean the difference between engaging a potential buyer or merely confusing them.  Numerous times that buyers have asked me to take additional pictures and make private video tours of properties (that are not my listings) because there isn’t much info available on the Lake Martin MLS.  Six poor pictures of a $600,000 waterfront home is inexcusable in 2012, at Lake Martin, or anywhere.

If you’d like to know about my marketing plan for your home, give me a call at (334) 221-5862 or click here to contact me.