They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and this holds especially true with real estate photos. They show the viewer a glimpse inside the home allowing them to determine if it interests them. The viewer can see everything from layout of the home to features such as counter top types, wall color, flooring type, dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor and well kept lawns. Photos and virtual tours are a driving marketing force in the sale of a home and it is important that these photos help not hinder the sale. Below are 7 tips for great real estate photos.

Tip 1: Tidy up. Your photos are an open house 24/7. As you prepare, go through each room tidying up. Items on counter tops such as the basket of mail in the kitchen or the toiletries on the bathroom counter should be removed. Tables and counters will show best with just a few tastefully selected items. Pick up and put away children’s toys, clothes, dishes, items on the floors and furniture. All this can appear to be clutter in the camera. Don’t forget to check for burnt out light bulbs which can really stand out in a photograph.

Tip 2: Please do not have other workers such as housekeeping, lawn crews, or repairmen at the home during photographing. If you desire to have housekeeping or lawn work done ahead of time, your virtual tour company will be glad to work with you on the best possible time to photograph your home.

Tip 3: Some pets love to pose for the camera! But others are uncomfortable with equipment or strangers. Please plan ahead for your pets by placing them in a kennel or at a day care.

Tip 4: What’s on your fridge? The family photos and artwork on the refrigerator are fun to look at, however, it can often appear as clutter to the camera. Please plan to remove these items before your virtual tour. A clean front on the refrigerator always shows best in photographs.

Tip 5: If you have begun packing, remove the boxes to an area which will not be photographed. Items stacked in the corner or tucked under the bed can show in the photos and this will keep your home from looking its best.

Tip 6: Outside move summertime items such as bikes, skates and pool toys to a storage area. Plan to have the lawn mowed and edged. If summer heat has caused the grass to turn brown, try to water a couple of days in advance to give it a fresh look. Trim hedges and sweep walks and driveways to give a manicured and inviting appearance. Add a few flowering plants for extra curb appeal!

Tip 7: Don’t forget the pool. A sparkling, clear pool can inspire thoughts of summer fun and relaxation, even in the “off” season. However, green murky water can leave an impression too. Make sure your pool is an inviting asset to your home.

Visit Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours website to learn more.

Its no secret that the customer base for many businesses has moved online. This is especially true of the real estate market. The number of buyers shopping online has steadily increased yearly for several years. Now, that number has reached 87% according to the 2008 National Association of Realtors(R) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, making an effective online marketing campaign essential if you want your business to continue to grow.

So, how do you get noticed on the world wide web?

One essential is SEO. Just what is SEO? Do I need one? Where do I get one? Is it easy to use? Does it come with instructions or , even better, a hotline? If you are one of the many who ask yourself questions like this, then read on…

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential if you want your website and online marketing to be found on the internet. It is based on a couple of things - one is what people search for on the web, the other is how relevant your information is to that search.

Here is how it works:

You are a real estate agent marketing your listings online. You are located in Shreveport, La. Your website should include information about real estate in your city, your listings, information on your local market and so on. When a homebuyer sits down at their computer to learn more about what is available they will search for something like “homes for sale with virtual tours in Shreveport”. The results they will receive will include websites that have virtual tours of homes for sale in Shreveport. Whether or not your marketing will appear in the results depends on how relevant your content is to this search.

Google Search Results

Viewers will look at those sites that appear on the first or maybe second page of the search results. Rarely do they view information found on page 10 of the results. Therefore, placing content on the web that is directly related to your business or product is essential to being found. But it is also essential to establish that information as being relevant to the topic. This is done many ways such as linking to other related information from your website, having other information linking back to you, visits to your website by interested people, etc.

SEO is a driving force in effective online marketing.

Creating a volume of relevant content on the web can be a time consuming effort; however, the effort is well worth it when you consider the market share available to be reached.

If your time is already spread thin, then you may want to consider hiring someone to help. Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours has optimized all of our online marketing on behalf of our clients in order to help drive them to the top of the search results and to create related relevant content on the web. Contact us today to learn more.

We at Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours are pleased to announce the release of our new YouTube channel. YouTube is one of the most powerful video marketing sites on the web today and we are now able to harness this power for our Shreveport/Bossier City area clients, giving them a more dynamic property marketing experience.

The new channel features slide show style videos coupled with short descriptive text and a link to the 360 virtual tour, providing our clients one more avenue through which to share information about their real estate listing. This is an avenue which is informative and provides an engaging and interactive experience for the real estate shopper. This comes in addition to our already powerful online solutions which include SEO optimized virtual tours, our listing exposure engine and a new social networking utility.

At Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours it is our goal to provide real solutions for virtual media - solutions that are cost effective, easy to use and which generate high exposure for our clients. If you would like to learn more contact us today.

Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours now includes a new social networking utility in our Shreveport virtual tours, making it easier than ever for your tour to be bookmarked. Now when a visitor comes to your website and views one of your property tours, they can take it with them when they go simply by selecting the ‘Share Tour’ tab then choosing their favorite social networking site.

Why is this important to real estate agents? Because your real estate marketing just went viral! What is viral marketing? It works like this:

When a visitor comes to your website they look at your listings and information then leave when they are finished. Your marketing information remains on your website. But with viral marketing, it means that the visitor can take information about you and your listing with them when they go. They can then place it on their favorite social networking site where their friends will see it. These friends can then place it on their sites, where their friends see it and so on, quickly spreading your information across the web.

And of course, the more people who see you and your listing the better the chance of converting visitors to clients.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because our tours are now Search Engine Optimized, which means that all these new visits serve to bubble your virtual tour and you to the top of the search engine rankings.

Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours together with RTV are always looking for new ways to help you market your property and yourself. Our products are designed to help you stay ahead of the curve. If you are looking to boost your online presence this year, let us help. We will do the work so that you don’t have to. Leaving you free to do what you do best - sell real estate. Contact us today to discuss your marketing campaign.

I have read a number of articles lately discussing predictions on what the real estate market will be like when it corrects. There is an agreement among these articles that the real estate market will be a new ball game and that marketing will make a shift to predominately online media.

With a drive to optimize marketing dollars, the Internet is by far the hands down choice for broad reach with an abundance of information for a small cost. However, not only is economy driving the shift, but the Internet savvy consumer is demanding it. In this modern economy of high demand on individual's time, and high demand for information on which to base decisions, online information is the option of choice. An ever increasing number of consumers are looking online for information. Print advertising seems to be falling more and more to the roll of pointing the consumer to a website where the desired information can be obtained in the form of quality photos, descriptive text and interactive experiences. This seems to be particularly true of high ticket items, such as real estate, where consumers decide which homes to view in person based on information they have obtained online.

Moving forward, it will become more and more necessary for Realtors to provide quality information in abundance while creating a professional and tech savvy online image. In an arena where so many options are available, it is easy for the consumer to pass by a listing that does not offer an eye catching, professional presentation immediately. Professional virtual tour creation and photography, quality interactive marketing, and effective online syndication are the cornerstones of creating an online campaign that will make your real estate listing stand out from the others. And if the professionals' predictions about the future of the market are correct, these items will become the standard for real estate marketing in the future.

If you have questions about establishing your Internet presence in 2009, Ark-La-Tex Virtual Tours will help you make an informed decision about which marketing options are best for you. Contact us today for information and answers to your questions.