Hello Realtors around the US!
My wife and I are leaving in September on a 6 month long mission trip through an organization called Youth with a Mission. I need to rent or sell my home. I'm using a local realtor, but I want to be as proactive as possible. If you know of anybody looking for a home in the Greenville/Greer/Taylors SC area, please consider my home. You can find details on our missions blog or at www.northgreer.com. The proceeds from this home will help fund our mission trip.
We are also looking for partners financially and through prayer:
A blog about our mission - www.hansonsatywam.com
OUR MISSION OUTREACH POSSIBILITIES (We'll decide at the beginning of October the final location)
If you have any questions about my home or our mission trip feel free to contact me!
Thanks and God Bless!
Calvin Hanson
cthans@gmail.com
I know what you are thinking: "A website for each listing? Thats a lot of work!"
I agree it might not be worth your time for your listings under $200,000, but a website might be the ticket for your higher priced listings. It actually might help land listings because people will think, "Wow! They are going to create a whole website just for me!"
"Ok, I'm interested, how do I do it without lots of money and time?"
Hire me! Whoops how'd that plug get in there....Well actually you can do it on your own if you have a little tech savvy-ness. Here's what you need:
It might take a little bit of learning the first time but once you get the hang of posting, you will love creating your own content. Another benefit is when people search for a specific MLS listings or home address, sometimes it goes to other realtor sites. Having a blog on a single listing will almost ensure you will be on top of google for those specific searches.
Other option to get more exposure for your listings:
What ever website/blogging method you use, decide on it and stick with it for the best results!
Other Resources:
Good luck selling!
CALVIN HANSON, DESIGNER
WEB - www.pgraphics.biz
BLOG - www.graphicdesigngreenville.com
So you are starting a business and need a logo design! Great. The only problem is you’ve spent your start up money on other parts of the business. How can you have a logo designed without taking out another loan?
TIP #1 - BE PREPARED! (this is the most important tip. The other tips fall under this one) Know what you want before you even contact a logo designer. If you have a great idea for your logo design, sketch it out on a piece of paper. The less work a designer has to do the less money he/she will charge. Here are a few things to think about when brainstorming for your logo design:
#1 goal of a logo is to communicate. What do you need to communicate? Think about:
TIP #2 - Ask for the hourly rate
This goes along with being prepared. Many designers have a logo package but also have a set hourly rate anywhere from $40-$100+/hour. As long as you are prepared, you will save money. Logo Packages can be anywhere from $250-$1000+.
TIP #3 - Be specific, but not too specific.
What you sketched out as your logo concept will be hard to match exactly and unless you have a hidden artistic talent, it will probably look rough on paper. If you envision elegant script-like writing in your logo, designers can accommodate your choice with many script font options and can match what you want pretty closely.
TIP #4 - Bring samples of the style of logo you like.
This is one of the better tasks you can do, because designers can see a visual example of what style you want. Visuals are better for communicating with designers. Instead of saying you want something elegant, you can actually show them just how elegant you want the logo to be. Check these sites out for logos styles:
TIP #5 - Keep it simple.
Don’t sketch something so complex that the designer is going to spend a day recreating it on the computer. A logo should be simple.
TIP #6 - Let the designer design.
Give him/her freedom! Some of the best designs come from when a designer is given the most freedom. Give them freedom to let the creativity flow and you will have a great logo design for a great price!
If you follow these 6 simple ways, you will find your logo could cost much less than the package rate.
About Calvin
Calvin Hanson is a graphics professional in Greenville, SC. He runs his business Photo Graphics and specializes in logo design. He has a passion for design and helping his customers grow their business.
Feel Free to Contact Calvin
1 (864) 423 6240
www.pgraphics.biz
THE PROBLEM PHOTO:
ALL of us have seen this photo that is low resolution, highly compressed under exposed with the house on the hill looking like it is a pyramid because the photo was taken with the wrong settings and at a bad angle! I am here to give you some tips on creating photos that will help sell your properties...well at least make them look better and stand out more to your potential buyers!
Here are common problems and the solutions:
Low Resolution photo - a blurry or pixelated photo where you can see the actual square pixels or the photo is blurry from trying to enlarge a smaller photo using Interpolation. You don't have to know what interpolation is you just have to know how to fix it!
SOLUTION - My teachers always preached "Start with the best original!" Meaning take photos on the highest setting you need for your output (web, print, billboard, flyer, etc), because this saves space and allows you to work with lower file sizes which in turn allows for quicker downloads and uploads. If you don't know if you are going to make a large photo, but you might, just shoot on your highest setting. Most cameras now days are higher than 6 Megapixels.
The house looks like a pyramid! - This has to do with a combination of lens distortion and angle.
SOLUTION - Try to be level with the house when you take a photo. Many times I have to stand on my truck to get the angle needed. Basically you want the camera level (imagine it sitting on your counter). If the house looks like it is pinched or bulging out, it is most likely a lens distortion issue. This can be fixed by buying better lenses or fixing it in an image program like Adobe Photoshop.
Underexposed Photo (Really Dark) - Caused by not enough light.
SOLUTION - Take photos with the enough light in the day or mount the camera to a tripod and take the shot is it is dusk or dawn out. A flash might not be strong enough to give the photo enough light because usually you are more than 15 feet away. You can also fix this in image editing software but it is easier and better to fix it in the original shot.
Overexposed Photo (really light/bright) - caused by taking photo in direct sunlight at noon-2 PM.
SOLUTION - Wait for the sun to go down in the sky so the shadows aren't as harsh and the sun isn't as strong. You can also fix this in image editing software but it is easier and better to fix it in the original shot.
Highly Compression photo - The image, usually a jpeg, looks dirty and pixelated.
SOLUTION - All you have to do to fix this is take your original photo that should be clean and crisp and save it as a jpeg, but pay attention to the Compression/Quality setting in the dialog boxes.
Other helpful info:
WHAT IS THE SIZE OF A PIXEL? Well to give you perspective, screens are usually 72 pixels per inch (ppi) but for output on business cards or professionally-printed flyers, you need images to be 300 pixels per inch. Another way to look at it...my camera creates 8 Megapixel images, and when I bring it onto my computer it says the dimensions are 3456x2304 pixels, You can easily see your output options by dividing those by 72 or 300 pixels per inch. The image would be a 48x32 inch image on screen (72 ppi), which is huge since most screens are 9x12 inches. If we were printing the image and needed it to be 300 ppi, the image would be 11.52x7.68 inches. These are the maximum sizes the image could be without losing quality and detail. You can shrink them to fit your output. If you have Adobe Photoshop or Elements you just go to "Image/image size..." in the menu.
The best time to take exterior shots depends on the type of photo you want:
Dramatic photo - You want to take the photo in morning or evening (bring the tripod). This gives more harsh shadows but neat colors for the background sky. Turn on some lights on the inside for a warm, homey look.
Evenly lighted photo - Cloudy days are a natural "lightbox" as they spread the sun's light out evenly.
Sharpen, balance color, add contrast, saturation, adjust shadows/highlights - These all can be done in photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Elements.
THE FIXED PHOTO:
Get these problems under control and you will have awesome looking photos that will draw the eye of your potential buyers! If you have any problems you need me to troubleshoot, drop me a line!
HAPPY SELLING!
CALVIN HANSON
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
WEB - WWW.PGRAPHICS.BIZ
BLOG - WWW.GRAPHICDESIGNGREENVILLE.COM
I create marketing materials for the real estate industry. I design anything from logo design to listing photography to postcards design.
Calvin Hanson opened up shop on January 1, 2005 with a design degree and an passion for design and print.
Not too long after, people started to notice his ability to make his customers happy. One of his clients saying that his best attribute is his ability to listen to what his clients need and delivering that result.
Calvin graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Graphic Communications from Clemson University. His degree has given him a foundation in printing techniques, designing for the limitations of the printing processes and designing for the end product.
Mission Statement: In the crowded marketplace of small businesses, it is important to set yourself apart. Photo Graphics will help your company grow with effective, practical designs and meticulous attention to client needs. I focus on one area of expertise in logo design but have the flexibility and knowledge to offer full service graphic design services. Photo Graphics strives to provide quality, innovative, well-thought-out, effective graphic design and printing to small businesses in Greer, Greenville, Spartanburg, South Carolina and surrounding areas.
My area of expertise is in logo design.
LOGO DESIGN EXAMPLES
See more on my site: CLICK HERE
ADVERTISEMENT DESIGN EXAMPLES
SEE MORE ON MY SITE: CLICK HERE
REAL ESTATE LISTING PHOTOGRAPHY EXAMPLES
"Calvin did a beautiful job with my logo design. He was able to take the ideas I had and turn them into a beautiful logo in just a few days. If you are looking for something unique and unusual, Photo Graphics is the way to go!”
Michelle, Indigo Skye Photography
“In search of a designer for our new company logo, I went on the internet and came upon the website of Design Smart. With very little input from me, Calvin was able to design a beautiful logo that summed up the essense of our business. Working with Design Smart has been such a pleasure! Calvin Hanson shows a genuine interest in his clients and their needs. I would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for quality designs. ”
Diana Parris Alpha Fire and Safety LLC
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