Real estate marketing - AgentEDU Blog

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. First impressions are extremely important for real estate agents, because when people see your ads, business cards or your website, what’s going to draw their eye first is your smiling face.

First Impressions are Important

In this blog post, you’ll learn the eight tips every agent needs to use when creating and deciding on a headshot.

Tip 1: No selfies

Most selfies look unprofessional. Leave those on your personal Instagram where they belong.

Tip 2: Style matters

Keep your look simple.

No clothing that distracts
No glamour shots
No pictures taken at a wedding or event
No sold signs, no phones, no cars, no props
No thumbs up or high fives

Tip 3: Practice your pose

You are posing, not performing. Practice your facial expressions and poses in the mirror before your photo session. The way you look best may not be the way that feels best. It’s the look you’re trying to get right, even if the pose isn’t totally comfortable.

Carol Collins, Broker Associate at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, has a great pose in her headshot.

Tip 4: Vertical vs. horizontal

You’re better off using a vertical shot than a horizontal shot. Have the shot taken with several angles. Keep in mind that if the angle is slightly high, it will make you look slimmer and accentuate your eyes, which should be the focal point.

Tip 5: Pose on an angle

Ever wonder why people gain 10 pounds in front of the camera? It’s because we cut out their entire environment around them, forcing them to take up more room in the frame. Instead, do a two-thirds turn away from the camera. Turn your head slightly to show more depth, and don’t look squarely at the camera.

Many people will have the natural instinct to lean backwards in a photo. By bringing your chin down, you can open your eyes up.

Tip 6: Lighting matters

Position yourself so that the light goes across you instead of right at you. This is important so that the viewer sees depth and texture. Crossed arms or hands in pockets can help create texture.

Tip 7: Cropping

Cropping can help a photo by allowing you to select the focal point of the picture. Have your photographer show you several crops to see which one you think looks best.

Kelly Angelopoulos, the Vice President of Sales at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, has a great example of a well-cropped headshot.

Tip 8: Size for print and web

You’ll need copies of the photos for printing your business cards and other materials. The size requirement online is different from what it is in print. Make sure your photographer sends you 300 dpi for print and 72 dpi for web. If it’s not right, you’ll end up with grainy photos in print, or pictures that are too big to upload to your website.

Only Part of Your Overall Image

A good headshot is only part of the image you will want to build for yourself, and once your headshot draws someone in, it’s your bio that will tell prospects about you. To learn more about how to develop your professional image, start your seven-day free trial of AgentEDU today and watch the full course, “Developing Your Professional Image.”

We also want to give a shout-out to our cover models in this week’s blog. Thanks to Michael Bencks, Senior Mortgage Banker of Neighborhood Loans, David Porter of the Porter Group and Heather Lange of Lange Property Partners for allowing us to highlight their fantastic headshots in our cover photo.

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AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

As an agent, learning your market is an ongoing process. So how do you go about making it happen?

It’s an Ongoing Process

By following these seven steps to getting all the information you need.

#1. Research and Sign Up

Thanks to the internet, real estate agents have much of the info they need right at their fingertips, with info on the local real estate market, jobs, community growth, schools, taxes and more.

#2. Interview an Agent

A great real estate agent is going to be in the know about what’s happening in the community. Find an agent currently working in the area and propose a lunch or coffee meeting. Ask the agent to share his or her perspective on the current market and who else you need to know. Making a new friend of a successful agent could be the best thing to happen in your career.

#3. Befriend a Lender

Another great way to learn about your market is to befriend a lender. Talk to a local mortgage broker, and if you don’t know one, ask around for a referral. Pose the following questions:

What are your thoughts on the market?
What challenges are homebuyers facing?
How do agents combat these challenges?
What else should I know about the market?
Is there anyone else I should meet and can you make the introduction?

#4. Go to Open Houses

You’ve likely seen open house signs around your neighborhood, but special open houses just for agent viewing can be found using the MLS. These are called broker opens. Walk the home and meet the agent running the open house so you can learn more about the market.

#5. Talk to Friends and Family About the Market

Your family and friends will often valuable information about what’s going on in the neighborhood. Most people love to talk about who is moving on their block, how much homes sold for, and other local gossip. They will know if a neighbor had a great kitchen or if there was a flood and remodeling had to be done. Ask them if prices are rising or stabilizing. How are taxes in the area? These questions can provide important insight.

#6. Attend Local Events

It’s the people of a community that make it all happen. Attend community events and and spend time meeting local community members. Hang out at the area hot spots, like restaurants, parks and other places of leisure. In order to be successful, you’ll need to be familiar with the places that locals want to go.

#7. Organize Your Information

Now that you’ve collected all this information, what are you going to do with it? It could be overwhelming to anyone, but organize it from the start so there’s nothing lost as you learn. Keep all your notes and records from your favorite websites and publications.

To learn more about how you can become an expert in your local market, start your free seven-day trial of AgentEDU and watch our two-part series, “Learning Your Real Estate Market.”