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In Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, he said each morning he would say to himself, “What good shall I do today?” What an awesome way to start the day! May I make a few suggestions for your 2021 New Year's resolutions? A lot of you already do this kind of thing, but everyone needs the occasional assist. So if you’re in need of some ideas, here are a few that I’m shooting for in 2021.
- Over tip the cleaning staff, they had a tough 2020 and without their tireless efforts, our photos wouldn’t be as awesome and our hotel rooms not as clean.
- Be thankful for every interaction and give at least one sincere complement to somebody every day. “Cool Shoes!” “Your positivity is infectious!"
- Be patient and helpful in every situation. People are carrying a lot of stress and do not need anything else to worry about.
2020 Was certainly a crazy year with huge changes and a little less sleep for most of us, but we were fortunate enough to survive, learn some new things and continue to help people buy, sell and rent out homes in the Florida Keys. My support staff and I want to say thank you for your support of The Real Estate Book and Keys Property Visuals. It has not gone unnoticed and you are appreciated very much. Best wishes for much success in 2021.
Also, don’t buy that new mouse pad just yet. Your very own brand new, clean and fresh 2021 calendar mousepad will land on your desk in a week or so with production deadlines and street dates for The Real Estate Book of the Florida Keys. Here is a digital version to get you through the next couple of weeks.
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All I wanted for Christmas this year was an approval from the FAA to fly a job in Key West. After 3 denials this year, my wish finally came true a few days early with a certificate waver for my first flight in Monroe County Florida’s only Class D Airspace. Often referred to by local drone pilots as “The Forbidden Zone south of MM 17."
The Application Process:
The FAA has a detailed online form that we have fill out to request a certificate waiver to fly in Class D Airspace. After researching the area, converting the physical address to latitude and longitude, creating a flight plan, communications plan and safety plan, the form is submitted and we generally hear back from the FAA with an approval or denial within about 2 weeks.
Getting There:
We shoot real estate photos throughout the Florida Keys out of our office in Islamorada. Fortunately, I have become a master of time management and was able to get the approval for a day when I needed to stay the night in Key West anyway due to the new Real Estate Book hitting the streets. Getting there the night before is not only fun, but ensures that no traffic issues could make me miss the short approval time window for the flight.
Settling In:
The prior day’s appointments had all been delayed due to a heavy fog in the Upper Keys that lasted until about 11:30AM, a rare occurrence down here. This put my arrival time to Key West at about 6PM the night before, just in time for a quick sunset shoot near Louie’s Backyard. Special thanks to the sailboat, helicopter and unknown model coming together to remind us that Key West is open for business. After sunset, it was off to The Angelina Guest House in the heart of Old town, once a 1920’s bordello and gambling spot, now a friendly and quaint guest house perfect for a quick overnight stay or even longer. It’s a small, independent guest house with a friendly staff that never lets me down. Just down the street is Ricky’s Blue Heaven and if you get there early, they might just have a seat or two left if you failed to make your reservation in advance. If they are full, Santiago’s Bodega and Moon Dog Cafe are about two additional blocks away and also have great food.
Flight Day:
My favorite time in Key West is early in the morning, especially when delivering Real Estate Books. The place is so quiet before 8AM, plenty of parking, no traffic and few distractions. Just a tourist or two looking for someplace to buy coffee. Anyway, this is a post about Key West Photography, not my paper route. After getting a few things done in the morning, it was off to Eagle Avenue to make sure the drone’s geofencing was going to allow me to take off and it did. As the clock struck twelve I took off and shot about ten photos for the client. The urban environment is quite different from all of the waterfront homes we shoot on a regular basis, but she and her sellers were happy with the result. All in all, it was completely drama free, which was the plan from the beginning.
Happy Holidays, Happy Festivus, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to each and every one of you!
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It looks like the content wars have begun. Matterport 3D tours have been getting special branding on Realtor.com for some time now. Now Zillow.com has created their own 3D tour product that features the following marketing perks.
- Premium placement in search results on Zillow.com for the first seven days that the listing is posted.
- Inclusion in special email pushes to home shoppers prompting them to view the listing and 3D tour.
- Special red 3D home badge that helps them stand out on both Zillow and Trulia search result maps. *See Sample Graphic
- Home shoppers can filter search results to only homes with Zillow 3D tours which helps your listing gain more visibility when people narrow their search
Here is a sample from one of my favorite condos in Islamorada, Summer Seas.
A tiny home in the neighborhood!
Pros
The pros for choosing a Zillow 3D tour in addition to the additional marketing already covered is certainly the affordability and speed. It takes about 15 minutes to get this done at most homes which limits the time needed on site to shoot the home making this the most economical 3D tour option. Great for owner occupied homes and condos with amenities. Homeowners can go for a short walk or simply move out of the way of the camera with me. Exterior areas are included with this option regardless of sunlight and proximity to primary home, can sometimes pose a challenge for a Matterport scan. Currently Zillow is offering perpetual hosting at no charge, which is a huge plus for short term transient rental properties and vacation rental business owners! No annual hosting fees!
Cons
The drawbacks of a Zillow 3D tour over Matterport 3D is the lack of the ever popular “Dollhouse View” which is dramatic and gives the end user another way to navigate the space. Matterport also offers real virtual reality, the ability to measure rooms and create floor plans which is not an option for the Zillow 3D tour as of yet. The picture quality is close, but Matterport still has the edge. We may have a fix forthcoming for that so stay tuned!
Conclusion
Zillow 3D tours are an affordable option offering the proverbial “two birds one stone.” Providing a virtual tour that can be used anywhere with no annual fees (I’m talking to you, vacation rental business owners in Marathon!) plus bonus marketing on the Zillow/Trulia platform at no additional cost. A 2020 NAR study (*Exhibit 3-8) ranked virtual tours "very useful" high among all ages. Zillow 3D upgrade pricing is $75-$150 depending on the home size and complexity of the job. Let’s schedule your new property visual today!