The Southern Nevada Real Estate Show

Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KU NV studios original program. You're listening to special programming brought to you by ragana Come and Henry of Coldwell, banker premiere Realty. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and Moore the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. You hello,

Regana Kooman Henry 0:37
hello Southern Nevada, and welcome to the Southern Nevada real estate Show. I'm your host, Dragana. This is your go to real estate show, where we keep it real about real estate, whether you're renting, investing or dreaming of owning your first home, you're in the right place. This morning, I am a real estate agent and broker, associate with Coldwell Banker, Premier Realty. I have been a licensed real estate professional since 1991 as I always mentioned at the beginning of my show, I am a full time licensed real estate professional. What that means is my full attention, because this is all I do every day, is to assist home buyers and home sellers. And you can always reach me, because this is, like I said, my only job and career. Also, I do always mention my credentials at the beginning of every show, which I feel are important to know. And a few of my credentials are, I am a quality service award winner, and I am a member of the Veterans Association of real estate professionals. And today we have a very special guests, Lindsay shirk with Wild Dog digital photography company. Welcome to the show, Lindsey.

Lindsay Schirk 2:09
Thank you. Regana

Regana Kooman Henry 2:10
and Lindsay, tell us a little something about to the audience. Little something about yourself and how you got started in photography.

Lindsay Schirk 2:20
A little about me. I am from Chicago, graduated from Miami, University of Ohio, 2005 and have not put down a camera ever since, wow. I had my degree in concentrating in photography, Bachelor of Fine Arts. And I just love photographing. I spend almost every second of every day with a camera in my hand that I I've

Regana Kooman Henry 2:46
seen your work because you do all my real estate listings for me. And let me tell you, you know, you have some beautiful skills. And Lindsay, what do you enjoy like most about photographing homes?

Lindsay Schirk 3:05
I love being able to tell the story of the home. Really try to capture the essence of what makes it unique, whether it's the natural light, the layout sign details, certain architectural aspects of it. I really like to try to capture the feeling that you get right when you walk in. I always try to put a lot of love into what I do, and I feel it is reciprocated in the final product, yes,

Regana Kooman Henry 3:30
and I see as proof is in your work, and I do see that. And Lindsay, why are professional photos so important when listing and marketing a home,

Lindsay Schirk 3:43
well, the photos are important because they are literally the first showing before a buyer ever sets foot into his into a house, they are seeing it online. First professional photos create that strong impression and really highlight the home's best features, and it helps people be able to separate their property from another and other listings.

Regana Kooman Henry 4:05
And what happens when a listing uses like, for example, poor quality or cell phone can't take those cell phone photos, they don't look right instead of professional images. Lindsay, well, unfortunately,

Lindsay Schirk 4:19
poor quality photos make the home look smaller. They look darker. Angles are off, and people tend to just bypass those immediately. If it's too cluttered or if just just looks bad. Photo is just

Regana Kooman Henry 4:34
not appealing. Yes, I try not to ever do those cell phone pictures, and unless is the house is not ready to be shown. And you know, Lindsay, since most buyers shop online first these days, how important is that first impression in your mind,

Lindsay Schirk 4:55
if they're not able to have their attention grabbed immediately, versus photo? That they see, they're just going to bypass and they're going to go on to the next listing. A good photo will really make your house shine and show it off in its

Regana Kooman Henry 5:08
best light. I agree completely. And you know, Lindsay, do professional photos really help a home? Let's say sell faster and for like, more money, and if so, how

Lindsay Schirk 5:23
sure they absolutely do professional photos help create a stronger interest, which can lead to more views, more showing and even more competition. When a home is presented well, the buyers often perceive it as more desirable and more cared for, therefore they're willing to fork over a little bit more money?

Regana Kooman Henry 5:43
Yes, you are correct. For some sellers, they may wonder, where if professional photography is like, really worth the cost for the real estate agents that they hire? How would you answer that?

Lindsay Schirk 5:59
Well, basically, you are investing in your own brand as well. You really want to portray yourself different from other agents, so having the most outstanding photography will be the best way to set yourself aside, especially for luxury properties, and having just the strong marketing in anything, we'll sell the product. In your opinion,

Regana Kooman Henry 6:25
okay, what makes a buyer stop scrolling and, let's say, click on a listing and kind of stay and look at it for a while?

Lindsay Schirk 6:35
Sure, the photo usually has a great combination of strong lighting, clean composition and a photo that creates an emotional response. Buyers want to feel something when they look at a listing often. I like to put in a little lifestyle photo within my shoots. I won't just stand in each corner of a room, straight on all four corners, anything like that. I love to try to find that unique, little, special part of that home, and really kind of showcase that and just do the little details here and there. And I think when people see it's more of a lifestyle photo introduced into a home, they really feel like, Ooh, this is a great home. I you know, it's a good investment. It's, yeah, it's a purchase being made.

Regana Kooman Henry 7:19
Well, yeah, couldn't agree with you more. And Lindsay, how much of a Home Story can really be told through photography?

Lindsay Schirk 7:29
Oh, you can so communicate through warmth of light, lifestyle and flow. And there's the different decor in a home. Staging a home is wonderful to have it nice and clean, polished, have it feel bright and open, cozy, welcoming and photography just really helps emotionally connect that feeling for the buyers and the sellers.

Regana Kooman Henry 7:55
Couldn't agree with you more. And Lindsay walk us through your process, what happens from the moment you arrive at a home to the final photos being delivered

Lindsay Schirk 8:09
when I arrive to a home, I usually walk through and check for small details, make sure all lights are on, all windows are open, and just make sure that there's not random little animal remnants, maybe dog bowls need to be moved, or trash cans at the last minute. I really try to make sure that we put the final touch on everything. And then I will usually start outside photographing the front. I like to tell a story of coming up and doing a nice close up of the front to lead in and start from the front of the house, walk through the main living spaces, and then to the bedrooms and backyard.

Regana Kooman Henry 8:48
Last and Lindsay, how do lighting and the time of day affect the quality and fill of the final photos?

Lindsay Schirk 8:56
Natural light is wonderful to have in homes, so usually when it's brighter out this the home shows more sunny and uplifted. But believe it or not, even on overcast days, you can have some gorgeous lighting. You You don't have harsh shadows. Yeah, and I believe that nearly any time of day you can really work with that lighting, as long as you know what you're

Regana Kooman Henry 9:23
doing and how long does a typical real estate photo shoot usually take?

Lindsay Schirk 9:28
Lindy, approximately an hour is usually good. Smaller homes, it might take around 45 minutes, but typically an hour is sufficient. Larger homes, I would prefer to have at least an hour and a half to be able to give some of the fine point detail lifestyle photos along

Regana Kooman Henry 9:46
with that. Okay, and are there certain rooms or features that are especially important to highlight in a listing?

Lindsay Schirk 9:56
Yes, I would definitely highlight great living spaces. Is certainly primary bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Having a spacious kitchen with a nice open area is just wonderful. Yes, I also feel that having a nice backyard is a good sanctuary to have at home. That is really good.

Regana Kooman Henry 10:19
And what are some of the biggest mistakes homeowners make before? And we've seen some of them make before a photo shoot. Lindsay, well,

Lindsay Schirk 10:31
a lot of times they don't understand the amount of time and the amount of details that show up within photos. The right amount of time from the beginning allotted for the photo shoot is great. Being able to have the house prepped as well as possible is wonderful. Just trying to make the home little less cluttered, tucking in cords, tucking away toiletries, hiding trash cans, that sort of thing, anything to make it less visually distracting.

Regana Kooman Henry 11:02
And what are a few, let's say, simple things sellers can do to prepare their home so it looks its best for the photos.

Lindsay Schirk 11:11
Have neat, comfy beds made remove an extra piece of furniture if you have to have the space look a little wider, right? A lot of times it's nice to have really fresh towels, fresh flowers. Have a scent in the house. Anything you can do in to represent a nice photo is great. But also remember that people want to have that feeling when they come in and view the house too. Again, having the fresh flowers out, flowers

Regana Kooman Henry 11:44
making it neutral kind of and what should sellers remove or avoid having visible? And we've seen some stuff visible in the photos. A lot of

Lindsay Schirk 11:54
personal items try to hide. More family photos, more personal anything that you wouldn't really want to have somebody hone in and focus on. Yeah, you want to be able to show the house neutral, neutral. You can add different artwork. You can add, again, just keeping it neutral, maybe with just solid color comforters, solid color blankets, versus patterns, anything to make it just a little less noisy and how lived

Regana Kooman Henry 12:29
in, should a home look versus making it feel more staged?

Lindsay Schirk 12:34
That's a great question. And the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, a home should feel warm and inviting, but not overly personal and visually busy.

Regana Kooman Henry 12:43
And, you know, can a home photograph well, even if it's a small house or not really

Lindsay Schirk 12:49
updated, absolutely it can photograph any home of any size. Can photograph well, need to have the right person behind the lens for that.

Regana Kooman Henry 12:58
And what are some common mistakes real estate agents make when it comes to listing photography.

Lindsay Schirk 13:08
Well, one of the common mistakes is treating photography like an afterthought instead of a key part of the marketing strategy. Another is rushing to get the home photograph before it's truly ready. Agents underestimate how the professional visual effects the online performance,

Regana Kooman Henry 13:23
I agree. And do you think every listing needs professional photography, even at lower price points? And why or why not? I do

Lindsay Schirk 13:34
even at lower price points, I feel having the press the professional represent representation of California. Thank you. That really helps move a home. It shows that everyone shows interest in the house, value in the property itself, to be able to put forward the money and that investment into the photos.

Regana Kooman Henry 13:55
And what do you see real estate photography going in the future,

Lindsay Schirk 14:04
I feel that it's going to be more so an immersive experience. Videos incorporated into the tours. They're going to want to see 3d walk throughs. They're going to want to see maybe aerials, drone photos, especially for larger estates.

Regana Kooman Henry 14:25
How do you think technology and AI will impact real estate photography moving forward?

Lindsay Schirk 14:31
I think technology and AI will continue to improve the efficiency and really help people with the marketing process itself. I also believe there's always a real value in the human side of photography and knowing how to see a space and tell a story, you won't ever really be able to replace a photographer with a full AI experience. You need to have that the real hands on technology can certainly help support it and help clean it up. But. Cannot really fully

Regana Kooman Henry 15:00
replace it. I agree. Gotta have that human touch. I know. Yes. And for sellers listening right now, Lindy, what's the one thing you want them to understand about real estate photography before putting their home on the market?

Lindsay Schirk 15:19
Presentation really matters. Yes, all around so look at your home and try to think how you initially fell in love with it, and try to bring it back to the raw bones that you saw when you first moved in.

Regana Kooman Henry 15:34
Yes, I really, I agreed with that. And Lindsay, you know, I need to go and do this for the listeners right now and do the stats for March for Southern Nevada. Do you mind sticking around Lindsay, absolutely. And if you could, Lindsay, go ahead and give your contact information for the listeners, and then at the end of the show, I'll I'll bring you back again.

Lindsay Schirk 15:59
Sure I work with Wild Dog digital photography. You can reach us online at www dot Wild Dog digital.com you can email us at orders at Wild Dog digital.com or call 702-826-8708

Regana Kooman Henry 16:18
thank you so much, and we'll we'll be talking and chatting a little bit later. And now for the listeners this morning, as I do always the stats for the previous months, I'm now going to get into the stats for March, for Southern Nevada. Remember, these are for resale homes, not new homes. And so let's get started. There were 2288 homes that sold. $480,000 was the median price of home sold. There were 3367 new single family home listings. 525,000 was the median price of new listings. $559,000 was the median price of all available single family home listings, both new and not new on the market, excluding offers. And 54.5% of all homes went from available to under contract with a buyer in 30 days or less. Now I'm switching to condos and townhomes combined. There were 518 condo and townhomes combined that sold in March. $295,000 was the median price of all condos and town homes combined, sold. There were 1011 new condos and townhome listings combined. $290,000 is the median price of all new available condos and townhomes combined, both new and not new on the market, excluding offers and 49.8% of all condos and townhomes that sold combined went from available to under contract in 30 days or less. So things are still selling, maybe not as the fastest pace for some but pricing and good pictures, marketing presentation. Those are the two things that it takes to get a home sold in the most, quickest time and convenient time possible. And Lindsay, I'm bringing you back now. And let's talk about like, some statistics now I've heard, as well as you, homes that are priced between 200,000 and 1 million saw higher per square foot pricing when using Pro photography, and some of these you had told me about, and also homes with high quality photography, sell a bit quicker. According to the National Association of Realtors. You've heard about that, I'm assuming went with your business too, right? Yes, yes, yes. And 97% of home buyers start online. Isn't that amazing? Absolutely, before they even hire a real estate agent like myself, they looking online and gathering the homes up, just

Lindsay Schirk 19:28
to reiterate that the photos are your

Regana Kooman Henry 19:30
first showing. Yes, that's your first impression. Is the is the photos you are so right. Lindsay, another thing listings we were talking about, listings with professional photos, are perceived at higher value, better maintained, and, you know, represented by a more competent agent, absolutely, you know, because people sellers look at who they. Going to hire. And sometimes they will judge those pictures, you know. So that's a, that's a, you know, something that to think about when looking for professional real estate services. You know, what type of pictures that are showing under, under their marketing strategies. But Lindsay, you have been, you know, such a wealth of knowledge. Do you mind if I ask you maybe just a few more questions? Sure, when should an agent schedule their photography and the listing process to get the best results?

Lindsay Schirk 20:40
Let's see. Well, ideally, photography should be scheduled after the home is fully cleaned. That means go in there and scrub those countertops, vacuum the heck out of that floor, leave those vacuum lines. You really want this home sparkling. Declutter as much as possible, sure, and it's really best not to rush that part. So as long as you're able to start moving things, a lot of the times, people move extras into the garage, yes, so you can use it as a catch all. People can see the size of the garage from the outside of the house, but use that extra space for for that preparation and and just putting in that extra effort before the photography happens is best,

Regana Kooman Henry 21:27
and I really so much appreciate you being here this morning and giving the listeners every reason and accurate and honest reason Why professional photography is so important, especially these days, when the market can be kind of soft for sellers, you know, so everything to strongly and assertively and aggressively get that home sold is what we want to do. And it starts with presentation and Lindsay, thank you again, so much. And as I mentioned earlier in the show, I'd like you to say, say your your full contact information the company you work for, and all your information for the listeners, and so that they can write it down if they didn't get a chance to earlier in the show. Thank you.

Lindsay Schirk 22:17
Well, I am Lindsay shirk with Wild Dog digital photography. Our company can be reached at Wild Dog digital.com that's www dot Wild Dog digital.com you can email us at orders at Wild Dog digital.com or at 702-826-8708,

Regana Kooman Henry 22:44
thank you so much Lindsay. And thank you everyone for listening to the show this morning. And I am ragana cumin Henry with Coldwell Banker premiere Realty, your host for the Southern Nevada real estate show that airs every third Sunday of the month at 8:30am my number is 702-596-1267 that's 702-596-1267 and my license number is BS, 27880, thank you so much for listening to my show this morning, and I Wish everyone listening a great Sunday and a great Week. You. You you. You You.

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