Here's hoping you've discovered the value of a digital camera...a tremendous marketing tool. The following are some ideas from my CyberStars(tm) that might point the way towards your making more money with your digital camera.

From Sharon Simms, ARVIDA Realty Services, St. Petersburg, FL :

"I had a wife working here while her husband remained behind in Michigan until their house sold. She saw a house she really liked but wanted to wait for him to come see it. I took digital photos, put them into a PhotoShare slide show, emailed them to him, and he felt he knew it well enough that he told her to go ahead and make the offer."

From Arleen Yobs, Roy Wheeler Realty Company, Charlottesville, VA :

"I have worked with several long distance clients who are building new homes in our area. They are just amazed when they see photos of the progress of their home being built. I also use my digital camera to take photos of some of the folks whose testimonials I use on my Web site. Folks considering a move to Charlottesville who are Web-savvy would certainly want to work with a Realtor who features 'technological testimonials' on their site!"

From Neen O'Malley, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Basking Ridge, N.J.

"I got a young couple off my Web site. They were graduating from business school and were relocating here. They purchased a townhouse, returned to Texas, only to have someone else snatch the townhouse out from under them the next day. Because of the distance, lack of inventory, and multiple offers on most properties, they couldn't keep returning to NJ for another purchase. I found another townhouse for them, emailed a PhotoShare slide show including a 360 degree view of the neighborhood, and they decided to buy it sight unseen. However, that, too, got snatched out from under them! In the end, they were successful in purchasing the townhouse they really wanted ...couldn't come to the home inspection though, so I emailed pictures of repair items. They arrived in town in time for the closing and are happy as clams!"

From Pat Wattam, C.J. Brown Realtors, Baton Rouge, LA :

"Using my camera has been very impressive to both buyers and sellers. Most of them don't have a digital camera, and they find it fascinating. The buyers love the fact that after we view homes I can just pop the disk out of the camera (Sony Mavica) and they can take it home to review. The best thing I have used it for is to make the slide shows in Photo Share. The sellers love it, and I know that in one instance I was just delivering the disks to my listing and a family was looking at the home with their agent. I offered one to them as they were telling me they had narrowed it down to two homes, one of which was this listing. They bought my listing and at closing I asked them if they had liked the slide show, and they said it helped them make a decision because they had it to look at that night as they were trying to make their decision!"

Finally, this from Ray Burke of RE/MAX Professionals, Tallahassee, FL :

"If you find yourself in a hot market, where houses are sold the moment they come on the market, you need every advantage you can get, and a digital camera can be a powerful one. I experienced a first this week! I sold a home to a buyer via pictures from my Kodak DC210+. She originally found me through my Web site, then she came to Tallahassee from Virginia for a fact finding trip. What she needed was not on the market, but we did target a couple of neighborhoods. I found her a home that met her needs within two weeks, took several pictures, emailed them to her, and presto, she bought the house sight unseen! I was excited to pass that milestone in my career! Itis a combination of technology and rapport building that made it work. If we had waited to take original pictures, develop them, and FedEx them to her, this home would have already been contracted, so the speed and efficiency of the camera really worked!

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Published: February 10, 2000

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Allen F. Hainge is a nationally known real estate technology speaker and author with a difference: he builds his seminars and articles around concrete, practical experiences he learns from his CyberStars(tm), a group of top agents nationwide who use today's technology to dominate their marketplace. He is the author of "Dominate! Capturing Your Market With Today's Technology." Allen's seminar schedule and offerings may be found www.afhseminars.com. Subscribe to Allen's Newsletter by Clicking Here