This is a 4-part story:

• 5 years of Engel & Völkers in Belgium
• Award ceremony
• Special award: “Best Belgian Subdomain”
• New promo clip

After the fun pétanque competition with barbecue, the award ceremony was held indoors. As mentioned in the above the combi-shop team of E&V Sint-Martens-Latem and E&V Gent-Centrum won the competition, and all of the team members won a weekend test-drive with the newest Fiat. They received their price from the Master Licence Partner of Engel & Völkers France-Belux, Mr. Philippe Rosy.

This is a 4-part story:

• 5 years of Engel & Völkers in Belgium
• Award ceremony
• Special award: “Best Belgian Subdomain”
• New promo clip

Engel & Völkers France-Belux recently held their 5-years of Engel & Völkers in Belgium event. A pétanque competition was held between all Belgium shops. The winner of the competition was the combo-shop team of E&V Sint-Martens-Latem (Stan Hamerlinck, Thomas Peerlinck) with E&V Gent-Centrum (Philippe Herbert) a great start to our new close co-operation. Here is a clip of the winning team in action in round 2.

Special thanks to Ampersand Photography for letting us repost their post to our blog

So you are interested in HDR Real Estate Photography, well lets start off with….

What is HDR Photography.

HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range. It is a post-processing task of taking either one image or a series of images, combining them, and adjusting the contrast ratios to do things that are virtually impossible with a single aperture and shutter speed.

Photos in general can’t quite convey exactly how our eye sees an image in real life; there is something in the third dimension that is missing on film, but with HDR photography, photos come to life in a way that viewers can experience them more realistically. As quoted by Trey Ratcliffe

And he is right, when you take a picture and compare it to what your eye sees in real life then their is a big difference. Most of the time your picture does not quite convey what you see. To further elaborate what we have been saying underneath is an example of an HDR image.

As you can see there is almost no underexposure or overexposure on the photo. In this photo you are able to see everything inside as well as outside, therefore representing the property/apartment entirely, as well as giving you a realistic and clear view from inside the property.

The basic procedure:

You start of with 3-5 photos, shot in RAW with different exposures, -2 EV,( -1EV,) 0EV,( +1EV,) +2 EV. These photos are blend into 1 with software such as Photomatix. After this you finish the image, post-production, via Photoshop or Lightroom or …

Here is an example of 5 taken images and the final HDR-result. As you can see we have 2 overexposed, 1 normal exposed and 2 underexposed photos. When blending them into one they give you a more clear view of the room.

What you need:

• A DSLR-camera (preferably a full-frame such as the Canon 1Ds Mark III or Nikon D3x)
• A set up camera (Shoot in Raw and bracketing mode, bracket 3-to-5 shots -2 EV,( -1EV,) 0EV,( +1EV,) +2 EV. DSLRs will do this with auto-bracket feature.)
• A Tripod (assures sharpness)
• HDR-processing software, I recommend Photomatix Pro (required)
• Photoshop or Lightroom (recommended) for post-production/finishing the photo
• and a lot more optional programs are possible

If you are looking for a great HDR-tutorial, then you should go to Trey Ratcliff’s website.

Conclusion:

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a scene than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDR is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows. Due to these techniques we are able to capture a more realistic photo of the object, in this case being a property, then through traditional digital imaging techniques.

Here are some extra photos:

Special thanks again to Ampersand Photography for letting us repost their post to our blog

Are the pictures taken to sell or let a property important? Yes!!!

Why?

Because a picture is worth more than a thousand words. These days so many people go on the internet to look for a home, they often will compile a list of the homes that they like based on the pictures that they see. Then they will contact the brokers of only those properties that they listed. If you don’t have the right pictures up, your house will not be seen. It does not matter how good of an agent you are, if the property is not well presented they will not be interested.

What is important when taking a property picture?

• Home Staging
• The Hardware (camera and tripod)
• The angles
• Extra factors that play a role
• Example
• Conclusion

Homestaging

Besides the importance of real estate photography, it is also vital to stage the property. This means that you are going to want to make the property as appealing as possible to the different people that are looking at it.

You will want to put away things that show you have pets, and take the pictures so that your rooms look spacious and large. The more pictures that you can show the potential buyer the more they will want to look at your house. It is important that all of the pictures be very flattering inside the home as well as outside the home.

More about Homestaging

The Hardware

You will need:

DSLR-camera

A camera is chosen depending on your needs. I would suggest a full-frame with a wide-angle lens but as most of you will already now that price-tag runs up very quickly. But most of the DSLR-cameras combined with a wide-angle lens and a tripod can produce amazing pictures. So I would start of with that.

a small guide: WikiHow

A tripod

Consider using a tripod. If your hands are naturally shaky, or if you need to take several identical shots in a row (such as with HDR photography), or … , then using a tripod is probably a good idea. For very long exposures (more than a second or so), a cable release (for older film cameras) or a remote control is a good idea; you can use the self-timer feature of your camera if you don’t have one of these.

Extra factors

• Enough light, often forgotten when staging: TURN ON ALL LIGHTS
• Take your pictures on sunny days, NEVER at night
• Don’t just look with your eyes look through the camera.
• When taking picture for real estate look at the room/space, not an object. You are selling the property, NOT the sofa or the painting.
• Take photos off the entire property, example when taking a facade picture make sure the entire roof and facade is in the picture not a part. COMPOSE YOUR SHOT
• Pro-tip: start using HDR-photography

The angles

Compose your shot thoughtfully. Frame the photo in your mind before framing it in the viewfinder. Consider the following rules, but especially the last one:

• Use the Rule of Thirds, where the primary points of interest in your scene sits along “third” lines. Try not to let any horizon or other lines “cut the picture in half.”
• Get rid of distracting backgrounds and clutter. If this means you have to move a some furniture around, then do so. If glare is coming off the windows of the house across the street, change your angle a bit to avoid it. Keep all mess well out of the frame of the picture, and you will end up with much nicer, less cluttered photos.

Example:

Here is an example of a before and after picture:

On the left you can see a unstaged property picture with clutter and taken from a bird’s-eye-view. So overall not a good picture. Your attention is not drawn to the property but towards the clutter in the proeprty.

On the right we see a staged property, no longer from bird’s-eye-view, but still not a good picture. Why? Because there was no attention for the angles. The viewer is NOT able to see the best feature of the apartment, being the view.

Underneath, on the contrary to the above images, is an image were the image was taken from on a tripod with attention for the angle as well as for staging the property. So this would be called a good image. Your attention is immediately drawn towards the view and the space not what is in it.

Conclusion:

Digital presentation of real estate photographs is the key to good seller in the property market. In the present property marketplace, real estate photography became the essential tool of property firms!

If you want to read (learn) more about taking even better pictures and HDR photography in real estate: click here.

A nice guide to consider reading: WikiHow

Home staging is the act of grooming or preparing a home to make it more attractive to potential buyers, thereby raising the value of the home. People have always “staged” their homes before selling them to command better prices, but in the 1990′s, staging became a profession for those skilled in the art of preparing homes for sale, creating light, neutral environments with as much space as possible.

Some tips

Below are some tips on how to stage your home before a potential buyer inspects it. Imagine seeing your own home for the first time. What does it look like? How does it smell? What is impressive? Can it be enhanced or more visible? What is less impressive?

Completion

Mend everything broken, paint over ugly marks, or put up new wallpaper. Little things that bug you are also likely to irritate a potential buyer.

Cleaning

Everything should be tidy and clean. No clutter! Remove personal items, such as photographs and Post-it notes. The bathroom and kitchen must give a fresh impression. If you utilize a commercial janitorial service to clean the windows, floors, and house, you’ll get a better deal and faster service.

Kitchen

Remove everything from kitchen counters and clean them thoroughly. They should be shiny and totally empty, no clutter. Keep everything off the counters for all showings, unless its aesthetically useful. Put away coffee makers and toasters after breakfast if you’re showing the house that day. You want to minimize clutter in order to maximize the spacious feeling. Buyers want space and spacious counters. The same principle applies to kitchen cabinets. Buyers will look in the cabinets if they are at all interested in your home. They are looking for space in there, too. Remove everything from the cabinets that you can do without while your home is listed. Pack these items away. Clean the cabinets and organize them.

Bathroom

Do not leave your personal grooming items out on the counter or on shelves. Curling irons, makeup, shaving supplies, etc. must be put out of sight. There are two reasons for this:

1. to reduce clutter and create space
2. to minimize the appearance of any personal items throughout the home. You want buyers to be able to imagine themselves living there, and it really helps to have a clean slate

Buy a new shower curtain and towels unless yours are fairly new already.

Furniture

If possible, remove furniture and all other household goods that might contribute to a cluttered appearance. This gives a more spacious impression. Don’t stack these things in the attic, basement, or garage since that still portrays clutter and distracts potential buyers. Hire a moving company to remove your furniture or do it yourself. Store it at rental storage facility.

Plants

Fresh plants give a fresh impression. But keep the importance of space in mind. Don’t overdo it.

Lights

A well-lit home gives a fresher impression than does a dark one. Pull up the blinds and pull the curtains aside to showcase the clean windows and let the sun in. Some well placed lamps may brighten up the room.

But lighting doesn’t have to mean electrical lighting. Effective use of natural light can instantly make a room feel warmer and more inviting. Light or shimmering fabrics work well to help amplify natural light as do mirrors and light or bright artwork.

Mirrors are also very effective in making smaller spaces seem larger. By placing a large mirror on one wall or by placing two similarly sized mirrors on opposite walls, existing light will be bounced around the room opening up the space and the room feel instantly larger.

Using light in these ways can make your efforts pay off by making your existing space seem much larger and brighter.

Outdoors

Mow the lawn and sweep the terrace (or balcony).

Hope that these little tips will help sell your property.

(All images are of properties for sale/sold by us. All images are taken by Ampersand Photography.)