Friday Freebie: Virtual Listing Presentation Template
Does your listing presentation need a refresh? Whether you want to polish up your current presentation or create a brand new one, this week's Friday Freebie can help you do either in a snap. Keep reading to find out how you can get a listing presentation template that's free to use and easy to edit on Canva. Free Virtual Listing Presentation Template, courtesy of Zurple Here's the truth: you'll win more listings with a more attractive presentation. To make that as simple as possible, Zurple is offering RE Technology readers a free digital listing presentation template. The template is available on Canva, a free online graphics editor, which makes it a breeze to add, delete or rearrange pages, as well as customize the presentation with your own text and images. Here's what Zurple's virtual listing presentation template includes: Your mission/values/services Recent market activity Marketing plan Home selling process Pricing strategies Preparing your home Listing your home Open house info Closing costs explained Agent info: contact info, sales volume, etc. Ready to give your listing presentation a new look? Download your free copy of the 2022 Virtual Listing Presentation Template today!

Real Estate Brand Ecosystem: Logos that Leave a Lasting Impression
Why is a real estate logo still important? Well, aside from representing your company's brand, today, real estate logos have more visibility than ever. In the past, logos might've appeared on your business card and maybe on some additional promotional material, but nothing more. Today, however, real estate websites, social media accounts, official email and other communication matters can not be imagined without the company logo. It gives your company credibility as well as ensures officiality. What Is a Logo in Terms of Success? What is a real estate logo if not the face of the company? Just thinking of Google, what is the first picture that pops up in your mind? Most probably, the colorful Google logo. It is the same for major companies around the world: Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike and many more. What many guides on creating a real estate logo fail to mention is that a logo doesn't guarantee an instant success. Let's take, for example, Nike. It is one of the most famous logos, instantly recognizable. It stands out, creating a certain perception of the brand. But it wasn't always like that. When the Nike Logo was created at first by a young designer, Carolyn Davidson, the company founders didn't find it appealing. But the products that Nike was creating and putting this logo on were of a great quality, and the marketing efforts of the company were successful, so after some time the company became widely recognizable. Therefore, the Nike logo became a symbol of success. So, what can we take away from the Nike example? Your real estate logo will have success only if the services you offer, as well as the effort you put into your brand, are superb. The Psychology of Symbols The Nike example is just one of many successful logos, and often the success and the good service of the company backs up the logo and makes it recognizable. If we can apply the chicken or the egg question to our case, is it the company that draws attention to the logo or the reverse? In many cases, the answer is simple. The efforts of the company and the quality services they provide make the logo recognizable and fill it with meaning. Only after that do logos become symbols more than just random lettering or shapes. The Principle of Any Good Logo Let's be honest. There is no recipe that guarantees the success of your logo design. But there are some principles that are tested by time. But first, let's discuss what kind of logos are out there. Logomark Logomarks are one of the most often used types of logos. Usually, they consist of abstract or geometric shapes. Take Apple, for example. It has rich symbolism behind its logo. An apple represents knowledge, but also a spark of innovation. The falling fruit was what led Isaac Newton to discover the gravity concept. The real estate industry is full of logomarks. The abstract shape of a building is one of the most popular types of logos still to this day. Logotype A logotype focuses more on the company name. It involves more text than pictures. Perfect examples of the logotype are CocaCola, Google and Facebook. If you want people to pay attention to the name of your company, logotype is a perfect choice. Combination of Both As the title suggests, there are logos that favor both text and geometric shapes—Pepsi, for example. Logo Systems The logo system is somewhat of a new concept. To understand the difference between the logo system and traditional logos, think static and dynamic. When you think of traditional logos, you think of static images that are consistent. Logo systems, on the other hand, can shift and change, adapting to different needs. Google doodles is one of the most famous logo systems. Creating a logo system is expensive and time-consuming. So as experts suggest, this type of logo should be reserved for big companies. Logo Design Trends So, now that you're aware of the different types of logos, let's talk about what you should be looking for in logo design: Minimalistic geometric design Symmetry Perspective drawing Letters that stand out Analogous color scheme Once you decide to create a logo, you can talk with graphic designers and discuss those trends. Once you get your logo designed, you want to place it everywhere and let it work to make a brand impression in your desired audience. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How to Create Instagram Posts for Your Real Estate Business with Canva
Ready to start sharing engaging real estate content with your network, but not sure where to start? If you want to share neighborhood market stats, new listings, open houses and client testimonials, this article will get you going. What is Canva? Canva is a simple to use, online design and publishing tool. With it, you can easily create designs without having professional design skills. All you need is an understanding of your brand colors and fonts, along with a clear idea of what you want to share. With a free account, you'll be able to use the templates shown in this article. But it will take a Canva pro account, or pay per download, to export the designs as graphics you can share on Instagram. If you're just kicking the tires, try signing up for the Canva Pro 30-day trial. That will allow you to have all of the features, free for a month. Benefits of Canva Templates With premade templates, you're not starting from scratch. You'll simply find designs that you like and then modify the overall look and feel as needed with your brand colors, fonts, and imagery. Simple Tips to Edit Your Canva Design Agents active on social media platforms such as Instagram often share market stats for their geographic farm area. So for this article, we're going to break down the how-to and provide a few specific templates to make the job easier. Change Colors Click Neighborhood Market Update to access one of our Canva Templates. Select "Use Template." If you have a Canva account, you'll be prompted to log in. If you do not have an account, you can create a free account using your email address. Click to select the element that you want to edit. Then click on one of the color tiles that appears on the toolbar above the editor. Then from the color editor panel, click the color that you want to apply. To choose a different color, click "New color" or the rainbow tile from the editor side panel to use the color picker. Add or Change Image With the template design open, look to the far left side panel. Click the "Photos" tab. If it's not showing, click the "More" button to locate it. Look for images by typing keywords into the search bar. Once you've found or uploaded an image, add it to your design by simply clicking on it. Any image you've added can be adjusted from the top toolbar. Make sure you've clicked on the image and then choose: Effects, Filter, Adjust, Crop or Flip. Social Media Friendly Market Update with RPR and Canva Now that you understand the basics of editing a Canva template, let's focus on customizing a Market Stats template using data from RPR. First, click this link and then select "Use Template." The design shown below will open. Next, we need to get the data from RPR to update our graphic. You'll need to visit RPR and search for the area you'll be covering. If the area is a neighborhood, try using the RPR Neighborhood search tool, or create a Market Activity report for any geographic area. For this example, I'll generate a Market Activity report for a neighborhood and we can use the data from there. Within RPR, select "Research" from the main navigation and then choose "Map Search."(Note: If the map is open to the correct area, simply pan or zoom the map as needed to get centered on your area. If it's not, use the search bar to enter your area.) From the top of the RPR map, select the "Show Geographies" pull-down. Select "Intermediate Neighborhoods," and neighborhood outlines will display on the map wherever available. Locate the neighborhood you'll be covering. In my case, it's called "Lake Forest neighborhood in Lake Oswego, OR." Select the area, and it will turn an orange color, and a map balloon will display. Click "Create Market Activity" report. Once the Market Activity report has been generated, open it and navigate to page #2. We'll use the Median Estimated Home Value and 12-Month Price Change for this template. Next, navigate back to Canva with the Market Update template open. Double click on the blue median estimated home value text. It will become highlighted. Now type the correct number from your Market Activity Report. In this case, it was $690K, so type that amount in. Then repeat this for the "Change Over the Last 12 Months." In this case, that was 26.11%, so type that now. See how easy that was? Now update the colors and image as needed using the directions from the start of the article. Downloading Your New and Finalized Sharable Design Once you've updated your colors, imagery, and market stats, it's time to export your design. With the design open, tap the "Download" (or down arrow) icon at the top right corner of your screen. A menu will open, then choose a file type for your download. Wait for the export progress gradient to complete. The design will immediately save to your computer or camera roll. Download 6 Free Canva Templates for your Real Estate Business We created a few real estate-themed Canva templates that are free for your use. You'll need to add your own colors and images, where appropriate, but these designs mean you'll spend less in design mode and more time sharing content in your feed. RPR and Canva—a Match Made in Real Estate Marketing Heaven Well, now you know the secret of how other agents create such beautiful, professional-looking images for their social channels. Combining Canva's low cost, easy-to-create image templates with RPR's data will make you look like the go-to neighborhood expert you are. Next time you post on Facebook or Instagram, remember this how-to and take your post to the next level. Your social posts shine and they'll get plenty of eyeballs, too. Good luck! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Best Images to Use for Your Real Estate Listings
One of the best things to do before you start marketing your property is ensuring you have great images. This can be really tough for homeowners and agents who are already overwhelmed with everything else that needs to happen when selling a home. With these simple tips, you can ensure your photos help generate interest and don't scare people away. Declutter Before the First Photo Is Taken Removing belongings is key to good photos. Removing furniture, simplifying the room and organizing what is left will help potential buyers better understand how they will use the space. Understand the Photos You Need All houses are different, but what a buyer wants to see is pretty consistent. Ensure you have a list of all the photos you want before you start. Examples include wide angle shots of the bedrooms, curb appeal shot, a few of the back yard, one of each bathroom, etc. Stage the Home for the Perfect Picture With staged homes typically getting 1-5% higher offers from buyers, it is important to stage certain areas of the home. In the case of your photos, stage certain areas for the perfect shot. A great example would be fresh fruit in the kitchen or a perfectly set outdoor table before a BBQ. Try Some New Tricks of the Trade Most professional photographers will have a tripod, a wide-angle lens and will be shooting from different angles giving it a more artistic feel. You should be trying that too! Ask for Advice and Feedback Much like anything else you are learning, you should be open to someone looking at work and giving you advice and asking for feedback. It is typically hard to put your work in front of another professional and ask for their honest feedback, but the payoff is worth it as it will only help you get better! For more information, or to book a free marketing review with Amarki, feel free to book a time HERE. Or give Amarki a try and visit our website HERE. About Amarki: Amarki was built by real estate experts for brokerages and agents based on years of industry experience and firsthand feedback. We developed a marketing tool accessible to anyone, no matter the experience or marketing budget. By providing an intuitive tool that works "for" the agent, Amarki is able to remove the complexity of marketing tasks making agents more active. Check us out HERE.

[Best of 2020] 16 of the Best Real Estate Memes of All Time
We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published in September and is #2 in our countdown. See #3 here. In the age of interactive technology and augmented reality, memes depend on only two things: A low-quality image and bold text! And there we are, a moment of amusement with a touch of bitter reality. Real estate agents and bloggers are no strangers to memes. There are so many facts (and often pet peeves) about the working life of an agent or a Realtor. To express them, only a meme can do justice. Let's review some of the best real estate memes of all time—those that did real estate professionals some justice, one way or another:

Friday Freebie: Dress Up Your Listings with this Virtual Staging Offer
As we round the corner towards Halloween, that means one thing--the season of overly decorated listings is upon us. But never fear, there's a way to make sure your listing photos remain high quality (and not frightening to buyers) throughout the holiday season. That very timely strategy? Virtual staging and photo editing. Read on to learn how you can try it out at no cost in this week's Friday Freebie. Free Virtual Staging Edit and 4 Bonus Listing Photo Edits, courtesy of BoxBrownie.com Scary home decor isn't the only thing that can mess up your listing photos. As a real estate agent, we're sure you've seen it all—clutter, mess, poor lighting, ugly furnishings and beyond. Sometimes a seller just won't work with you to prepare their home for a photoshoot. Or maybe the home is empty and it needs a little "dressing up" to pique buyers' interest. Whatever the case may be, virtual staging and photo editing can help you present the best possible version of your listing to the world. And BoxBrownie.com wants to help you do just that. That's why they're offering RE Technology readers a FREE virtual staging edit, plus four listing photo edits. Here are just a few things these edits can help with: Affordably stage both vacant and occupied listings Help buyers envision different uses for a room—e.g., digitally transform a bedroom into a home office Reduce clutter caused by the current occupant's belongings Remove seasonal items like Christmas or Halloween decorations Optimize your listing photos for color, composition, and more Transform daylight shots into warm, attractive twilight shots And more! Want to try it for yourself? Claim your FREE virtual staging edit and bonus photo edits now!

16 of the Best Real Estate Memes of All Time
In the age of interactive technology and augmented reality, memes depend on only two things: A low-quality image and bold text! And there we are, a moment of amusement with a touch of bitter reality. Real estate agents and bloggers are no strangers to memes. There are so many facts (and often pet peeves) about the working life of an agent or a Realtor. To express them, only a meme can do justice. Let's review some of the best real estate memes of all time—those that did real estate professionals some justice, one way or another:

How to Make a Flyer in Google Slides
If you're looking for ways to add value, reach a larger audience, attract more visitors to your website, or capture more leads, downloadable guides, flyers, and checklists may be the tool you're looking for. Here's how to make your own for free in Google Slides.

10 Ways Virtual Staging Can Make You More Money
Real estate is an old school business, but adopting new technology is having a huge impact on savvy agents' bank accounts. Don't get stuck in the past. Here are just a few ways virtual staging technology can make you more money.

Enhancing Photos and Virtual Staging: Know the Rules
Did you know that enhancing a listing photo could be a violation of your local MLS rules? It could be if you run afoul of your local MLS guidelines. There's another catch: the rules surrounding enhancing photos and using photos are unique to each MLS. Knowing your local MLS guidelines about listing photos "dos and don'ts" is essential, especially if you are uploading images that use virtual staging technology.

The Ethical Use of Photoshop in Real Estate Marketing
Marketing or Misleading? The home buying process now starts online, which makes it critical to present your listing in the most appealing way possible. From creative word play in your property description to engaging imagery in your online tour, the intent should be to attract attention to the home, never to misguide offers. But digital manipulation is ubiquitous in online marketing, and recent advances in photo editing technology have created challenges in defining what is presenting a property in a positive light—and what is outright misleading.

How to Grab Text from an Image Using Google Keep
As many of you have read, I prepared a one-hour webinar titled "Digital Note-Taking Tips and Techniques" for a national education company, and plan on sharing parts of the webinar. The great thing about building this presentation is that I am talking about FREE programs and apps. Too many times, an app or program gets you hooked with basic features and benefits, but then if you want the balance of the product, it costs you! Apple Notes and Google Keep are both free, plus Keep can be loaded on Apple devices. I think having both Notes and Keep available on all your Apple devices makes sense so you can use features you like from both. My first share is a feature I love on Google Keep: "Grab Image Text." Oh, the uses are endless on this one. For example, say you are attending an event and they are displaying a slide show—simply take a picture of the slide. Need info from a document? Take a picture. See a poster about an upcoming event? Take a picture. I'm sure you get the picture (sorry, I couldn't resist)! You can then use Google Keep to change the words on the image into text that you can use. Here is an example I did using my computer: As you can see, it also pulled info from my keyboard. Keep is available from the App Store and Google Play. I personally have Keep on all my Apple devices and use this feature and a few other features regularly (which I will be sharing). More tips are coming, and I will be loading them both as a JPEG and PDF on my Facebook page. Please feel free to share, and if somebody wants to use in a newsletter or other publication, let me know. I would be happy to work with you! Dick Betts is a national speaker, trainer and consultant. Learn more at www.DickBetts.com More article in this series Collaborating with Others Using Apple Notes and Google Keep How to Set a Location Reminder in Google Keep How to Overcome the Pain of Passwords Want to Use Mobile Scanner Software? Be Very Careful! Dictation, One of the Most Unused Feature in Notes and Keep! Apple Users: Let's Set Up Notes to the Max!

Cheat Sheet: Photo Editing Terms for Real Estate Agents
Professional photographers make a bunch of tweaks to your photos behind the scenes that have a huge impact. Here is a guide to talking the photography talk even if you can't walk the walk. Use the guide to communicate changes you may need or to criticize your colleague's inferior photos--up to you!

Most Real Estate Agents Aren't Using the Right Photo File Type
As a real estate agent, you can easily school anyone on the hidden costs of investing in opportunity zones, no problem. But technical photography file terminology might not necessarily be your forte. Don't worry--we got you. Here, we define key photography vocabulary terms so you can market your property without losing your mind.

10 Steps to Create a Custom Presentation in Google Slides
Meeting with new leads is exciting. Creating the materials you need to convert those leads... not so much. Even real estate agents are not exempt from the sometimes tedious task of creating presentations. But there's good news. Whether you need to create a listing presentation, first-time homebuyer seminar, or just a simple introduction to get things moving, there's technology to help you create professional presentations. Google Slides is one of these tools. Google Slides is one of the free tools included with every free Gmail account. It makes creating, editing, and sharing your presentations with collaborators easy from any device. To learn more about the free tools offered by Google, check out our articles on Google Keep, Google My Maps, Google Allo, Google Drive, and Gmail. For more information about using Google Slides, read on for step-by-step instructions to help you create and save a personalized theme that reflects your business and branding.

25 Resources for Mastering Real Estate Photography, Video and Beyond
When it comes to their skillset, real estate agents are a bit like a Swiss Army knife. They need interpersonal intelligence, negotiation know-how, sales chops, and a whole lot of patience. But when you started out in real estate, I bet nobody told you how important multimedia skills were to the job—and how many different types of media you'd need to be comfortable with. From taking property photos, to creating listing flyers, to shooting video, agents in today's DIY digital age are expected to be media whizzes. Of course, there's only so much time in the day. To lessen your workload, we advocate automating where possible, and then filling in the gaps with a little do-it-yourself chutzpah. To that end, we've combed through our library of educational content to find the best, most helpful articles on media of all sorts—everything from photography to graphic design to virtual tours and beyond. Consider it your crash course in multimedia skills for real estate.

[Infographic] Millennials Journey to Homeownership
Millennials are a force to be reckoned with, and considering the vast buying power they bring to the table, you may be wondering how you can capitalize on this tech-savvy generation. The good news is that 92 percent of millennials purchased their home with the help of a real estate agent—a greater proportion than the overall 88 percent of buyers who used a real estate agent—making it safe to say that real estate agents will retain an indispensable position in the industry. That said, knowing who the largest group of buyers for the last three years running are will help you shape your business to better meet the needs and expectations of this very important pool of buyers.

6 Best Practices for Creating Knockout Real Estate Flyers
Suppose you just landed a great new listing that you think some of your contacts would love. Go beyond just sending a generic email with a link to the MLS property listing by sending a just listed e-flyer template to show off any new property that has come on the market. Here are six best practices for creating digital flyers that sell listings!

How Visual Storytelling is Shaping Real Estate
Have you ever heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” This famous idiom is based on the idea that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image – and marketers took note of this powerful idea. Visuals have long been a cornerstone to a successful marketing strategy, to the point where an estimated 84 percent of communications will be visual by 2018. The Power of Visual Storytelling Can you imagine trying to sell a home using only text? Difficult, right? The challenge is that people form a first impression in a mere 50 milliseconds, so when they hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10 percent of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65 percent of it three days later because of the unique story that was told.

How Can You Use 'REmojis' to Connect with Your Clients and Leads?
As an agent, you'll perform dozens of tasks for your buyer and seller clients, and communicating every update can get a little stale: If you text or email with the clients, a new set of "REmojis" could help you keep your communications fresh and exciting... while saving you from adding six exclamation points to each message. As reported by Inman, agent Amy Dginguerian created REmojis as a way for real estate professionals to communicate and commiserate with clients, fellow REALTORS® and industry partners. Whether you're breaking news of a bidding war, checking in with your managing broker, communicating with a seller on the verge of closing or sympathizing with an office mate, you'll find there's a REmoji for almost every situation that arises in the average day of a REALTOR:

Real Estate Marketing Templates You Can Start Using Today!
Adding a "personal touch" in your marketing might just be the key to getting new leads. Using good, old-fashioned ink and paper forges personal connections and engages with potential clients in a unique, timeless way. We realize you won't be picking up your quill and parchment, but don't be tempted to neglect the printed medium entirely. The right printed marketing materials speak of dedication, attention to detail and professional confidence. Here are some easy to customize templates for your convenience. Strike Hard with a Postcard A colorful, enticing postcard is like giving your business card an upgrade, offering more information in a more pleasant format. Hand someone one and you'll find it leaves a lasting impression, making it much easier for potential leads to put a face to your name. Click on your preferred template, and you will be prompted to download the respective Power Point Presentation file. Each template file has a tutorial on how you can personalize it with your information and images, print... and presto! Branded 1 – Click here to download template! Branded 2 – Click here to download template! Branded 3 – Click here to download template! Branded 4 – Click here to download template!

The Definitive Guide to Using Images on Your Website
We've looked before at where you can find images to use for your website, but what happens once you've chosen the images that you want to use? There are still some tricks that you can put into practice that will help your images appear the best they can on your website! One of the trends that we've seen all over the web recently is the use of large imagery on websites. While this definitely does make a huge impact on people visiting your website, it can also cause your website to slow down if the images haven't been properly cropped, resized and optimized. Cropping and Resizing Your Images One of the biggest mistakes that people make (even those who have been working with websites for years!) is that they resize images directly in their site's web manager instead of resizing and cropping an image before it is even uploaded to the file manager. Resizing an image means that you're changing the dimensions that the image is displayed at – usually so it's smaller than the original image. Doing this in your web manager doesn't actually make the file physically smaller – it just displays it smaller. What this means is that if you upload a 1MB file to your file manager, and only display it at 25% of its size, the user still downloads 1MB of data in order to view your image. In an environment when users expect everything on your website to load immediately, that extra time to download all of that data can quickly add up!

How to Make Better Graphics for Social Media
We all know that eye-catching graphics are an important part of capturing the attention of today's digital audience. They might even be THE most important part! But how do you know what makes an image work? Here are some pointers that will help you out: Size First things first, your image has to be easy to look at. That means it should be big enough to see and shouldn't be a pixelated mess. You can't take a small image and blow it up to a large size; it just won't look good. At the very least, we recommend you use an image at least 400 pixels wide. That should work for a lot of things. If you want to get specific, the optimal image sizes that different social media channels use for posts, profile photos and more change often. This list of always up-to-date social media image sizes will help you out. License You want to make absolutely sure you're not violating anyone's copyright when you're using an image. No picture is worth dealing with a potential lawsuit! Err on the side of caution by taking your own photos, doing your own graphic design, paying for images from a service like Shutterstock or using one of these free photo resources.

Our 7 Favorite Infographics from 2012
While we strive to bring you great educational articles, sometimes there's nothing like a little visual learning. To that end, we've rounded up our favorite infographics of the past year, on everything ranging from REALTOR® spending and expenses to social media cheat sheets. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we've included a partial glimpse of each infographic in lieu of a text description. Enjoy! 1. The Price is Right! 2. Perfecting the art of a well-crafted email

3 Tricks for Wooing Window Shoppers
Does your brokerage post your active listings on the window of your office to catch the attention of passers-by? Are they just printouts directly from the MLS? If so, you're missing an opportunity. Here's how to maximize your brokerage window "real estate." 1) Post flyers with marketing edge, not MLS printouts. Your MLS system is an invaluable source of data, resources, and much more. However, when you print out the property details of an active listing directly from the MLS, you won't be getting a slick marketing tool. True, your data will be accurate, but the presentation will probably leave much to be desired. Greg Robertson of Cloud CMA suggests an alternative: print out flyers instead of property details from the MLS. "Many tools used to create flyers are pulling MLS data directly, so you're still maintaining the accuracy without sacrificing visual appeal," Mr. Robertson explains. "If someone is passing by your window quickly, you have only a moment to capture their attention. You're much more likely to do this if you're using a sales-oriented flyer rather than an information-oriented document from the MLS." A robust CMA isn't the only tool to explore for flyers. You may also find that your single property website provider (i.e. ePropertySites), CRM, or online marketing solution (i.e. REALTOR.com, Market Leader, Homes Connect) also gives you the ability to create flyers for your listings.