With the guidelines and restrictions put into place over the past month due to COVID-19, the real estate industry has been transformed. With shelter considered ‘essential’, social distancing has shifted how homes are listed and sold. “Virtual Tour, Video and Zoom” have become part of the normal vocabulary and routine for Realtors. But for Ron and Stephanie Evans with EVANSRVAHOMES, this has been their normal practice.
Ron Evans has been a Top Producer with Long & Foster for 24 years. As his business grew, he knew he needed help and his wife Stephanie Evans joined him. In 2017, they formed EVANSRVAHOMES, a husband and wife duo with the Long & Foster’s Grove office in Richmond, Virgina.
As Stephanie Evans worked on marketing and branding of their new team business, she quickly picked up on something essential – the use of videos in their business. She dove in and started downloading apps to her phone and learned everything she could about creating effective videos. She quickly recognized the engagement factor as a common theme. She invested in a MacBook Pro, tripod and a gimbal. She practiced and practiced; and while a little scary, started filming herself in front of their listings. After a few months, she consulted with a video marketing strategist for feedback and suggestions. The strategist liked what she saw.
Video is one piece to Team Evans’ marketing. They use a combination of video they personally create with their iPhones as well as their professional photographer team, Rene and Rick Scott of Tour Virginia Homes. The Scott’s offer still photography, drone filming and Matterport tours, a 3D virtual home tour.
Whether doing a quick preview on a pool deck, or standing in front of a renovated kitchen, Team Evans loves using videos to promote their listings. They add them in the Multiple Listing Service and create engaging social media posts on Facebook and Instagram. As guidelines on how to safely manage real estate were implemented, Team Evans didn’t blink.
Having a virtual home tour available in today’s climate gives their sellers the opportunity to safely showcase their home without dozens of potential buyers in the physical home. It’s a great first step in the selling process and helps identify serious buyers. If after previewing the photos and video home tour, a qualified buyer decides they want to preview the home in-person, protocols include the use of gloves, masks, wipes, hand sanitizer and limiting the surfaces touched, as well as the number of people in the home.
For more information about the EVANSRVAHOMES, click here.
Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.
This article is repackaged from the April 20, 2020 edition of Richmond Homes.