Our Top 5 Learnings From FocalAgent And PropertyBox’s Most Recent Report: 10 Listing Tips To Win More Instructions

This week, FocalAgent, the creators of PropertyBox, published their most recent report:

10 listing tips to win more instructions

If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, here’s the link you need.

1. The Positive Impact Of Best-In-Class Property Photography

If there was any doubt about the influence high-quality property photos have on the effectiveness of property listings, these stats set the record straight. They prove just how vital first-rate photos are for securing instructions:

• Property Academy’s latest ‘Home Moving Trends, Landlord and Renter Survey’ found the top reason sellers picked their agent was that they ‘felt confident in their ability to market [their] property’ (this included property photos).
• In the same survey, 75% of sellers rate ‘quality of images’ as important when visiting an estate agent’s website.
• As many as 80% would click on a property listing because the first image was enticing.
• Almost 60% would skip properties with an unappealing initial image.

Thankfully, AI-fuelled property marketing platforms like PropertyBox make enhancing images taken on your smartphone or camera a breeze.

It’s not uncommon for estate agents to view AI as sub-standard or somehow scary. However, in the case of PropertyBox, we’re not an off-the-shelf solution. Instead, we have years of professional property photography knowledge that we’ve funnelled into producing our AI enhancements.

Below, we’ve listed just a few of the many ways your images could benefit from AI property photo enhancements:

1. Instant object removal

2. Automated privacy blurring

3. HD upscaling

4. Blue sky replacement

5. Vertical adjustments

6. Boosted shadows

7. Colour enhancements

…and more!

2. Present Unique Property Marketing Examples During Market Appraisals

There are plenty of ways to elevate your property marketing to stand out from the rest. Our most recent report lists the following methods:

• Dusk shots
• Drone photography
• Elevated pole photography

Below, we’ll explore each in turn:

Dusk shots

One of the main benefits of dusk shots is introducing a point of differentiation between you and your competitors. In your prospect’s living room, you can show examples of dusk shots you’ve listed. This works wonders for instilling confidence in the vendor because it demonstrates you know how to make properties stand out online when people are scrolling at pace on portals.

Best of all, when you use an AI dusk shot feature post-production (like the one PropertyBox offers), you can make the image look like it was taken at golden hour within a matter of minutes.

Drone photography

The remarkable thing about drone photography is that it can capture a property’s unique vantage point from 120 metres high, making it an excellent choice for shooting panoramic views and unveiling hidden gems that traditional photography can’t achieve.

A single dramatic shot of your client’s property can be the driving force that attracts the right attention to your listing. In fact, property listings with drone photography enjoy a 54% increase in engagement compared to listings using traditional property photography alone.

So, if your budget allows, why not consider drone photography – especially for luxury properties? Clients selling first-rate properties expect the best, and there’s no denying that drone photography will capture your client’s property in all its glory, which is likely why properties with aerial photos sell 68% faster than those using just standard images.

Elevated pole photography

If drone photography isn’t viable for your agency or the area, elevated pole photography is worth a second glance.

It costs less than drone photography, and although a pole doesn’t reach the sky heights of a drone, you can still capture shots from 6m+ above ground level, making it superb for capturing winning exterior shots.

3. Extend Your Reach On Social Media Using Video

Video offers an immersive experience, transporting prospects directly to the heart of the property. Not only that, but videos often increase your social media reach in the local area, engaging with potential landlords, sellers, house hunters and tenants who aren’t yet on the market.

These stats speak volumes about the power of video:

• 50% of all content viewed across Meta’s platforms (predominantly Facebook and Instagram) is video, so embracing video is essential for getting your agency in front of as many prospects as possible.
• 92% of mobile video viewers ‘share’ videos
• 73% of sellers are likelier to list their property with an agent who uses video
• Property listings with video generate 403% more inquiries.

To hit the ground running with property videos, you can use an AI property video generator (like the one PropertyBox is about to launch).

This is an excellent alternative to professional videography if you’re working on a budget or don’t have time to schedule a professional.

Such a tool takes your static property images and transforms them into engaging reels, perfect for sharing on social media. Just drag and drop photos onto your video timeline and add captions (if you wish), taking inspiration from PropertyBox’s prompts. Then, wait a few minutes for the videos to render before sharing them on your agency’s website, social media, Rightmove, Zoopla, or property portal of your choice.

4. Ensuring Your Property Marketing Meets GDPR Standards Is Absolutely Crucial!

Did you know your vendor’s photographs are considered personal data under GDPR?

Protecting your customers’ data is of the utmost importance. That’s why agents spend their precious time manually blurring out sensitive data in their property photos – for example, people’s faces in personal photographs and vehicle number plates.

However, not only is such a system laborious, but it’s also prone to human error. It stands to reason that if you manually edit hundreds of property photos each month, things will inevitably fall through the cracks.

Similarly, some agencies use non-property-specific editing suites for these tasks. It can sometimes take between 6 and 10 minutes to blur a single registration plate.

Fortunately, there’s a quicker, more accurate solution:

An AI property photo enhancer like PropertyBox automatically blurs faces, personal photographs, and car number plates.

By automating these kinds of tasks, you can use the time you’ve saved to make your listings really sing. For example, removing unwanted objects from your property photos, adding a dusk sky, writing more compelling property descriptions, etc.

5. Sidestep Property Portal Branding Restrictions With Watermarking

As an estate agent, you’ll know how frustrating it is that your agency’s brand gets little to no recognition on popular property portals – especially when prospects view listings via mobile.

Considering that almost half of property searches are done on a mobile, that’s a huge opportunity to market your agency’s brand lost!

This is where adding a watermark to your property visuals becomes an asset. 

This ensures your branding remains front and centre of the listing, increasing the chances of prospects remembering your agency.

Want To Learn More?

As an estate agent, you’ll know how frustrating it is that your agency’s brand gets little to no recognition on popular property portals – especially when prospects view listings via mobile.

Considering that almost half of property searches are done on a mobile, that’s a huge opportunity to market your agency’s brand lost!

This is where adding a watermark to your property visuals becomes an asset. 

This ensures your branding remains front and centre of the listing, increasing the chances of prospects remembering your agency.