Category: blog

Floor plans aren’t just a nice-to-have for your property listings. They’re essential. 

Professional-looking floor plans give prospective buyers and renters a better sense of the property’s layout, flow, and functionality, making it easier to imagine themselves living there. 

According to Rightmove, over a third of buyers are less likely to enquire about a property if the listing doesn’t include a floor plan, with 1 in 5 saying they would completely ignore the listing. 

The stats are clear. If you fail to include decent floor plans in your listings, you’re missing out on potential instructions and the opportunity to grow your agency’s market share. 

However, as an estate agent, you’ll know how frustrating it is that it takes so long to create professional-looking floor plans yourself. 

Fortunately, you can do a few things to streamline the process without compromising on quality.

Floor plan creation: The problem

As alluded to in the introduction, a few of the ways agents create floor plans are complex.

For example, in some instances, agents measure the property and sketch floor plans by hand (some just publish these hand-drawn sketches, which is something we don’t recommend!). Unfortunately, even the neatest drawings can be challenging to read and interpret.

Then, to transform these drawings into something more presentable, many solutions require you to re-build the floor plan using their software. This is pretty tedious. 

Alternatively, agents sometimes use software to create floor plans at the property. However, this is often time-consuming and fiddly when building a rapport with the vendor or landlord. 

Fortunately, other options are available.

Floor plan creation: The solution

With the help of PropertyBox, you can easily convert hand-drawn floor plans into professional-looking layouts. 

Our pros transform hand-drawn sketches into polished floor plans in as little as 1 hour and 20 minutes (on average) for just £5+VAT per floor plan! 

You just upload your sketch, and we’ll handle the rest. Then, if you need to make any corrections to your floor plan, such as replacing a missing door or updating a measurement, you can use the intuitive drag-and-drop editor. 

Floor plan creation tips

Now you have a quick and affordable solution to streamlining your floor plan creation process, let’s explore some of our top tips for constructing floor plans that sing.

This is imperative for arresting prospects’ attention and could make the difference between piquing a client’s interest in your services and not. 

3D floor plans

There are lots of benefits to using 3D layouts, not least that they look more impressive. They’re an excellent point of differentiation and can establish your agency as a leader and pioneer in property marketing. This is especially true, considering many competitors will only provide basic 2D-floor plans.

3D floor plans are also more likely to increase listing engagement among potential buyers, renters, and prospective clients. People are naturally drawn to visually engaging content and 3D floor plans certainly fall into that category! 

In addition, 3D floor plans make it easier to visualise the property’s design, flow, room sizes, and spatial relationships more effectively than traditional 2D floor plans, which can help buyers and renters make informed decisions about whether the home meets their requirements. 

That way, when someone books a viewing, you know they’re more likely to seriously consider the property rather than just window shop, saving precious time that could be better used prospecting!

Add furniture

Adding furniture is one of the easiest ways to boost engagement with your floor plans. It provides scale and proportion to give viewers a better sense of the room’s size and how the space could be utilised. 

Floor plans also enhance the layout’s visual appeal, improving the chances that your listing will capture viewers’ attention while they’re scrolling through portals quickly. 

Lastly, furniture boasts the added benefit of injecting warmth, character, and context into the layout. It evokes an emotional response, helping the viewer connect with the place and envision how they might arrange their own furniture.

Add a splash of colour

Consider opting for coloured floor plan diagrams. Colour makes distinguishing between different rooms and floors easier. Plus, coloured floor plans stand a better chance of capturing the eye of prospective vendors and landlords browsing property portals- a win-win!

Similarly, we suggest adding a background colour that reflects your agency’s brand. Again, this helps the visuals stand out from other listings while boosting brand consistency and recognition. 

Watermark floor plans with your agency’s logo

You’ll know how frustrating it is that your agency’s brand gets little to no recognition on popular property portals – especially when prospects browse via mobile.

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

This is where adding watermarks to your floor plans becomes a real asset for ensuring your branding remains front and centre of the listing, increasing the chances of prospects remembering your agency. 

Plus, watermarking lends an air of professionalism and is a powerful shield against the unauthorised use of your floor plans. 

Pro Tip: Strike the balance between positioning your watermark so people can see it and keeping the photo intact. Typically, the top right or bottom left corners are best. It’s also worth double-checking how your listing looks on desktop and mobile devices, so if your branding is cut off, you can adjust your watermark’s positioning accordingly.     

Add a compass

Lots of sellers love to shout about south-facing gardens, so being able to offer vendors a compass on your floor plans is a compelling point of difference between agents.

It could also pique the interest of buyers and renters if a south-facing garden is essential in their next property, making for a speedier transaction!

Are you ready to streamline your agency’s floor plan creation process for speed and quality?

We hope this blog post has provided some food for thought and that you now have a better idea of how to create high-quality floor plans quickly and affordably.

#Thanks to PropertyBox’s latest update, all the above floor plan features are available (and more), so why not see for yourself how we can help you streamline your floor plan creation process for speed and quality? For more information, contact our Customer Success Pros today!

If you’re a veteran estate agent, you’ll know one challenge exceeds all others:

Winning new instructions to increase your agency’s market share.

That’s why we’re revealing one way to achieve precisely that…

Property videos.

Fortunately, you don’t need to hire a professional property videographer or require special skills to benefit from all the perks property videos unlock for agents.

Are property videos worth it?

In short, yes, they are. 

However, as a proptech company that’s recently launched a property video generator, you may be worried we’re biased.

So, here are a few statistics to prove property videos pay dividends:

• Agents can generate 403% more inquiries with video marketing.
• 73% say they are likelier to list with an agency that uses video.
• 92% of those who view videos on mobile devices share them with others, so there’s plenty of scope for agencies to extend their reach. 

With those figures in mind, let’s explore some of the advantages video marketing offers estate agents:

The perks of video marketing for estate agents

We spoke to Seamus Nally, CEO of TurboTenant, to get his opinion on property videos, and this is what he had to say:

‘Property videos have become invaluable. These days, a lot of the home buying process is done online first – prospective buyers spend time looking into potential property listings online so that they can narrow down their options before actually visiting any houses in person. People don’t want to waste their time taking tours of properties that aren’t right for them, so they try to do most of the elimination process online first. Property videos have, therefore, become high-demand for buyers.’

Here are a few other benefits video marketing offers estate agents:

• Extend your reach: The beauty of property videos is that not only do they inject life into your estate agency website and property portal listings, but they also make for great social media content. In fact, videos on social media are shared 12 times more than text and visuals combined! As such, your agency stands a good chance of getting in front of prospects who have yet to encounter you.
• Strengthen your agency’s brand: Did you know that 80% watch videos until the end? Needless to say, the longer prospects engage with your content, the likelier they are to remember your agency. This makes video an excellent medium for boosting brand recognition. The statistics bear this out, with 95% remembering what they see in videos compared to just 10% of what they read. 
• Make a good impression on house hunters: When researching a property, as many as 81% of buyers prefer short videos. You can use this to your advantage by publishing ‘snackable’ video content likelier to pique their interest and kickstart the sales process.

Video inspiration

Now you have a better idea of the advantages of property videos, let’s explore the different ways you could use them:

Showcase properties

Property videos are incredibly effective for highlighting a property’s best features, giving viewers a better insight into whether they can envision themselves living in the space. 

They’re also great for demonstrating to prospective clients that you know how to market properties effectively. 

After all, prospects judge the quality of your property listings. They want an agency to position their property in the best possible light to ensure a speedy and lucrative sale. Publishing property videos on your listings can go a long way toward reassuring prospects that you have the property marketing capabilities to help them achieve these aims. 

Provide neighbourhood insights

In addition to showcasing the property, you can provide valuable insights into the surrounding neighbourhood. This is especially effective if the property is situated in a picturesque area. You can use video to show off any nearby parks, beaches, the street itself, or any other points of interest that might draw prospective buyers in.

Client testimonials and brand awareness 

If you have glowing testimonials that could be incorporated into your videos, that’s worth considering. These can be great for establishing credibility and building trust with prospective clients.

Similarly, you could include pictures of your estate agency’s office and team to boost brand awareness and give prospects a better understanding of your company culture. 

How to create engaging property videos on a budget

Having heard some of the benefits of video marketing for estate agents, how can you create engaging property videos with minimal time, skill and budget?

The solution: PropertyBox’s brand-new property video generator.

Within minutes, you can create captivating videos to post on your agency’s socials, website, and popular property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Drag and drop photos onto your video timeline.
2. Use PropertyBox’s caption prompts to highlight the property’s key features.
3. Upload your agency’s logo to add to your videos.
4. Wait a few minutes for an Instagram reel, social (ideal for Facebook and X), and portal video to render!
5. Share on property portals, your agency’s website, and socials for maximum exposure.

It really is as simple as that! 

You don’t need any camera skills or a budget for a professional videographer. Instead, you can use the property photos you’ve enhanced in PropertyBox, transform them into dynamic videos and share them on various channels without leaving your PropertyBox workspace. 

Are you ready to start engaging new prospects using video?

We hope that, having read this blog post, you now have a better understanding of how property videos could benefit your estate agency, but more importantly, that there are convenient and affordable solutions like PropertyBox that empower you to reap the benefits of video without involving a videographer. 

Instead, with PropertyBox’s property video generator, you’re in the driver’s seat. You have the opportunity to create and share engaging videos within minutes!

For more information about how our Property videos could assist your agency’s marketing efforts, please feel free to contact our Customer Success Team!

If you keep on top of the latest social media trends, you might have seen the rise of ‘dusk shots’ or photos taken at ‘golden hour’.

This trend has now entered the world of property marketing, and here at PropertyBox, we’re excited to embrace it.

Agents want their property listings to evoke several responses from house hunters, one of the most important being the ability to envision themselves living in the property. 

This is where dusk shots come into their own. 

When the sun begins to set, there’s something extremely inviting about a home with the lights on inside and glowing, especially when there’s a sunset in the background. 

Below is an excellent example:

Compare the dusk shot with the regular property photo – which is more likely to capture the eye?

Dusk shots: The Benefits

As mentioned above, property photos shot during golden hour are more enticing, and therefore, they’re likelier to generate interest, leading to a quicker sale.

The stats bear this out:

For example, in one experiment, two exterior shots of the same home in Green Valley, AZ, were taken. One was a regular property photo, and the other was a dusk shot. Online ads were then run to the same demographic to drive traffic to both listings. 

The dusk shot achieved 3x more clicks for half the cost!

Similarly, other studies show that property listings with twilight photography used in the primary photo can increase views by 76% (on average). 

So, if you’re looking for a quick fix to boost property listing engagement, try using a dusk shot as your main image – you may find that, like the above example, you notice a huge difference!

It’s also worth noting that in addition to attracting more attention to your property listings, dusk photography shows potential clients that you provide something different. 

Not every estate agency offers this kind of photography, so dusk shots go a long way to distinguish yourself from the competition, solidifying your brand as a forward-thinking agency that prides itself on its property marketing expertise.

When we spoke to Krista Forsberg, Estate Agent at Keller Williams Integrity Edina, to get her opinion on dusk shots, this is what she had to say:

“From a selling perspective, twilight photos can be dramatic and showcase the evening lighting and curb appeal of a property…Anytime you can better showcase a home online, more buyers to want to see a property in person, which helps garner interest and offers!”

How to take dusk shots

To achieve the perfect dusk shot, you have 2 options:

1. Take your own pictures at twilight
2. Use AI

If you opt for the former, here are a few tips:

• Get the timing right: The best time to shoot a property at twilight is roughly 20 minutes after sunset. However, this might vary depending on cloud coverage and the time of year.
• Turn on all the lights: Switch on all of the property’s lights (both internal and external) and open your curtains. These lights create a beautiful, warm glow.
• Turn off your camera’s flash: Ensure you’re using ‘Flash off’ mode. According to the Canon EOS 70D manual, this mode is “effective for capturing the particular ambience of a scene, such as candlelight.” For our purposes, this also translates to better capturing beautiful property photos at dusk. 
• Stay still to avoid blurring: If you have a tripod, great. If not, try to lean against something and hold your breath while taking the shot. 

Use AI

The second way to produce stunning dusk shots is to use AI to make the image look like it was taken at twilight. 

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to predict when a stunning sunset will occur – particularly in the UK, where it rains so often!

So, instead of waiting for the perfect conditions, AI provides a more convenient and reliable option. You can take external property shots during regular working hours and use a property photo enhancer to edit the ambience.

With PropertyBox, creating a dusk shot is simple. 

To illustrate just how easy it is, we’ll quickly run you through the necessary steps:

1. Upload a property photo for enhancement.
2. Click ‘Create a dusk shot.’ 
3. Choose your favourite of 7 dusk skies. 
4. You can then make it look like the property’s lights are on (if you wish) using our easy-to-use editor. 
5. When you’re happy, click ‘Finish,’ 
6. Download the dusk shot to use in your property listings. 

This is the kind of result you can expect to achieve:

Are you ready to start using dusk shots in your property marketing?

After reading this blog post, we hope you have a better idea of what dusk shots are, the benefits of using them in your property marketing, and how to create these beautiful assets to elevate your listings.  

See for yourself how PropertyBox can help you create captivating dusk shots with our 7-day free trial! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Success Team at team@propertybox.io.

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.

The report outlines step-by-step everything you need to do to craft property listings that secure instructions to help you dominate market share.

We don’t have time to cover all the topics discussed in the report, so instead, we’re sharing our 5 top takeaways:

1. The importance of best-in-class property photography can’t be underestimated.
2. Presenting unique property marketing examples during market appraisals is crucial for standing out and building trust with potential vendors and landlords.
3. Property videos work wonders for extending your reach on social media, allowing you to engage with potential landlords, sellers, house hunters and tenants.
4. Your vendor’s photographs are considered personal data under GDPR and need protection accordingly. 
5. Watermarking your property photos, floor plans, and videos keeps your brand front and centre on property portals, increasing the likelihood of potential vendors and landlords noting your agency and associating it with first-rate property marketing.   

Below, we’ll explore each of these takeaways in more detail:

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?

Although we hope you found these insights helpful, this blog post only scratches the surface of the advice given in our full report:

10 listing tips to win more instructions

For a deeper dive into crafting property listings that increase market share, download our free report and put everything you learn into action! 

Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pause on net-zero reforms, property buyers and sellers continue to stress the importance of energy efficiency. 

As a result, energy performance certificates (EPCs) are now an integral (albeit mandatory) part of any estate agent’s marketing arsenal. 

In fact, in a recent study of house hunters, three-quarters said houses scoring an A or B EPC rating would be more appealing than less energy-efficient properties. 

This is no surprise, considering the rising cost of living. It stands to reason that in light of increasing utility costs, energy-efficient homes are more attractive than ever – and the stats bear this out.

Interestingly, half of buyers are considering properties with higher EPC ratings to reduce their utility bills- more specifically, 36% want to heat their homes for less during winter. 

The demand for energy-efficient houses is so prevalent that three-quarters of those looking to sell in the next year would consider making their home more energy-efficient to increase its value!

The figures are clear: buyers and sellers alike are interested in EPCs. 

So, as a savvy estate agent, how can you use this to your advantage?

Let’s find out:

Get an EPC: Streamline the ordering process

Not only are EPCs a legal requirement, but as we’ve seen, highly rated EPCs are excellent marketing collateral. 

So, the quicker you validate your client’s EPC rating and order an assessment (if necessary), the quicker you can publish your property listing to start attracting potential buyers for a speedy sale. 

So, what should you look for in a high-quality EPC ordering service?

In short, an efficient EPC status checker and ordering service should boast the following:

1. Speed
2. Cost-effectiveness
3. Quality

Let’s explore each of these in turn (incidentally, we’re proud to say that PropertyBox offers all the below):

1. Speed

Speed should be at the heart of any first-rate EPC lookup and ordering service.

This could include:

• Instant access to EPC statuses. 
• Providing a user-friendly interface that’s quick to learn and easy to navigate
• Being able to order a new EPC from the same centralised dashboard.
• Speedy SLAs – for instance, contact with a qualified EPC assessor within 2 working days
• Access to a nationwide network of qualified EPC assessors is imperative for faster bookings.
• Having the option to quickly bill your client for the cost of the EPC – for example, sending a payment link directly to your vendor. 
• A link to the property’s updated EPC within 24 hours of the EPC assessment.

2. Cost-effectiveness

In an ideal world, your EPC service should charge one price for all energy performance certificates. In other words, the price should stay the same no matter the property size. It goes without saying this makes it easier for your agency to budget.

For example, PropertyBox only charges £50+VAT per EPC, which, compared to its competitors, is remarkably inexpensive – for instance, Nichecom’s EPCs cost £75+VAT and Property Capture’s start from £60!

3. Quality

A reliable EPC lookup and ordering service will only work with qualified EPC assessors who have passed an accredited training course (like the Level 3 Certificate in Domestic Energy Assessment). 

That way, you can be confident the assessor will accurately evaluate the energy performance of your client’s property. 

What does PropertyBox offer?

PropertyBox understands the important role that speed, cost-effectiveness, and quality play in offering the best possible EPC lookup and ordering service.

With that said, let’s explore how easy checking a property’s EPC status is:

1. From your PropertyBox workspace, click ‘Create new property’ and enter your client’s address.
2. Click ‘Show me EPC.’
3. View the property’s EPC, how long the certificate is valid for, and any recommended steps for improving the energy rating.

PropertyBox retrieves this information in a matter of seconds. You can then download the EPC with just a click or order a new EPC for the property.

Similarly, ordering a new EPC from your PropertyBox workspace couldn’t be easier. Just follow the steps below:

• Tell us the property’s address and the name of the person who will let the EPC assessor into the property.
• Send a payment link directly to your vendor for the cost of the EPC (or bill it to your PropertyBox account).
• Upon payment confirmation, we’ll appoint an EPC assessor.
• Once the inspection is complete, we’ll share a link to the property’s new EPC within your PropertyBox workspace and via email within 24 hours.

Simple, right?

Are you ready to streamline your EPC ordering?

After reading this blog post, we hope you have better insights into streamlining your EPC lookups and orders for speed and value.

The solution?

Use an instant, reliable EPC lookup and ordering service like PropertyBox.

This is the easiest and quickest way to check the validity of your client’s EPC and order a new one (if necessary). Plus, you’ll benefit from other handy property marketing tools, like property photo enhancements, professional floor plan re-draws, and auto-generated property descriptions!

Sign up for a free Propertybox trial today to see for yourself!