Can Real Estate Photographers Work In Charlotte?

We have recently received long-awaited clarification on the Mecklenburg County Stay At Home Order regarding photography, videography, and 3d Matterport Virtual Tours. From day one, we have contacted the Mecklenburg County hotline for clarification on their Stay At Home Order and received conflicting information. The original order clearly said that “other media services” were allowed to continue operating, but we were getting a different story from the operators at the hotline. We’re relieved after the official clarification, hours of research have paid off and we’re able to continue serving our agents. Earlier today Mecklenburg County clarified the following:

5)  Photographers and videographers may provide their services in vacant property only. Only one photographer and/or videographer (if they are different) may be in the home at one time.

 

– Amendment to Mecklenburg County Stay At Home Order Regarding Home Sales

You read correctly. That means that photographers are officially allowed to photograph listings as long as they are vacant and no homeowners are present. Which is great since Matterport 3d Virtual tours, photos, and videos are more relevant now than they ever have been before since, for some reason, agents can’t go to their own listings. And possibly worse, buyers can’t go to the houses either. We will be implementing some personal precautions we’re taking outlined below, but for now we feel it’s important to explain some things to help during these difficult times.

We Believe Matterport Virtual Tours Are The Answer

And we are running a temporary 10% price reduction to prove it.

A lot of agents are already using Matterport to market their listings, while others are hesitant to try new technology. The facts are there, Matterport is effective during normal real estate climates, but they’re especially effective now. With recent updates, users can take measurements virtually using Matterport – and they’re accurate! We tested it, measuring a kitchen island in our own house and it was accurate to the inch. This allows would-be buyers to spend infinite time in the listing, 24-7 AND measure anything they need to. There’s nothing else out there like this, not video, not the lower-budget virtual tours, not even photos. Still unsure? Take a look at a scan we created just the other day:

Thank you Kyle for the Matterport virtual tour video. It really helped market my listing especially during Covid-19. The buyers are out of state and were able to “see” the house with this tour and felt comfortable writing an offer after seeing the virtual tour. The level of detail in the tour is very helpful.

 

– Ashley Richardson, Listing Agent for 6243 Fox Chase Dr

We specialize in feature-rich Matterport tours, including guided tours (allow you to press play and let the system walk you through the tour as if it’s a video), enabled measurements, branded and unbranded deliverables, optional agent listing pages for social media marketing, embedded content, and more! If you’re interested in utilizing a Matterport 3D Virtual Tour, but you’re not sure how – give us a call for a free consultation and we’ll happily help you out! We’re even willing and able to help implement Matterport tours into existing websites.

How We’re Staying Safe, And Protecting Your Sellers

Those of you who know me, might suspect I am a germaphobe. And you’re right. I practiced social distancing before it was cool. But now I am implementing some extreme precautions. The last thing I want to do is bring this bug back home to my family or to pass it on to another client. I am doing the following at EVERY listing:

• Sanitizing or washing hands before AND after every shoot.
• Spraying my shoes with Lysol before AND after entering any house.
• Avoiding touching ANY surfaces including door knobs, light switches, toilet seats, etc. (please make sure everyone is 100% ready when I arrive. We have a handy prep guide here. Share it with your sellers!)
• Wearing gloves for as long as possible.
• Wearing a cloth face mask in every house.

It’s super important to me to stop the spread and protect myself and family. It’s also super important that real estate agents have the best resources to sell a listing possible. Between photos, Matterport tours, and videos, you’ll be able to follow the Stay At Home Order while still marketing like an absolute PRO!