Two recent properties sold by our clients- were sold to buyers who made the purchase based on the images–without even seeing the place in person.

Professional quality images mean an advantage in a competitive market–especially one with a hot overseas market!

Click on the photos below to check out the image gallery

5255 Gulf Place – Sold by Malcom Hasman

2629 Prince Edward Street- Sold by Julie Miller

How have images and video helped you?

When it comes to staging, painting and selling a home–do you consider colour psychology?  According to a few articles I’ve read, colour can evoke specific feelings in a space.  At VOH we’ve shot houses displaying every kind of colour –and I’ve wondered, what kind of impact do colours have on potential buyers?  According to these sites, your use of colour can really work for you to bring the right kind of energy in a space, direct people’s eyes to selling features, and channel the appropriate mood to suit the use of the room.  Even the colours people decide to use when designing a website, or for general marketing can also carry specific messages with them!  Check out the links below to learn more about what specific colours are saying, and how to use them to your advantage!

Using the Psychology behind Colour in Staging Homes

REALTORMag Blog suggests certain colours to use in specific rooms, and why!

Psychology of Colour in Home Painting & Marketing

NowSourcing has created a beautiful display of information and visuals on the topic of colour choice

How Colour Psychology can Help You Sell a Home

TLC’s Real Estate Selling Guide tells you which colours will be best to attract buyers!

The Power of Colour Choice in Marketing

Slide show discussing how Colour Psychology works, and the + & – of different colour choices

What Colours Say

An eHow Article discussing the what colours say about different personality types!

 What do you think? Is colour use a useful strategic tool in your marketing?  Do you think it’s a good idea to use different colours in a home for sale?  Or do you think white and beige are the best bet?   

Let us Know!

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! Early January has arrived (that Mayan calendar didn’t have us worried for a second, right?) and it’s that wonderful time to lay the foundation for those New Years resolutions. I’m sure at least a few of us have decided on one or two changes for the new year–but for those adamantly ‘anti-resolutioners’ we’ll simply call these resolutions ‘future goals’, or even more optimistically- ‘self-predictions’.

So, in the spirit of predictions, I did a little tour of the web and found a few 2013 predictions from experts in  different areas, as well as some useful links/tips to help us keep our new years goals this time around!

2013 Predictions

• The Futurist Magazine lists it’s top 10 predictions for 2013

• 21 Predictions for 2013 Social Media– by the Social Media Examiner

• Psychic predictions by ‘Earth Mysteries Investigator’ Betsey Lewis

• 10 Surprising Marketing-Trend Predictions for 2013

• Technology Predictions

Resolution Tips

• 111 Different New Years Resolutions- and how to make them a reality

• 5 Goal Setting Tips

• 7 Apps to Help You Keep them Going!

Do you have any resolutions or predictions for the new year?  In culture, technology, marketing, or real estate?  Share with us!

Image above courtesy of Frame Angel / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

From Stella the Boston Terrier: Remember, there are also many other ways to use that holiday energy to make yourself and others smile! Happy Holidays!

Everyone here at Video OpenHouse would like to wish you a happy holiday season!

If you need a break from the consumer side of things remember it is also a season of caring for those less fortunate, here are some links to get you started!

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank 

The Salvation Army

Festival of Trees

United Way Gift Catalogue

Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau

    

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About Genesis Kitchens

At Genesis Kitchens we offer a complimentary in home consultation where we combine your needs and lifestyle with the function of the space. By incorporating the style you are looking for or helping you discover it, we are able to walk you through the design stage, product selection and color coordination. We use the latest technology to provide 3D drawings, putting together a complete package including price quotes and product suggestions while working with your budget.

At Genesis it is not just about kitchens, we also cover bathrooms, study areas, book shelves, wine bars and built-ins. If it contains cabinetry and you can dream it, we can help create it.

To get you started, click on the photo below to check out our video tour of this cozy Whistler ski-home:

4953 Horstman Lane

One of it’s founders, Adam Garone explains ‘Mo-vember”s  inspirational story with humour and insight:

“My life has become about a Moustache.  Essentially, I’m a Moustache Farmer, and my season is November”    

(No time to watch it? Here’s a brief summary:   Adam talks about how his charity organization differs from others because the cause actually came later.  He, his brother and a friend decided to make a November challenge for themselves: try and bring the moustache back in style and turn it into a hilarious competition in the process.  It was so poorly received by their family, their employers, and their girlfriends that they decided they needed a cause to legitimize it.  That’s when they started researching Men’s Health issues and found that Prostate Cancer is a leading men’s health concern.  Like Breast Cancer for women, except the fundraising structures were no where near as prominent.  They developed a passion for  bringing awareness to this health concern and coined the phrase “Changing the Face of Men’s Health”.  Adam says that the strength of Movember today comes from harnessing “Creativity, Passion, Persistence and Patience”.  He wants his Mo-vember story to inspire people to make a positive change by create something significant in their own life.)

Ever heard that semi-redundant saying ‘You have one chance to make a first impression’? We all know you can only encounter something for the first time, once.  So I wonder why is it that, cruising through MLS, it seems like some aren’t taking the ‘first impression’ very seriously?  Here’s a few examples :

        

Photos from badmlsphotos.com

 If everyone believed in the value of a first impression, it’s a bit shocking that the quality of an MLS photo can be so… unmotivated.  So, I guess the real question is- do first impressions actually last?  A number of studies have agreed that not only do they count, but it is very difficult to change them on a subconscious level after they have been made!  A house might be stunning in person, but if it’s tainted by that bad, visual first impression on MLS it could unconsciously be the undoing factor between one home or another.  People’s initial perceptions can become their reality: better photography can make it a positive one.

Read an example article here.

#2 Photo’s affect Decision Making…even more than Words!

There are certain ‘wonder words’ you see repeated all over house listings: ‘spacious’, ‘exclusive’, ‘beautiful’, ‘unique’, ‘gorgeous’, ‘private’, ‘custom’ etc. etc. It’s clear that there is a lot of effort going into the perfect language to describe a property. But when it comes down to it, it’s been proven that an image has more of an influence on decisions than words! It’s agreed by behavioral psychologists that people make most of their decisions based on emotion and intuitive processing.  Likewise, it’s been proven that images have a more profound effect on this emotional, intuitive arena of our thinking.   So basically, we can use all the descriptive jargon we want, but when it comes down to it, the photo is what resonates at a deeper level and sways decisions.

Quick Facts:

1-Images effect our emotions. They also increase comprehension, recollection and retention.

2-People make decisions based on emotion and intuitive thinking- which is triggered by images.

3-Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text.

4- I found my information in an interesting article about images and people:  you can read it here 

 An inviting photo of a room – invites people to want to live there