Drone Fly Through Videos

Have you ever experienced flying through a home?? Our drone pilot Jake has spent hundreds of hours building his own custom drones and flying them, perfecting his art of FLYING a drone THROUGH a home!

This is one of the newest ways that DMD Real Estate Photography is helping home sellers and listing agents in Alaska market their homes! Whether we are flying drones in Anchorage, Girdwood or Wasilla and Palmer there is no better way to experience a home!

Not all homes and conditions will allow for this type of service, but we will do our best to make it happen if we can! If you are interested in having your home tour be a Drone Fly Through tour let our experienced pilot take flight inside for you!

Here are some recent Drone Fly Throughs we have done in Wasilla and Eagle River Alaska.

Lessons from the Most Popular U.S. Home Styles That Can Benefit You

When people are in the market for a new home, they probably won’t know that a home is a “Cape Cod” or a “Craftsman.” But they do know when the style really appeals to them… or doesn’t.

When marketing a home for sale, you want to highlight its best features. Understanding the style of the home is one way to do just that. Here are some of the most popular home styles in the U.S. and how highlighting the style itself can benefit your sale.

Cottage

A cottage style home holds a lot of curb appeal. Usually made from brick or stone, these homes have steep, triangular roofs with a chimney often at the front. Interiors are full of low, arched doors to help give it a cozy feel.

A cottage has a few advantages you want to highlight and a few disadvantages you want to help buyers overlook. The advantages include a comfortable, cozy-feeling home that is often small — but also easy to maintain. Plus, heating and cooling bills are often more reasonable in smaller homes. If you are selling a house with a porch or patio, that should be highlighted as extra outdoor living space.

What should you downplay? It’s important to minimize how small some of the spaces in the home may actually be by decluttering and arranging furniture to help it feel more open. Cottages aren’t necessarily set up as great spaces for social gatherings, so it’s important to help them feel cozy but also conducive to the buyer’s lifestyle. Real estate photographers can help by choosing angles and using lighting designed to make the space seem bigger.

Ranch

Oh, the traditional ranch. You may have grown up in one or been surrounded by them in your childhood – they’re a very popular style of house in the U.S. for a lot of reasons.

A ranch is a minimalistic home that usually has large windows and a low-pitched roof. One great thing about a lot of ranch homes is their easy access to outdoor spaces (they normally have patios or porches to enjoy!).

Ranches appeal to many buyers because they are typically a single story, which makes them accessible. Their airy, large layout is great for families, too. But you can run into problems because they simply may not feel as large as two-story homes. 

It’s important to highlight the positive things about a ranch by making them feel open and light. Decluttering and staging before you have photos taken can make a big difference, as can using someone who understands how to use lighting to your benefit.

Bungalow

People tend to love bungalows because they’re built for efficiency. The style has connecting rooms without long hallways. They’re normally one and a half stories, so there’s some separation between the living areas and the bedrooms, which many people like.

These low-to-the-ground homes also melt into the surrounding landscape easier than other home styles. That helps these homes to feel more private than other styles. 

But there can be challenges with a lack of natural lighting due to the low profile and small spaces for families to enjoy.

Wide-angle shots that capture the entirety of the open floor plan can make the space feel bigger. Additionally, you want to make sure you highlight the landscape and the almost “hidden” nature of the  home with images designed to maximize this effect.

Every home style is a little bit different. If you want to emphasize the positive and minimize the negatives inherent in a home’s design, DMD Real Estate Marketing can help. Reach out to us to find out more!

Who's Buying Alaska Homes During the Coronavirus?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic collateral consequences on the global economy, and many Americans are currently very concerned about their financial security. 

So why then are home sales in Alaska and elsewhere around the country so strong? Who are these people who are racing to buy? And how can you find them to bolster your business?

Below, we’re going to explain how COVID-19 has affected the Alaska real estate market and what kind of buyers you should be looking for. 

Are Potential Buyers Looking for a Bargain? 

Yes and no.

While it is true that many buyers are entering the market due to record-low mortgage rates, home sales prices do not seem to be following this trend. In fact, if anything those looking to buy seem more willing to pay extra and use their mortgage “savings” to seek out higher-end homes.

As virtually all realtors here in Alaska can attest, most homes under $500 thousand are receiving multiple offers. Buyers are willing to pay, and they’re willing to compete for a house they want.

Are Potential Buyers in a Rush to Get a Home?

Again, yes and no.

While they absolutely want to take advantage of low interest rates, most buyers right now seem to understand that the inventory level is low and that they will most likely need to submit offers on multiple homes due to the high level of competition.

Obviously, though, every client is different, so it is wise to educate them on the nature of the real estate market right now and explain how they can increase their chance of success in purchasing a home here. Namely: 

• Get a mortgage pre approval, which will give sellers confidence that they will be able to get a loan, and therefore that the sale will go through successfully. 

• If they can be flexible about the closing date, let the seller know this. The pandemic has made the logistics of moving more complex, so a flexible closing date is especially helpful to sellers and may encourage them to go with your client over others. 

Who Are These Potential Buyers?

Who exactly is buying houses in the middle of a pandemic that has cost tens of millions of people their jobs? Obvious answer: those who haven’t lost their jobs.

Which is true. But clearly it’s a bit more complicated than that.

The pandemic has not only turned people’s finances topsy-turvy, but also how they live and work. Many of those who have been lucky enough to hold onto their jobs were able to do so because they could telecommute.

And it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be changing anytime soon. In fact, many large workplaces have told their employees not to plan on returning to the office until 2021 — if ever.

With so many no longer tethered to a physical location due to work, they’re looking to leave these often more expensive places and go where they want to live.

How Do You Reach People Who Want to Buy Homes During the Pandemic? 

One word: online.

This has been increasingly true for a while now, but the pandemic definitely pushed things further in this direction. 

With so many people stuck at home either bored or stressed from trying to keep everyone sane in a space that now seems much smaller, online is the place to advertise real estate listings.

Of course, that’s only half the battle. You also have to gear your listings to what those people want.

Right now, for many, that’s space. Escape from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Large outdoor spaces they can use without fear of running into others. Nature. Indoor spaces geared toward things like family game and movie nights, but also working (and learning) from home. Kitchens designed to be used a lot more.

You can do this by highlighting those images in your listings and really showing off those spaces in creative ways. Want help doing just that? Reach out to DMD!