PropertyDIGITAL Imaging Group

Tranquil Serenity – Stirling – Princeton

Andy Romano — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:10:54 +0000

Brad and Kate Hardingham (Realmark Residential) wanted us to focus on the water feature and alfresco areas of this home – along with our usual attention to detail with all internals.

Here are a few shots to enjoy..

2D Floorplanning – Iluka

Andy Romano — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:01:29 +0000

Hey Andy

Your Floorplanning Service is awesome..

My clients were really impressed with the detail and the speed you got them out for our campaign.

Great one Guys…

Adam Whitford
Harber Real Estate

Shot in the Dark – This Home Shines at Night…

Andy Romano — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:16:52 +0000

We shoot a lot of diverse property – From Mosman Park to Mindarie – From Balga to Bentley and Every price in between…..

So many homes with diverse features and lighting – decoration and themes.

We were asked to pull out all the stops on the backyard shots for this home in Heathridge.

I was a bit concerned about the weather flowing in from the north and east – ominous black lightning storm clouds – but in my mind – from experience – I know it would add more to the shots – and it did.

The home was great and recently renovated to a great standard but the lower backyard with pool area had basic spot lighting.

So how did we make it shine..

We use a technique of light painting with various introduced lighting to make effects much like a brush on areas the`t need attention – combined with battery powered professional controlled lighting onsite to fill large areas of light – we can make the difference between no light and great emotion.

Back at Studio tonight – Photoshop and custom built filters make it all come together.

The following pool outdoor shots were shot 30 minutes after sundown – to capture the skyline – the emotion is painted in with light by us.

ENJOY!!!

Lowlight Shoot – East Perth

Andy Romano — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:21:50 +0000

Another apartment well covered by Glen Johannes.

Small selection from over 30 shots.

West Editorial – 14th January 2012

Andy Romano — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:56:21 +0000

Our clients enjoy free editorial exposure – for many years we have constantly attracted editorial consideration from the press – on average 1 feature editorial per month with many smaller editorials regularly.

Too many to scan and add to a post every week.. Literally too many to post over time. So today I finally got a chance to get one up and running.. a small snippet of images…

22 Traylen Road Bayswater – Carlos Lehn Team – Acton Mount Lawley

Shoot of the Day – South Beach Bellissimo!!

Andy Romano — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:56:03 +0000

We get the chance to shoot really nice architectural homes in the South beach/North Coogee Area regularly…

Recently – “The Islands Apartments” for Stockland.

Here’s a few shots from the 50+ captured today – around the corner at 6 Bernier – Delivered today to Sarah Weychan from Jones Ballard Property Group.

Thanks for your business as usual Sarah and best of luck with your new listing.

57 Joel Terrace – From Basic to Fantastic….

Andy Romano — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:01:06 +0000

We photographed a home last night for Julie Pedulla.

We arrived early as usual to assit with the presentation – but this home wasn’t ready to shoot.

We took the opportunity to apply our usual magic and make this basic home come around.

We removed large rugs – rearranged furniture – removed debris from front and also made more space by removing outdoor furniture.

The Bathroom looks amazing.. hard work went into all. The result.. We got feedback from Ray (Vendor) via Julie today

“Wow Yes they look great… Andy… is a Master and a True Craftsman… at making my property and others sing…in Symphony..”

We pride ourselves on tackling any property to ensure it presents its best – as you know our images
generate and mark a perceived value for the property which helps you market easier.

Here are some shots from the shoot.

Happy New Year – Thanks for Seven Years

Andy Romano — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:13:28 +0000

To all our valued clients.. we appreciate your business and look forward to providing you with new innovations we have sourced/researched and brought to life over the next few months.

This year – with our new site and Blog – we will continue to bring you interesting articles from the world of architecture and design – updates on new products / services and the showcase – handy hints on home preperation and the best of photoshoots and HD Video per day and per week.

So… as we start our 7th year of operation – we wish you all the very best for 2012 – may this be the year that all your resolutions and wishes fulfilled.

Thanks for Seven years – and more…

Here’s a snippet from http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/01/yayoi-kusama-obiliteration-room/

Some colour in your day……

This is What Happens When You Give

Thousands of Stickers to Thousands of Kids

This December, in a surprisingly simple yet ridiculously amazing installation for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Ar, artist Yayoi Kusama constructed a large domestic environment, painting every wall, chair, table, piano, and household decoration a brilliant white, effectively serving as a giant white canvas. Over the course of two weeks, the museum’s smallest visitors were given thousands upon thousands of colored dot stickers and were invited to collaborate in the transformation of the space, turning the house into a vibrantly mottled explosion of color. How great is this? Given the opportunity my son could probably cover the entire piano alone in about fifteen minutes. The installation, entitled The Obliteration Room, is part of Kusama’s Look Now, See Forever exhibition that runs through March 12.

If you liked this you’ll also enjoy Roman Ondak’s Room of Heights and Karina Smigla-Bobinski’s helium-filled kinetic drawing sculpture.

The first four images courtesy Queensland Art Gallery and photographer Mark Sherwood. Additional images from Stuart Addelsee and heybubbles.

Five property lessons for 2012

Andy Romano — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:24:54 +0000

November 30, 2011, 3:52 pm Michael Yardney Yahoo!7

Avoid getting burned from changing markets by learning the lessons of previous property cycles.

To ensure you don’t get burned and to give you a chance to make the most out of our changing property markets, I would like to share some important lessons I’ve learned from previous cycles.

Probably the most important lesson we can all learn is to never get too carried away when the market is booming or too disenchanted during property slumps. Letting your emotions drive your investments is a sure-fire way to disaster.

Let’s look at 5 big lessons from previous cycles:

Lesson 1: Booms Don’t Last Forever

During a boom everyone is optimistic and expects the good times to last forever, just as we lose our confidence during a downturn. Our property market behaves cyclically and each boom sets us up for the next downturn, just as each downturn paves the way for the next boom.

Let’s face it… while the news is much less positive today, we know that over the next few years the flatter market conditions will be followed by another property boom and then another downturn. And over the next decade we’ll have another recession (we have one every seven to 10 years) and we’ll most likely have another depression one day. (More from Michael Yardney: What If China’s Bubble Bursts?)

The lesson from all this is get prepared for the next phase of the property cycle. During the last cycle, most investors didn’t really have their downside covered or their upsides maximised.

Lesson 2: Beware of Doomsayers

For as long as I have been investing, and that’s over 37 years, I remember hearing people with excuses why property prices will stop rising, or even worse, why property values will plummet. However in that time, well located properties have doubled in value every 8 to 10 years.

Fear is a very powerful emotion, and one that the media used to grab our attention. Sadly some people miss out on the opportunity to develop their own financial independence because they listen to the messages of those who want to deflate the financial dreams of their fellow Australians.

Lesson 3: Follow a System

Smart investors follow a system to take the emotion out of their decisions and ensure they don’t speculate. This may be boring, but it’s profitable. Let’s be honest, almost anyone can make money during a property boom because the market covers up most mistakes. But many investors without a system found themselves in financial trouble when the market turned. (More from Michael Yardney: Building Wealth Through Property Possible Not Just For The Rich)

Warren Buffet said it succinctly: “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” In other words, if you aren’t following a system that works in all market conditions you will be caught naked when the market changes.

If you prefer to have consistent profits and reduced risk, follow a proven system. Make your investing boring, so the rest of your life can be exciting.

Lesson 4: Get Rich Quick = Get Poor Quick

Real estate is a long term investment yet some investors chase the “fast money.” You’ve probably met people like that – they look for that deal that will make them fabulously rich. When you see them a year later, they’re usually no better off financially and still talking about the next deal that will make them rich.

They are often influenced by the latest get-rich-quick artist with a great story about how you can join them and become stupendously wealthy. Their stories can be very compelling, even hard to resist. They often pander to the wishes of people who would like to give up their day job to get involved in property full time, but in reality it takes most people many years to accumulate sufficient assets to do this. (More from Michael Yardney: What It Takes To Join The Rich 1% Club)

Patience is an investment virtue. Warren Buffet said it right when he explained that: “Wealth is the transfer of money from the impatient to the patient.”

Lesson 5: It’s About the Property

You’re in the business of property investment, yet during the last boom many investors forgot the age-old property fundamentals of buying the best property they could afford in proven locations. Instead they got sidetracked by glamorous finance or tax strategies and some lost out.

Smart investors do it differently. They make educated investment decisions based on research and buy a property below it’s intrinsic value, in an area that has above average long term capital growth and then add value creating some extra capital growth.

These are just 5 of the many lessons that I learned from the recent property downturn.

We know that a few years ago the pendulum swung too far in some regions and the markets are catching their breath. In some areas property prices are flat and in others they have fallen and will continue to languish for a while.

We also know that if history repeats itself, some markets will swing too far into the negative, driven by fear.

If you learn these lessons from previous cycles the rollercoaster ride will not be as dramatic this time around because you won’t let your emotions drive your investment decisions. Remember both fear and greed will drive you down the wrong path.

Michael Yardney is a director of Metropole Property Strategists who create wealth for their clients through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He is best-selling author, one of Australia’s leading experts in wealth creation through property and writes the Property Update blog. Subscribe today and you’ll receive a free video training – The Golden Rules of Property Investment.

Property the best investment – past, present and future?

Andy Romano — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:15:37 +0000

December 28, 2011, 11:00 am By Michael Yardney Yahoo!7

A recent study by ANZ Research – Asset Returns: Past, Present and Future – has provided some clear answers.

For as long as people have been securing their financial futures, a debate has raged as to what type of investment offers the best long-term returns.

Well…a recent study by ANZ Research – Asset returns: past, present and future – has provided some clear answers – residential property has outperformed all other asset classes over the last 24 years.

Fact is, it was a very detailed study comparing a range of assets going back to 1987 and different levels of leverages and returns were then risk-adjusted in order to paint an objective picture.

ANZ compared the after-tax and after-cost returns of owner occupied housing, investor housing, commercial property, equities (the ASX 200), government bonds and term deposits. (More from Michael Yardney: Oversupplied Property Markets To Remain Flat In 2012)

The best performing asset:

The key finding was that the highest performing investment over the past 24 years was owner occupied residential property.

The report showed that even when costs and taxes were factored in, owner-occupied housing generated the highest average annual total return of 12.0% per annum. In second place was investment housing, which delivered an average annual return of 9.6% over the last 24 years.

Over the same period the share market averaged 8.9% for a higher level of risk due to its higher volatility; with commercial property, bank term deposits and government bonds providing lesser returns.

The following chart from the ANZ Bank shows how the Compound Annual Growth Rate of the various asset classes over last 24 years. (More from Michael Yardney: 2011 – The Year The Property Markets Slumped)

Source: ANZ Australian Property Research – Asset Returns: Past, Present And Future

What about costs?

A common criticism of simple return models is that housing attracts a number of costs that other assets do not. Things like maintenance costs, stamp duty and agents commissions (on sale and rent).

In this detailed study the ANZ have accounted for these costs as realistically as possible. ANZ also included tax with a marginal income tax rate of 45% being assumed, as well as capital gains tax and stamp duty.

The results

A gearing level of 50% was assumed for all assets, except for term deposits and government bonds and returns were measured based on the return on equity.

This is one of the most detailed comparative analyses I’ve read. However I believe the results for property would have been even better if a higher gearing ratio had been assumed. If you think about it, most property investors have a higher loan to value ratio than 50%. (More from Michael Yardney: Five Property Lessons For 2012)

And of course the increased returns to property owners who renovate or improving their properties was not accounted for in this analysis.

Looking ahead

You know what they say…past returns are no guarantee of future returns.

In fact the ANZ believes that equities will have the highest returns over the next decade as the growth in value of residential properties tracks the growth in wages.

We’ll see…

Virtual furniture helps sell houses….

Andy Romano — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:50:29 +0000

IT has long been known in real estate circles that when it comes to house sales, selling the dream is as important as price and location.

And with that in mind, many estate agents believe adding a few fine furnishings can be just enough to get a wavering buyer over the line.

But with prices flat – or even going backward in some areas – many owners can’t afford to buy or hire furniture to spruce up their homes.

So agents are turning to computer trickery to try to get buyers interested – by adding “virtual furniture”.

Companies such as McGrath and L.J. Hooker are employing computer experts to modify pictures of otherwise bare houses to try to attract more potential buyers to viewings.

Televisions, sofas, beds, tables, wall hangings and even plants can be added to pictures for as little as $50 to $100 per image, potentially saving a vendor more than $6000 in fees for hired furniture and stylists.

But the practice is not without its problems, with some buyers arriving to find the home is vastly different from what has been advertised.

While some agents swear by it as a popular and essential marketing tool for empty properties, others have slammed it as going “too far”.

A spokesman for McGrath said since the company introduced it to Sydney in February, there had been a marked increase in its popularity.

“About 30 to 40 per cent of vacant properties use this service, and I’d say that makes up about 3 to 4 per cent of the total market,” he said.

“Once they submit the request the designer looks at the room and picks the most suitable item.

“The vendor also has the opportunity to have access to the library to make changes. Most people leave it up to the stylists, though.

“The value of the product is that it draws more people to the open house which translates into a higher price.

“It has an indirect effect on the price of the property.

“I’m sure there are cases in which some buyers feel uneasy because that’s not what’s displayed in the ad.

“We have labels on advertisements that say ‘virtually furnished’. We feel our buyers are used to it.”

But Starr Partners CEO Douglas Driscoll said while the practice was not illegal, it was not something potential buyers would appreciate.

Source: Ben Pike – The Daily Telegraph – October 4 2011

Standard Lowlight Photoshoot – Darch

Andy Romano — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:33:52 +0000

We’ve had a very busy December and Christmas – one of the busiest on record – working through the silly season.

Here’s a few shots from one of tonight’s lowlight shoots..

For Jai & Chris Lovell – Realmark Real Estate – jlovell@realmark.com.au

We are officially back on January 3rd – Have a great and safe New Years Eve Tomorrow night.

Improve your real estate business by using iPads in real estate listing presentations

Andy Romano — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:21:48 +0000

Thanks to modern technology, there are a number of options for real estate agents to keep in touch with prospects and sellers as well as in listing presentations. Yet few offer the flexibility and inherent intimacy that the iPad 2 does. With its incredible high-resolution screen, every detail will be visible to those potential buyers. Built-in Bluetooth technology also makes it simple to display your presentation on a larger screen if required.

What makes the iPad 2 the best option?

While some agents might argue that any tablet can accomplish the same objective, it is the iPad 2’s unique ability to allow the user to zoom in and out of images with ease that presents its greatest asset.

Another aspect that appeals to so many real estate agents around the world is the lightweight nature of the iPad 2 and the ability to transfer it to a potential buyer while they browse through listings. Clients may be fine by sifting through listings on a laptop or desktop computer, but the design of these do not allow close, more intimate presentations.

An iPad can be thought of as a brochure

When discussing listings with clients in more traditional formats, a printout or brochure was likely the common mode. Today, the iPad 2 offers the same appeal as having listing details at your fingertips coupled with the personal touch of being able to offer clients the answers to their questions with the touch of a button.

Over time, brochures can pose a significant expense, but by using an iPad 2 for listing presentations, just upload all of the details to your iPad 2 and you’re ready to go. As an added bonus, having your listings on an iPad will allow you to send and capture emails to interested prospects.

If you are looking for a technological advantage in your listing presentations, the iPad 2 is the perfect solution.

A great store in Myaree to buy your IPAD 2 – http://www.maxstyle.com.au/

SOURCE: www.realestateconnected.com.au – Merv Barrett

“Ocean Rise” Shoot

Andy Romano — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:43:33 +0000

Builton – A major force in WA subdivisions and land releases made use of our imagery to launch advertising materials to help promote sales of a forthcoming land release..

We provide all imagery and multimedia to the group – see more at: http://builton.net.au

We are always set to the challenge of helping sell something that is yet to materialise – our teams have the ability to really capture all the elements to make any campaign sizzle.

We will consult and advise on the technical and logistical aspects of the shoot(s) – while assessing your exact requirements to make your expressed ideas come to life.

Add in our unique UAV Aerial Service – Pixelair and you have the power of awesome aerials – at a fraction of the cost of conventional aerial services – with better results.

We have many years of on-location shooting experience – invaluable to make the difference.

We give you multiple options for ownership of the images and all images are delivered on time and on budget by electronic download.

Proofing tools are also provided to help make your selection of final images easy.

So let us assist you to make your next development – big or small come to life..

Handy Hints Before the Shoot!! Download it today!

Andy Romano — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:37:17 +0000

We innovated the process of presentation in homes prior to shooting back in 2005 – giving our clients a great start to marketing campaigns by actively adjusting homes to suit presentation – Less is more in most cases. It really made waves across the industry.

In April 2010 – we released this easy to follow guideline for all home preparation – to assist us to help you and your agent to make the most of your space and for us to strive to really “Capture the Sale”.

The hints came about after a year (2009) of hard to photograph properties and properties that were not presented at their best

We decided to pool together some ideas after consultation with clients and PropertyDIGITAL staff on the front line and some points to outline to clients to help stem the volume of difficult to shoot properties.

The information really helps to give your property a flying start before we get to photograph you biggest asset.

Download Here

http://www.propertydigital.com.au/docs/april2010/handyhints.pdf

We are always available on email at homeprep@propertydigital.com.au or on 0424372994 for advice on how to style your home and prep for sale.

Help us to help you make that higher perceived value statement and really get your property marketing off to a brilliant start.