If you want to work more efficiently while being completely prepared for any situation that may arise as a real estate agent as well as impress your clients with your tech knowledge, then here are the tools that I recommend you have on hand and use in your daily operations.

Every Realtor should have a high quality camera for both taking quality videos and pictures.  Cell phone photos should never be used, even on a temporary basis if you can avoid it.  And Cell phone video can do more damage to you than good if it’s not done right, which rarely happens.   And while I highly recommend that you hire a professional photographer, a great DSLR camera will always come in handy.  And IF you’re the creative type and want to take the time to learn about photography, you can save money and time and take the photos yourself.  With that said, just don’t try to be everything to everyone and stay focused on doing what you’re good at and hire professionals to handle everything else.  This is a personal preference and never take on the photography for cost reasons alone.  Only if this is passion you have and you’re great at it.

I highly recommend this camera for both video and pictures.  It has every feature you’ll need as a Realtor and it is easy to use.  It has great auto modes for taking great pictures and it’s also smaller and more compact than the standard size large DSLR cameras.  Don’t worry about the details and specs, just know that you can buy this camera and stick an SD memory card in it and start taking really great pictures!   For video production, it has a downright magical auto focus which is where most people go wrong when buying a camera to shoot video at first.  You can stick this on a tripod, add a shotgun microphone and hit record and look like a video genius.  Download it straight to your cellphone via wifi or Bluetooth and edit it in any video editing app like iMovie (iPhone), add some music, fade in and fade to black at the end, and viola you’re a video producer without looking like a total amateur.

Shoot near professional video with this tiny stabilized camera.  This small camera can easily shoot super smooth video with little effort.  

Click here to buy the DJI Osmo Pocket: https://amzn.to/2PsjGKF

Canon EOS M50 bundle with everything you need at a great price:

Click here to buy camera bundle as shown: https://amzn.to/2DWE59m

OR if you just need the camera without the accessories…

Click here to just buy the camera:  https://amzn.to/2ScVm18

This is a GREAT versatile tripod that I use on a daily basis.  This allows you to get almost any shot you want because you can bend and wrap this tripod around or on any surface or object.

Click here to buy this tripod:  https://amzn.to/2L5BxXo

It’s always smart to have a few extra batteries on hand when shooting photos or videos.  The Canon batteries are very expensive. I found this great and high quality alternative for extra back up batteries.  The key here is that these come with a USB charger which means you can charge these batteries on the go if you need to vs the charger that comes with the camera.

2 battery pack with charger

Click here to buy batteries and charger: https://amzn.to/2SbluJF

Unfortunately the camera does not come with a bag so you’ll need this.

Click here to buy camera bag:  https://amzn.to/2FFg9c9

You’ll NEED a good microphone for recording VIDEO!  Without a good mic, your video will look great but sound horrible.  Audio is a HUGE part of creating good videos.  You’ll also need the wind jammer (aka deadcat) for outdoor shooting to avoid all of the wind muffling.  And always remember that with shotgun mics like this one, the closer you are to the camera the better (2-4 feet ideally).  If you plan to be further away then you’ll need a lavalier system (I’ll post below next).

Rode Videomic Go shotgun mic:

Click here to buy the shotgun mic with wind jammer:  https://amzn.to/2SbkkxN

This is a great more compact little shotgun mic that I use a lot with my camera and even my smartphone:

Click here to get the Rode Video Micro:  https://amzn.to/2PdaI3V

Here’s a great and affordable Lavalier microphone system from MOVO that works great with this camera and I use mine all of the time (use this for longer distance video recording):

Click here to buy Lavalier mic: https://amzn.to/2SfhJTL

If you plan to start shooting a lot of videos then you’ll need to pay attention the lighting. Most office lighting is ok, but you need to make sure otherwise your video will look dark and shadowy.  Here’s an easy and inexpensive lighting set up.

Click here to buy lighting:  https://amzn.to/2P1MMjD

So if you absolutely need to shoot video with your cellphone or if you do a lot of LIVE STREAMING, this is a great little inexpensive gadget with the cellphone clamp and adjustable lighting modes for any environment.  It’ll clamp anywhere and can be powered by a portable battery pack for hours.   This will dramatically improve your cellphone videos.  And remember to turn your phone sideways! 🙂

Click to buy ring light w/phone clamp: https://amzn.to/2DUL2aV

DRONES!  Aerial photography and video is part of real estate marketing and here to stay.  While it makes more sense to hire a professional who is skilled and experienced at flying drones and shooting aerial video and photos, some Realtors have the “geek” gene like I do and want to have their own drone for basic photos and videos of their listings.  Drones are also great to get a birds eye view of the lot a property sits on or to just get that really cool aerial main photo for the MLS.   I’ve found two great and very easy to fly drones at very different price ranges that will get you equipped to take to the sky in minutes!

The first is an amazing little drone called the DJI Spark.  This small drone has a great camera and is fully GPS enabled so flying it is very easy.  You just need to get the optional remote control vs flying it with your smartphone as it makes it much easier.  This drone has a shorter range than the next level up drone, but for shooting houses it’ll get the job done as long as it’s not too windy.  The Spark is super affordable at under $400 too!

DJI Spark with remote combo.

Click here to buy the Spark drone:  https://amzn.to/2DWbIbn

The more advanced and more professional drone is the Mavic first generation.  The price has come down a lot since the new versions arrived yet this really is all you need to make incredible videos and take great photos.  Has a very long range and incredibly easy to fly and it folds into a small compact package.

Click here to buy the Mavic: https://amzn.to/2BvMDl4

PRESENTATIONS on the go!  One of my favorite tools is the mini projectors they’re selling now.  They’ve improved greatly in the past few years.  This one below is a great little projector and with the lights dimmed just a little, it’ll do the job in a pinch!

Click here to buy this mini projector: https://amzn.to/2Sb2Q4U

I’ve bought a lot of powerbanks and I’ve found that this Anker 20000 MaH battery is more than you’ll likely ever need, small and transportable, and super reliable.  Power your phone, tablets, and anything that can plug into a normal USB port from this.

Click here to buy this great powerbank:  https://amzn.to/2EaDUGY