The Faces Behind the Camera

In celebration of the new snow last week, and in hopes that our SVSIR agents have enlisted their photographers to run around and get (more, professional) winter photos of their listings, I want to show you the faces behind the camera, and their dedication to getting that perfect “shot”.

We are extremely lucky to have very talented photographers in our area who work well with agents in order to visualize a homes’ story, so I sent each of them four quick questions to answer, both real estate related, and not:

1. What is your favorite room in a home?
2. When you are not photographing real estate, what is your subject of choice?
3. What home have you photographed for our office that stands out the most?
4. What one tip would you give an amateur photographer if they decided to take their own photographs of a home?

And here are the results, starting with the short winded ones: (pay close attention to the advice given in number four, as I know many of you still use your own photography skills)

Fred Lindholm:

1. Living Room  |  2. Women  |  3. 30 Osprey Lane  |  4. Use your flash.

1. Fred in action.                                     2. 30 Osprey Lane

To contact Fred leave a note with your email address in the comments, and I will get you his information.

Roland Lane:

1. Den  |  2. Wildlife  |  3. 13 Independence Creek  |  4. Use a tripod.

1. Roland Lane                            2. 13 Independence Creek

To contact Roland and view more of his work visit, http://www.rolandlancelane.com/

Josh Wells:

Josh Wells on set.

1. The Kitchen, especially when it opens to the living/great room.  It usually has the most character and it’s where people love to entertain.

2. Products and retail establishments.  I like business.  I like commerce.  And I like to help my clients capture their products in a way that helps their businesses succeed.

3. Elkhorn Springs – It's a beautiful property that helped revitalize the Elkhorn area.  It's tastefully done and it represents a terrific value. And there are a lot of interesting components/parts including the tennis courts, pool, golf course and close proximity to the ski hill.

Elkhorn Springs, by Josh Wells

4. Use a tri-pod – make sure your shots are level and the light is right.

To contact Josh and view more of his work visit, http://alpinfoto.com/

Tory Taglio:

1. The kitchen would have to be my favorite room to show in a real estate shoot. The kitchen is typically the center of all family activity and usually it is the kitchen that carries the personality of the home. As far as good photographs go, the largest rooms, such as the living rooms are usually the showcase photos

2. I really enjoy shooting lifestyle stock photography: skiers, runners, fisherman, and the other activities that represent what makes this valley so unique. It’s hard to take a bad picture of people doing what they love.

3. I photographed a home on Greenhorn Loop last Summer that will always standout in my memory. The home was on a beautiful lot and I spent the entire day there shooting for the optimum light quality for both the interior and the exterior. The sunset photos of the exterior where the quality of light that only hits a house for 5 minutes during the day. I just happened to be there and ready when the timing was perfect. The results were worth it.

Greenhorn Loop by Tory Taglio

4. Spend the time to find that homes best light, either early AM or later in the afternoon so that the colors of the rooms walls and furniture are accurate and complimentary. Using HDR or Photoshop may allow you to shoot in low quality light, but these shortcuts give the photos an artificial or even cartoon like appearance. Colors are not accurate, contrast is muddy and the results are counterproductive. Sophisticated buyers today are looking at hundreds of photos a day that are professionally photographed to the highest standards. When poorly photographed homes are compared to well photographed homes side by side on the internet, the poorly photographed homes do not get a second look.

To contact Tory and see more of his work visit, http://torytagliophotography.com/

Each photographer was nominated by one or more of our agent’s in the Sun Valley Sotheby’s International Realty office.

Five Staging Tips for Selling

If you want to sell your home fast, there are five things you can do that will ensure a quick sale. Certainly yours will sell ahead of anything else on the market in your competitive set. I’ve condensed these tips into five so you can list them on one hand – much easier to remember!

1. STP – Sort, Toss, Pack

If you’re going to move, you need to sort through all your belongings, and discard or donate them to charity before you pack, right? So why not get a head start? The benefit is that you’ll be really organized when moving time comes, and meanwhile, your home will show in a simple, uncluttered way that allows buyers to envision themselves in your place. Personal items are often a distraction and you want buyers to only see how they would live in your house, condo, or flat.

2. Deep Clean

A deep cleaning inside is paramount, but the outside needs to appear clean and tidy too. Since you’ve done the STP, you now have room to clean because there’s much less stuff in the house. Get into every nook and cranny that you can reach and clean it. Once the counters, bookshelves, and closets are cleaned, do everything in your power to keep them clean and not collect stuff again!

3. Minimize

Scale back or minimize as much as you can. If you have seasonal wardrobes, put one season away so that there’s lots of hanging space in the closet. It’s an optical illusion that makes the closet look bigger. I like to take out 1/3 of what’s hanging. (And guess what? You won’t miss those items anyway.) Do the same with furniture where possible. The trick is to make the rooms look bigger by having less furniture. Store it in the garage if needed. When people look at the garage, they’ll see you’ve already started packing boxes and stacking furniture and think you’re one organized, proactive, go-getter.

4. Be the Buyer

If you golf, you know the saying “Be the ball.” In staging, “Be the buyer.” Sometimes we live a certain way that fits our personal lifestyle, but try to think as if you’re an interior home photographer. How does the room look in the picture? How will the buyer enter the house or the room? What’s the first thing they see? Does the furniture afford an easy traffic pattern? If you always enter from the back door, or garage door, enter through the front door to see what you normally don’t notice. You might think differently about what works and make adjustments.

5. Set the Stage

Yes, just like in the theater, create the scene. First impressions are all-important, so the exterior must be appealing. Plant flowers, mow the lawn, trim shrubs, possibly hang baskets, get a new door mat, maybe a seasonal wreath. Same for the interior – if you have a game table, put out the chess pieces, cookbook open on the stand in the kitchen, set the dining table. However, keep everything simple. Less truly is more.

Now, get to work and have fun while you do it. The process is one of the most rewarding you can have and the results are almost immediate, visible, and beautiful. Once you’ve done this, you may change your living style permanently – forever living in a model home!

Submitted by Pam Colesworthy of Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty

Start with a Gallery Walk, then a Gallery Tour of Homes, and finish it up with Marley in the Mountains

President's weekend is almost here, and town will be bustling with tourists, locals, and Marley in the Mountains concert goers.

We have quite the weekend activities for you as well, even with days full of skiing. Friday February 17, we are hosting Francette Labatut during the Gallery Walk, 5-8pm. She has a variety of beautiful paintings, many featuring poppies and nature scenes. You can view her work at www.sunvalleysir.com/upclose or http://www.francettelabatut.com/.

Here is a sneak peak:

Coquelicots a... by Francette Labatut

We will also be holding a "Gallery Tour of Homes" on Saturday, February 18, from 1-4pm, featuring 12  listings throughout Sun Valley and Elkhorn. Here is a sneak peak of those as well, and make sure to look for our ad on the back of the arts section in Wednesday's paper, it will have all the details and a map for easy touring.

We hope to see you this weekend at one or both events. And don't forget all of the great events starting later in the evenings featuring the artists that are here for Marley in the Mountains!

A Cold Fishing Day in January...

The thermometer in the truck said 17 degrees. I’d run out of excuses for not putting the waders on and hiking down to the river, so I suited up and begrudgingly set off. The sunlight was reflecting off the canyon walls and when I got down to the banks of the first pool it was warm enough to take the hat, jacket, and gloves off and bask in the sun. However, there were dark rainbows cruising over the light colored cobble feeding, which promptly ended my sunbathing.

Like a lot of winter fishing days in the Wood River Valley, you win a few, you lose a few and some days you’re a rock star. Today was no exception. Today there were trophy fish moving in singles and doubles, and they were eating my zebra midges. Today I fished like a geek and lost most of the significant fish. But not all.  When the sun got low, winter returned and it was time to go home. The thermometer still read 17 degrees when I got back to the car. Not a bad 4 hours in January.

We in the Wood River Valley are blessed with some of the best fly-fishing in the world. The winter months, with a little extra effort, are some of the finest angling opportunities. The fish are less selective, they are grouped up in the deeper runs, and even though most of the fishing is done with nymphs, some dry fly-fishing is available. The window of fishing is shorter, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on most days weather permitting. Next time you’re planning your Sun Valley ski trip, think about adding a day of fishing to your agenda. It will become a tradition.

Submitted by Jim Holcomb of Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty



A Perfect Ski Day in Sun Valley

The idea of a "perfect ski day" will vary so completely from person to person that I don't believe you could ever really pin down that one, ideal day. Stories could range anywhere from 8 am lift lines for first tracks in deep powder, to a late start with plenty of time spent hopping from lodge to lodge on the mountain, to a secluded nordic ski, or a backcountry adventure.... they are plentiful and endless.

Here we have just a couple of these days contributed by two of our agents.

A Perfect Ski Day in Sun Valley

Every ski day in Sun Valley is perfect, but some are more perfect than others. Remember that powder day!  It had snowed all night and the mountain ski report said 14 inches had fallen on Baldy. There was already a good base. We were in the lift line at 8:00 am and the snow was still lightly falling. As more and more skiers arrived, they hassled each other to be one chair closer to getting to the top. We waited and waited while the avalanche control crews were hard at work getting the slopes ready for the onslaught.

Finally, they started loading the lift and the adrenaline rush made us all a little crazy.  Everyone was planning their first runs. Which runs are open? How many runs can we make with new tracks before we head for the trees?  The ride up is filled with anticipation and excitement.  My favorite powder ski buddy is sitting beside me.  We have been searching for the best powder on this mountain for over 50 years and cherish each and every opportunity.  There are endless secret skiing lines between the trees when the runs get skied out.

We reach the top. The bowls and Seattle Ridge are not open yet, so we settle on Ridge.  It is a wide open sea of perfect white, so beautiful, it could be heaven. Run after run we are thrilled and amazed at the wonders of this great mountain.  We hear that the bowls will open around noon.  By the time we get there, the ridge overlooking Little Easter Bowl is already lined with skiers waiting to make first tracks.  At last, the signal is given and we are off!  Remember that perfect, floating feeling?  Thank you Baldy and Sun Valley Company!

Submitted by Anne Zauner of Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty


My Perfect Day Skiing

There is a magical phenomenon that happens when it’s snowing and sunny at the same time.  The air is filled with diamonds flashing rainbows of sparkles. Last year, I was skate skiing north of Ketchum at Billy’s Bridge with my dog, and this magic happened.  With the soft corduroy track, my happy dog racing ahead of me, the absence of another person and the views of the Boulders through the sparkling air, my ski was absolutely mystical. It seemed I could ski faster than ever with little effort, and at the crest of a hill, I stopped and just stood in the warmth of the sun basking in this beautiful abundance of diamonds swirling all around me.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment as long as I live.

Submitted by Suzanne Walsh of Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty