Bill Whitaker, the owner of RAWtape Real Estate Measuring and Photography takes a few minutes here to share more about his business, and why he has partnered with CubiCasa as a Preferred Photographer. Located in Little River, SC, the RAWtape Real Estate Measuring and Photography team provides expert measuring, photography, or videography services.
Tammy: Hi Bill, thank you for taking time to share a little about your business with us here! From your intro video, I learned that you are a realtor, in addition to also being a real estate photographer, a measurement professional, and now an educator on the subject of property measurement. What was your path to where you are now, an expert in the field? What are your plans for the future?
Bill: When I first started my home measuring business, I wanted to do something different in the real estate industry. In the past, I have had agents ask me to help them with measuring homes. I wasn’t that great at it, but I understood the concept and rules of measuring based on the measuring guide provided by the NC Real Estate Commission (Residential Square Footage Guidelines Brochure). In the past I had always hired professional home measuring people to measure homes that I deemed too complex for me to measure. Because of our local MLS rules, I knew that all measurements had been provided correctly. With that in mind and other agents asking me for help, I thought, why don’t I build a business measuring homes. I first sought out photographers who were interested in adding home measuring to their photography services and I would provide the home measuring services under their business flag. Later, after gaining professional training from an appraiser and obtaining my Home Measuring Specialists (HMS) designation, I thought it would be best to start my own company. I started researching competitor services and started looking for ways to create professional floor plans. I tried a few products, but I wasn’t pleased with the products until I found CubiCasa. Believe me, I thank God I found CubiCasa, which made my business a lot easier and the products I offered more professional and attractive to real estate agents. After this milestone, I started taking professional photography lessons and learning how to shoot photos and then create 3D tours using Matterport and Zillow products.
My initial vision for my business was to create a side business inside the real estate industry. After about 2 years in the business, I started having agents ask me if I would teach them how to create a home measuring business. From this, I started my coaching and training program.
My plan for the future is to continue offering home measuring and photography services and build my coaching and training services by providing webinars and educational events to help educate agents on the basics of home measuring, legal issues with home measuring, increasing sales by providing floor plans and 3D tours and how to create their own floor plans using CubiCasa. I am also seeking to join a local real estate school where I plan to teach a course on “hands-on home measuring and creating floor plans” that is approved by the SC and NC real estate commission and will provide agents with continuing education (CE) credits.
Tammy: Many people with experience providing measurement services by traditional methods have been skeptical or resistant to adopting new solutions, such as CubiCasa. What sort of testing did you do to validate your use of our app to scan for your measurements in place of using a tape or laser measuring? Are you confident of the accuracy when you deliver our floor plans?
Bill: When I started using CubiCasa I was using a Samsung Note 10 phone. The camera was great, but I had doubt about the measurements being correct. Due to the MLS in Charlotte requiring that the measurements be accurate within a 5% deviation range, I also provided “hands-on measurements” with every CubiCasa scan to ensure that my measurements were correct or close to the GLA report provided by CubiCasa. I then made corrections as needed to the floor plan diagrams provided by CubiCasa.
Tammy: Are you confident of the accuracy when you deliver our floor plans?
Bill: At first, I was not. My phone scans along with my student’s phone scans were off on a number of occasions using both Android and Apple products. Everyone provided “hands-on measurements” to ensure measurements provided to our agent clients were as accurate as possible. This past year I have switched to a new Apple 15 Pro that uses LIDAR technology and I have found that the measurements are much closer. With all the CubiCasa updates and using newer technology to scan homes has made the measurements more accurate.
Tammy: Before you used CubiCasa, how did you create your floor plans, and do you feel you save time and/or effort by scanning instead of measuring traditionally?
Bill: Before I started using CubiCasa, I did not provide floor plans to my clients. The other products that I tested did not meet the standard I wanted to present to my agent clients. I only provided “hands-on measurements” with a diagram produced by APEX.
CubiCasa has made my business so much easier with measuring homes. All the new tools that provide so many options really make my services more attractive over competitors who do not use CubiCasa. The CubiCasa prices are great where I can offer my agent clients a great product(s) at a competitive price and still make a reasonable profit.
Tammy: We are so happy that you have joined our Preferred Photographer Program! Why did you decide to include a floor plan with every shoot?
I now provide a floor plan with every photo shoot mainly because of the professional photographer program CubiCasa now offers photographers with discounts. It’s a great idea. I now am more competitive with other photographers in my area who do not offer floor plans. I am finding that most agents don’t consider using a floor plan in my area at the coast. By offering free* floor plans with every photo shoot, not only do I stand out from the competition, but I am promoting a better standard for my agent clients.
(*Please note that while Bill has made the choice to offer floor plans for free, this is not a requirement to join the Preferred Photographer Program pricing decisions are up to the photographer.)
Tammy: What has the reaction been from your clients?
Bill: My agent clients are very pleased! When I show them the technology opportunities, they are amazed. The goal is to get them to understand the power that the CubiCasa technology holds to help them present a more professional image and to sell listings faster by purchasing these marketing tools from me using CubiCasa.
Tammy: Are there any benefits of the program that stand out to you?
Bill: A better professional image for me and my agent clients, the many great options to offer them when using me to provide marketing materials for their new listing, the ease of creating the floor plan with my cell phone, the low expense to create a great product, the quick turnaround time for receiving a completed project, making quick fixes and delivering it to my agent clients.
Tammy: Would you recommend joining the program to other photographers?
Bill: Only to photographers outside my area. I don’t want others to know about CubiCasa around me, I like to keep the competitive edge…..LOL.
Our thanks to Bill for taking the time to share more about how CubiCasa, and being a Preferred Photographer, have been beneficial for his business. If you would like to learn more about the program and how it could boost your real estate photography business, please book a time for a short meeting here.
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